Deploying a Roman Army

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The Ektaxis kat’ Alanōn of Arrian.

The “Deployment Against the Alans” is a work of unusual importance written by the Roman consul Arrian. It takes the form of a series of instructions, whose aim is firstly to assemble into marching order a variety of individually named military units (identifiable as part of the Hadrianic garrison of the Roman province of Cappadocia), and secondly to deploy them in line of battle against a mounted foe, the Alans of the title. A third section then gives advice on how the battle should unfold.

Only a single copy of the work survives, preserved in a tenth-century manuscript, and the Greek text has required occasional emendation in order to clarify Arrian’s original meaning. This volume presents an improved Greek text, the first since 1928, with full critical apparatus and a Loeb-style facing-page English translation. As well as an in-depth introduction to Arrian, his work, and his governorship of Cappadocia, there is also, for the first time ever, a detailed commentary on the Ektaxis. The volume is fully indexed and will be of interest to students and scholars of Arrian, as well as to Roman army enthusiasts.

From the Foreword by Professor J.E. Lendon

The interest of Campbell’s 130-page commentary, moreover, extends far beyond the Deployment itself: the commentary is, in fact, a reconsideration of pretty well everything we thought we knew about the high imperial Roman army. It is an extremely rare commentary that can be read beginning to end with profit and pleasure, but Campbell’s work falls into that happy category. His commentary on the Deployment is a work of almost unimaginable scholarship and erudition, and an essential possession for anyone interested in the Roman army of the Principate.

Praise for Deploying a Roman Army

Here, for the first time, we have a full introduction, new text, translation and in-depth commentary in print. It is very welcome and will be sought out and referred to by all students, and not a few scholars, of imperial Roman military history. Following on from his excellent similar work on Hyginus’ Liber de munitionibus castrorum in 2018, Campbell here places Arrian’s brief treatise into its multiple contexts and explores the ramifications of the text for our understanding of military history at the time. ... Campbell provides everything the historian (or scholar) could want on this important text. The commentary is thorough and meticulous. He also compiles and synergises all important previous opinion, discussing previous translations of single words on occasion. Add this book to your collection today! -- Ancient Warfare Vol. XVI, Issue 1

Que d’attente pour qu’une traduction décente de l’Ordre de bataille contre les Alains voie enfin le jour, le tout accompagné d’un commentaire digne de ce nom! C’est désormais chose faite grâce à cet excellent volume. Campbell effectue un minutieux travail de restitution du texte original à partir de l’édition Teubner de A.G. Roos. Il parvient ainsi à établir ce qui est à ce jour la meilleure version de cet opuscule, en tenant compte des propositions d’émendation faites par les historiens ces quarante dernières années. (...) L’attention portée à la lettre du texte grec, à sa grammaire parfois compliquée, ainsi qu’aux usages du vocabulaire militaire dans la langue littéraire d’Arrien, distingue cette version de toutes celles qui ont précédé. (...) Dans son long commentaire de 130 pages, Campbell s’emploie toujours à discuter des choix faits par ses prédécesseurs. En tant que spécialiste de l’armée romaine, il attache aussi une grande importance à l’usage que les historiens ont fait de l’Ordre de bataille contre les Alains dans le cadre de discussions scientifiques plus larges. -- Revue internationale d’histoire militaire ancienne Vol. 12

Campbell now provides the first formal commentary, with a revised text and English translation. (...) In a succinct, well-written introduction C. clarifies what is known or commonly believed about Arrian’s career and writings, and locates the Ektaxis in historical, geostrategic and literary-cultural contexts. C.’s account of pioneering scholarship, editions and translations is meticulous and intrinsically useful. C.’s text of the Ektaxis is a carefully considered revision of A.G. Roos’s Teubner edition (1928; rev. G. Wirth 1968), based on C.’s consultation of F and judicious appraisal of, seemingly, all readings and conjectures offered since the editio princeps (and sometimes before). The well-arranged commentary is easily navigable. C.’s exposition of evidence and arguments is valuable, and, overall, his commentary becomes essential for future inquiries. -- Dr. Philip Rance, Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia

It is wonderful to see the publication of more of the ancient military manuals themselves, especially with commentary resources, so essential for reading these densely information-packed texts. And it is to this latter category that Duncan Campbell’s present volume under review belongs. This particular treatise is quite brief — both the Greek text and the translation, arranged on facing pages, take up only twenty pages total! The bulk of the volume, therefore, is reserved to a masterful 130-page commentary essay, sandwiched between two very helpful diagrams of the army on the march and deployed for battle order, and a comprehensive glossary of all the key terms. (...) The treatise and the commentary fall into three parts — a great Roman rhetorical model, of course, but also logical in this case. Chapters 1-10 (and the commentary on them) address the order of the army on march. We find, in the listing of the marching orders, quite a mixture of units, and Campbell helpfully provides a survey of literary and epigraphic evidence that we have for each. As a result, the commentary on Chapter 1 of the treatise is longer than the entire text and translation of the treatise combined. But to have all of this information in one place is a fantastic resource, and while no other chapter merits quite this level of detail in the commentary, this is a good example of the depth of research that Campbell provides. (...) Overall, Campbell has produced a supremely well-researched yet also highly readable resource that any Roman military history fans, academic and armchair hobbyists alike, will enjoy. -- Prof. Nadya Williams, University of West Georgia