After one billion pounds eight managers in eight years that 'ghost' goal defeat at Anfield in 2005 a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Moscow final against Manchester United in 2008 & a scandalous refereeing performance against Barcelona in the semi-final a year later owner Roman Abramovich got his hands on the trophy he craved in Munich. After eight years in charge Abramovich's dream of owning the best team in Europe has finally been realised. As Didier Drogba was handed the trophy for the first time at the presentation in Munich he handed it straight to the guy at the end looking as though he had gate-crashed the party. But this was no ordinary fan on the periphery. This was the guy whose billions helped create the Champions League winners. Legendary football columnist Harry Harris follows Chelsea's remarkable progress through the 2011-12 tournament & the incredible finish that saw them dispose of the 2011 winners Barcelona & Bayern Munich on their own grounds. ...

First in an exciting series charting Romes bloody road to empire Recounts the desperate struggles for survival of the young Roman republic Describes how & why Roman Armies eventually beat their Etruscan Samnite Celtic & other neighbours to dominate all of Italy Discover how the Roman legion fared in its first battles against Hellenistic pike phalanxes & war elephants. For who is so worthless or indolent as not to wish to know by what means...the Romans have succeeded in subjecting nearly the whole inhabited world to their sole government- a thing unique in history? Or who again is there so passionately devoted to other spectacles or studies as to regard anything as of greater moment than the acquisition of this knowledge.POLYBIUS" ...

This is the third in the Roman Conquests series (following Italy & Spain) & one of those with the most obvious appeal. While Rome was struggling for her very survival against the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War Philip V of Macedon attempted to take advantage of their apparent vulnerability by allying with Hannibal & declaring war. For the time being the Romans negated this threat by shrewd use of allies to keep Philip occupied in Greece & Illyria. Once Carthage was defeated however the Romans were free to turn their full attention to settling the score. The stage was set for the clash of two of the most successful military systems of the ancient world the Roman legions versus the Macedonian phalanx. Though sorely tested the legions emerged victorious from the epic battles of Cynoscephelae & Pydna & the home of Alexander the Great fell under the power of Rome along with the rest of Greece the cradle of Western Civilisation which had a profound effect on Roman culture & society. Like the other volumes in this series this book gives a clear narrative of the course of these wars explaining how the Roman war machine coped with formidable new foes & the challenges of unfamiliar terrain & climate. Specially-commissioned colour plates bring the main troop types vividly to life in meticulously-researched detail. ...

At the time of the Roman Invasion of AD 43 present-day Dorset was the territory of the Iron Age tribe called the Durotriges. The Second Legion Augusta under the command of Vespasian (later to be Emperor) was responsible for the conquest of the area. The extent to which within a generation Roman ideas life & language were adopted was remarkable. In addition to an amphitheatre & an aqueduct (both of which can be seen today) Dorchester (Durnovaria) boasted public baths. Bill Putnam who has excavated widely in Dorset also describes the neighbouring towns the great villas (especially the 51-roomed Dawlish Villa) the local industries the religious beliefs & practices of the Romanised inhabitants & the network of new Roman roads. ...

Gloucestershire boasts a Roman heritage of great significance; from the colonia of Gloucester & civitas capital of Cirencester & the Cotswold villas of Chedworth & Woodchester to the temples of Uley & Lydney. However recent work in the Thames & Severn Valleys as well as the Forest of Dean show us another equally important side of life in Gloucestershire during the Roman period. This long-awaited & strikingly illustrated new work brings our understanding of the Romans in modern-day Gloucestershire up to date incorporating the many recent developments in fieldwork & excavation & showcasing the latest discoveries of sites & artefacts. ...

Between AD 69 & 161 the composition of the Roman legions was transformed. Italians were almost entirely replaced by provincial recruits men for whom Latin was at best a second language & yet the ' Roman-ness' of these Germans Pannonians Spaniards Africans & Syrians fostered in isolated fortresses on the frontiers was incredibly strong. They were highly competitive jealous of their honour & driven by the need to maintain & enhance their reputations for virtus that is manly courage & excellence. The warfare of the period from the huge legion versus legion confrontations in the Civil War of AD 69 through the campaigns of conquest in Germany Dacia & Britain to the defence of the frontiers of Africa & Cappadocia & the savage quelling of internal revolts gave ample opportunity for virtus-enhancing activity. The classic battle formation that had baffled Pyrrhus & conquered Hannibal was revived. Heroic centurions continued to lead from the front & common legionaries vied with them in displays of valour. The legions of the era may have been provincial but they were definitely Roman in organisation & ethos. ...

Marcus Cato Sulla Aemilius Paullus Pompey The Gracchi Marius Julius Caesar Anthony I treat the narrative of the Lives as a kind of mirror... The experience is like nothing so much as spending time in their company & living with them: I receive & welcome each of them in turn as my guest. In the eight lives of this collection Plutarch introduces the reader to the major figures & periods of classical Rome. He portrays virtues to be emulated & vices to be avoided but his purpose is also implicitly to educate & warn those in his own day who wielded power. In prose that is rich elegant & sprinkled with learned references he explores with an extraordinary degree of insight the interplay of character & political action. While drawing chiefly on historical sources he brings to biography a natural story-tellers ear for a good anecdote. Throughout the ages Plutarchs Lives have been valued for their historical value & their charm. This new translation will introduce new generations to his urbane erudition. The most comprehensive selection available it is accompanied by a lucid introduction explanatory notes bibliographies maps & indexes. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more. ...

This book is the concluding part of a rigorous study of the literary sculptural pictorial & archaeological evidence for Roman military clothing covering the last days of the Western Empire & the much longer record of the Eastern in the 5th to 7th centuries. The evidence from this enormously colourful period
- when Germanic & Persian styles first introduced by mercenaries were widely adopted by Roman armies
- is particularly rich. The text is illustrated with many photographs of rare textile finds & mosaic artwork; with careful drawings of other figurative sources; & with Graham Sumners meticulous & dazzling colour reconstructions.

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This volume

Includes:: three novels in their entirety: THE ASSASSINS OF ROME: Jonathan has disappeared on a

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The Roman Navy was remarkable for its size reach & longevity. As significant as the Royal Navy was to the British Empire in the nineteenth century the Roman Navy was crucial to the extraordinary expansion of Imperial power & for its maintenance over a period of more than 800 years. The fabric & organisation of this maritime force is at the core of this new book. At the height of its power the Roman Navy was at least in numerical terms the largest maritime force ever to have existed. It employed tens of thousands of sailors & maintained & fought fleets of ships larger than any forces since. In these pages the author looks at all the aspects of the Navy in turn. Shipbuilding rigs & fittings & shipboard weaponry are covered as are all the principal ship from the earliest types to the very last. The command structure is outlined as are all aspects of the crews lives their recruitment terms of service training & uniforms. Life onboard food & drink discipline religion & superstition are described while seamanship & navigation are dealt with along with bases & shore establishments. Operations feature prominently the allied & enemy navies compared & specimen battles employed to explain fighting tactics. All these aspects changed & developed hugely over the great span of the Roman empire but this fascinating book brings this complex story together in one brilliant volume. ...