The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly, as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, King of Kings. Ballista looks on helplessly, but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. But first, he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic...

In the second century A.D., Ariantes is forced to leave his country and join the Roman forces, but instead of adapting to his new country, he fights the Romans to keep control of his own life.

Describes daily life for soldiers of the Roman empire and explains their skills and duties.

A young centurion ventures among the hostile tribes beyond the Roman Wall to recover the eagle standard of the Ninth, a legion which mysteriously disappeared under his father's command.

Explores the factors that played a major role in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire including the personal ambition and survival of its rulers who put their own welfare ahead of the empire.

Traces the development of the Roman soldier, the weapons, armour, and methods of fighting used to establish one of the greatest empires in the world.

"In the future, even more than in the past, the need is to study and understand the interplay of the military, economic, and political forces, which are inseparable in strategy. Because Scipio more than any other great captain understood and combined these forces in his strategy, despite the very 'modern' handicap of being the servant of a republic -- not, like Alexander, Frederick, Napoleon, a despot, -- the study of his life is peculiarly apposite...