A good look at how he kept his army feed during battles and on travel from place to place. It looks at one aspect of Caesar and battle - food. Good for those who like this kind of topic.

From a military history perspective, the book answers many questions about the logistics required to successfully deliver supplies to a large Roman army, over extremely long distances. Caesar was particularly effective in planning the various means of transportation and quantities required to feed his men and horses while on campaign in foreign lands. This has many recent parallels in modern military logistical doctrine and strategy, some of which are covered by the authors. Interestingly even though we now have the benefit of being rapidly being supplied by air, modern armies still move vast amounts of supplies by ships and trucks.
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The weight of equipment and food often carried by the legionnaires was quite staggering, especially considering that after a day-long march they were expected to build a fortified camp and/or fight a battle. Even modern-day elite soldiers would find this a challenge.

Perhaps understandably, the book reads as an academic thesis, being lightened somewhat by some interesting Roman recipes. However, one recipe could have been left out of the book ‘Caesars Salad’ - absolutely nothing to do with Caesar or Roman cuisine apart from the name!

The amount of research undertaken by the three authors Alexander Merrow, Gregory Starace, and Agostino von Hassell is impressive, the list of references is immense! I would love to know how they were able to successfully and seamlessly collaborate in writing the book.

I wish I read this book earlier! As a history student, I love reading history books, especially about my favourite time periods. I've been obsessed with ancient Rome and Julius Caesar for years now and I love reading any book I can get my hands on. I found it super interesting how they described the logistics of the army. I took a class on ancient warfare and this book would have been an interesting read during that class! Kind of makes me want to learn more about military history.

Last year I read an article by an American general about the food, water and cooking requirements of the Israelites when they left Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert. The numbers were staggering - I think at one point he said that a train would have to be half a mile long pulling water tankers to ensure they all get enough liquid - each day! But there were no notes on transporting this amount of food and water aside from supernatural provision which the Bible talks about.

So when Caesar's great Success poppped up puporting to explain what soldiers in his army ate, and how it was transported I jumped at the chance to read it. Caesar is lauded for his military skill and political acumen but he is also responsible for transporting supplies for up to 57,000 men - or finding food for them if it is not available (due to raids, loss of baggage etc.)

The book is fascinating! It also even has receipies for Tack (hard bread), soldier's wine and other items. The writing style is professional but friendly in tone - it is staggeringly interesting and I will look forward to other books by the author. A book that really fills a gap in the literature that few had considered existed!