The Romans built, and maintained, perhaps the greatest empire of all time--forged with an unequaled skill in warfare and a willingness to commit savagery in the name of victory. Accompany these unparalleled troops from the conquest of Italy on to world conquest. Watch as defeated armies became allies who join later battles, and consider the irony of extreme brutality bringing peace and prosperity to much of the empire. All the techniques and the organization of this amazingly advanced fighting force come into focus--the drills, superior technology, uniform and command structure, and the complex bureaucracy that ran it all.