Herod was Rome's most important and powerful ally at the end of the Republic. Although he has entered posterity as a ruthless ruler not only against his own family but also, according to the gospel of Matthew, as the instigator of the slaughter of the innocents. However, he was also an able administrator who developed a powerful army. At it's peak Herod's army could field approximately 40,000 men. Comprised of both Judaean and mercenary soldiers with troops from the Germanic tribes to Parthians to Romans. As a result of this varied composition it showed both strong Hellenistic influence in its armour and cavalry and Roman influence in its use of heavy infantry making it an intriguing topic for military history enthusiasts. This book will be a fascinating look at the ancient army of Herod the Great which will use the latest Israeli archaeological reports and finds, including weapons and armour fragments.

Author Biography

Samuel Rocca was born in Milan, Italy but now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three sons. He served with the Israeli Defense Forces, and has worked as a teacher and a curator at the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem. Having studied biblical and classical archaeology at undergraduate level at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he went on to complete his MA there, before researching his PhD on Herodian Judaea at Bar-Ilan University. Samuel has given papers at numerous international conventions, and written articles for several academic journals. This is his first book for Osprey Publishing. The author lives in Jerusalem, Israel.