The Praetorian Guard

Reviews / Votes

"Bingham has performed a valuable service in providing an up-to-date and detailed discussion in English of the history, structure and development of the Praetorian Guard. Her treatment of the relationship between the emperor and his elite regiment offers an important insight into the crucial relationship between the imperial office and the military force that was essential to its survival and effectiveness." -- Michael M Sage, Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati "Bingham's fast-paced and carefully constructed narrative, backed up by sound analysis of crucial issues, expertly conveys the reader though this blood-thirsty and exciting tale, which highlights important issues in the wider history of the Roman world. Readers will welcome its crisp and clear style and eye for intriguing details of life in the guard." -- Brian Campbell, Professor of Roman History, Queen's University, Belfast, UK "The Praetorian Guard is a much-needed and valuable history of the Praetorian Guard from its origins to its disbandment by the emperor Constantine the Great in AD 312. Clear and concise in style, supported by ancient and current secondary sources, Bingham's study is balanced in its treatment of an often partisan subject." -- Sara Elise Phang, author of "Roman Military Service: Ideologies of Discipline in the Late Republic & Early Principate" "The Praetorian Guard is a valuable contribution to Roman history generally and specifically to Roman imperial rule, the household of the emperor, and the person of the emperor himself." -- R Alden Smith, Professor of Classics, Baylor University ... Bingham has written what will be the standard book in English on the subject in a style that should endear it to a wider audience. -- Conor Whately, University of Winnipeg -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review ...an original mind at work. This is an exceptionally clear-headed and hard-working volume. -- Steve Donoghue -- Open Letters Monthly In short, Bingham's book is important if not essential reading for students of Roman imperial history; future work on the Praetorian Guard will depend in large part on the impressive efforts on display here. -- Lee Fratantuono, Ohio Wesleyan University -- The Historian Through meticulous research and innovative interpretations, Sandra Bingham masterfully navigates the Praetorian Guard's meager data bringing this clandestine group to the historical light. -- Shane J. Wood, Ozark Christian College -- Stone-Campbell Journal Bingham's book is important if not essential reading for students of Roman imperial history; future work on the Praetorian Guard will depend in large part on the impressive efforts on display here. -- Lee Fratantuono -- The Historian