Meet the Author
Historian and Writer
Lindsay Powell is a historian and writer. He writes about conflicts, campaigns and commanders of the Ancient World. He is news editor of Ancient History and Ancient Warfare magazines and is a regular guest on the Ancient Warfare and History Hit podcasts.
He has written eight books, including the critically acclaimed biographies Bar Kokhba, Eager for Glory, Germanicus, and Marcus Agrippa as well as the military histories Augustus at War and Roman Soldier versus Germanic Warrior, 1st Century AD. Additionally, Lindsay has written the introductions for five titles including Hannibal of Carthage, Julius Caesar, Queen Cleopatra and Roman Ancient Origins.
Lindsay is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He divides his time between Austin, Texas and Wokingham, England.
Books
Bar Kokhba: The Jew Who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome
Historian, author and news editor Lindsay Powell goes in search of the rebel whose legend helped found a nation: Israel. The book features a foreword specially written by Eric. H. Cline, Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and of Anthropology, George Washington University.
Augustus at War: The Struggle for the 'Pax Augusta'
A new and penetrating assessment of Caesar Augustus as ancient Rome's military commander-in-chief. His genius was to build a team of loyal but semi-autonomous deputies (legati and praefecti) to ensure internal security and to fight his wars for him, while claiming their achievements as his own. With a foreword specially written by Karl Galinsky.
Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand Man of Caesar Augustus
Marcus Agrippa personified the term 'right-hand man'. As Caesar Augustus' second in command, Agrippa fought his wars, pacified provinces, beautified Rome and helped lay the foundations for the Pax Romana. This is the first book in nearly 80 years to assess the life of this extraordinary and multifaceted man who put service to friend and country before himself. With a foreword specially written by Steven Saylor.
Germanicus: The Magnificent Life and Mysterious Death of Rome's Most Popular General
Germanicus Caesar is a famous name in the annals of Roman military history, yet his life story is known to remarkably few. It is a 'Boy’s Own' tale of adventure, courage and derring-do, but it is also the chronicle of the man who was intended to be the third emperor of Rome, but never was. With a foreword specially written by Philip Matyszak.
Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus the Elder, Conqueror of Germania
The first account to be written in 2,000 years, it is the true tale of the heroic life and swashbuckling adventures of Emperor Claudius’ father, Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus – soldier, builder, explorer, statesman and role model for the Caesars. With a foreword specially written by Graham Sumner.
Combat: Roman Soldier versus Germanic Warrior, 1st Century AD
Three battles decided the fate of Germania in the Roman Empire in the first century AD. This book examines the conflicts, commanders, troops, weapons and fighting styles of both sides including innovative split full-colour artwork by acclaimed illustrator Peter Dennis.
Campaign: The Bar Kokhba War AD 132-136. The Last Jewish Revolt Against Imperial Rome
This fully illustrated volume explores the gripping story of the last Jewish revolt against Imperial Rome, profiling its rebel leader Bar Kokhba as well as the Emperor Hadrian and his generals, and assesses the impact that this violent rebellion had on the region and those that were displaced. The book includes full colour artwork by acclaimed illustrator Peter Dennis.
Greek Ancient Origins: Stories Of People & Civilization
The story of the Ancient Greeks in the Flame Tree Collector's Editions, with an Introduction and Further Reading list by Lindsay Powell.
Roman Ancient Origins: Stories Of People & Civilization
The story of the Ancient Romans in the Flame Tree Collector's Editions, with the full text of William Warde Fowler's classic Rome supplemented with selections of ancient texts edited, and an Introduction and Further Reading list written, by Lindsay Powell.
Hannibal of Carthage
The full text of Jacob Abbott's classic biography of Hannibal Barca is supplemented with extracts from ancient texts selected, and a specially written introduction, by Lindsay Powell.
Julius Caesar
The full text of Jacob Abbott's classic biography of Julius Caesar is supplemented with extracts from Caesar's own books selected, and a specially written introduction, by Lindsay Powell.
Queen Cleopatra
The full text of Jacob Abbott's classic biography of Queen Cleopatra is supplemented with extracts from ancient texts selected, and a specially written introduction, by Lindsay Powell.
Book of Blogs
All Things Under the Sun
A compilation of the best blogs from The Author's Notebook, All Things Under the Sun combines a researcher’s skill at finding unexpected connections in everyday events and a historian’s knowledge of source material. Lindsay Powell takes a clear-eyed and often witty look at modern times through the longer perspective of ancient history and reveals that, as the old adage goes, ‘all things under the Sun, there’s nothing new’.
Signed copies
Copies of books personally signed by the author are available.
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Book Review
Read Lindsay's review of Iskander Rehman's Iron Imperator for War on the Rocks, the online resource for national security professionals — for insiders, by insiders.
Online Articles
As well as contributing to Ancient History and Ancient Warfare, Lindsay has written articles and guest blogs for numerous magazines and websites, including History Hit, Military Heritage and Strategy and Tactics. These examples can be accessed free online.
"On a July morning in 101 BC, Roman commanders Marius and Catulus assembled their armies on the plains below the Italian Alps. They were all that stood between Rome and the fierce tribesmen from the north."
"General Caius Marius reformed the Roman Legion, crafting a military doctrine which proved successful for hundreds of years."
"Augustus Caesar’s stepson, and the first Roman general to conquer Germania, Nero Claudius Drusus founded many of the greatest cities on the Rhine."
"On 10 October AD 19, Ancient Rome’s most popular son died. On the bimillenary of Germanicus Caesar's death, 2,000 years later, the cause remains a mystery, but the surviving sources provide vital clues."
"How did a warlord in a relative backwater of the Roman Empire manage to establish an independent nation and withstand the might of the legions sent against it for over three years? "
Hollywood Romans
Many readers first come to learn about Roman history through television dramas and movies. In Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen: Myth versus Reality, historian Gregory S. Aldrete and illustrator Graham Sumner provide a fascinating examination of 50 films set in Ancient Rome, analyzing each for its historical accuracy of plot, characters, costumes and sets. Lindsay Powell wrote the foreword to this book.
Behind the Scenes
Author Spotlight
"My subjects are the Caesars. They were famous, celebrities even, in their own day, but some of them have since fallen into obscurity; this is where I find my opportunities. Their stories deserve to be told today."
Legion: Life in the Roman Army
"The Romans knew that their way of war was special. Their legendary legion was different from forms of military unit deployed by other nations, and it gave them a competitive advantage on the battlefield."
Opposing Sides
"Lindsay Powell goes behind the lines of Germanic warriors and Roman soldiers."
On the Trail of an Emperor, a Rebel, and a Lion
"To research his book, Lindsay Powell set out on the trail of the rebel leader who, in AD 132, led an uprising of the Jewish people against the Roman Emperor. Who was Bar Kokhba? And what caused the war?"
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry the Pompeian Way
"The dietary, wining and dining habits of the people of Pompeii show us that they enjoyed life to the fullest. Though the falling pumice, suffocating gas and incinerating pyroclastic flow of Vesuvius’s eruption prematurely ended their lives, it preserved the evidence for us to better understand them two millennia later."