A revised and corrected edition of this early Italian discourse on classical antiquity, examining the principles of Greek and Roman military camp organisation (castrametatione) alongside the bathing customs of the ancient world. The work is further enriched by the addition of an illustrative figure of the Roman camp, offering valuable insight into early modern interpretations of ancient military engineering and daily life.
Although there is some confusion in the literature, we can conclude, with the help of the Italian online bibliography EDIT 16, that both parts of this classical work on Roman military practise, establishing military camps and warfare (Discours sur la castrametation et discipline militaire des anciens Romains), as well as the part on Roman baths (Des bains et antiques exercitations grecques et Romaines) were originally published in 1555 in French by the Lyonese publisher Guillaume Rouillé (Rouvill, Rovilius (see: Baudrier, IX, pp. 51-52)). Both works, on Castrametation (on the technique of choosing and arranging fortified encampments (castra) and on military exercises) and on the antique thermae (baths) were based on original research and stayed authoritative till the 18th century.
Both works are extensively and beautifully illustrated with 43 full-page woodcuts, 37 for the first, 6 for the second part. A large folding plan of a Roman castrum (Figura del Campo de Romani) is added at the end (often lacking). The woodcuts in our edition are exact copies (some in reverse) of the beautiful cuts by Pierre Edkrich, also named Pierre Cruche or Pierre Vase (ca. 1518-ca, 1590) who worked for Parisian and Lyonese printer/publishers including Guillaume Rouille, in a typical Renaissance style.
The woodcut illustrations are important for the history of Roman warfare: establishing encampments (including the large plan of a camp), food and wine supply, marching, various soldiers (Cornificeri, centurions, decurions, signiferi) and their uniforms and helmets, sieges, fighting equipment, exercises, etc. and for the Roman baths: strigiles, innerside of thermae, Roman bathtubs, Romans exercising, etc.
19th-century annotation in Italian on the verso of the first flyleaf by an officer who returns to his army(?), dated 13 October 1815 above a drawing of a coach (? the drawing is cut short; on the recto of the second flyleaf some probationes pennae. Some leaves wrinkled but flattened, skilful repairs to blank corners of the title page and a number of leaves; upper margins sometimes cut a bit short, but not affecting text or woodcuts; some stains and soiling. Otherwise in good condition. Adams, D-1031 (ed. Padua, MA. Olmo, 1559); Ebert, no. 4123; EDIT 16, CNCE 17822; Graesse, II, p. 441; Lipperheide, I, pp. 84-85; Mennesier de la Lance, pp. 281-281; STC Italian, p. 228 (1558 ed. by Inn. Olmo); USTC 827775.