Dr Ilkka Syvanne gained his doctorate in history in 2004 from Tampere University in his native Finland. He was vice chairman of the Finnish Society for Byzantine Studies from 2007 to 2016. In 2016 he was nominated as an Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa. His previous books include the first three volumes (of seven planned) of The Military History of Late Rome; Caracalla, A Military Biography (2017); and The Reign of Emperor Gallienus 2019 all by Pen & Sword.
"""[A]n excellent [book] and a worthy addition to the library of any enthusiast of the subject. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in warfare in antiquity, and particularly in Roman military history, especially as the 3rd century has received too little attention.""-- ""De Re Militari"" ""A curious and interesting documentary book/manual of two men who changed the story."" (trans.)-- ""Miniaturas JM"" ""As with books by Dr Syvanne, this follows the pattern of detailed narrative coupled with good images and maps, not least the colour plates. Recommended.""--Michael McCarthy, author of Battlefield Guide ""Syv�nne is ably assisted by the inclusion of many coloured plates, photographs, and illustrations, which taken with the detailed narrative produces a valuable book for students of the Roman Empire and military history in general.""--Beating Tsundoku ""The author has already written a number of fine books about the later period of the Roman Empire and this is a worthy addition to his portfolio. The later years of Roman history are the least known and understood, historians concentrating on the Republic and the early years of Empire. - Very Highly Recommended""-- ""Firetrench"" ""The book is very well put together and I can highly recommend it much beyond simply the title of the book, the details around late roman military strategies and combat make it well worth reading.""-- ""Medieval Sword School"" ""There have been other studies of the reigns of Aurelian and Probus, but until now none has approached the subject from the point of view of military analysis. Yet plenty of material has survived to permit this. The author, Dr Syvanne, has made use of the military treatises that describe the tactics and strategy used by Roman army commanders at this period. He has been able to reconstruct the military campaigns of the two soldier-Emperors and their contemporaries in far greater detail than has ever been done before.""-- ""Army Rumour Service"" ""A critical work... Aurelian and Probus is a very good look at a very confusing period in Roman history."" -- ""The NYMAS Review"""