War And Society In The Roman World

This book is about the impact of war on Roman society. It discusses how war was a part of Roman life under the Republic and how it changed under the Principate. It also looks at the Late Empire.

In the ancient world, war played a crucial part in shaping and changing social and political structures. The impact of war on ancient society is the subject of this book and the companion volume, War and Society in the Greek World . Earlier studies of ancient warfare have concentrated on political causes, tactics strategy and military organizations. In these volumes warfare is viewed rather as a species of social action, affecting (and affected by) social conditions and ideologies, and having social, economic and cultural consequences. The central theme of this volume is the shifting relationship between warfare and the Roman citizenry. The dominant role of war in Roman life under the Republic is examined, together with the related themes of Roman expansion and its consequences both for the Romans and for those they conquered. Under the Principate, expansion largely stopped, and the inhabitants of the empire enjoyed the Roman peace, protected by a professional army. A number of chapters focus on these changes, explaining how they came about, analyzing their effect on attitudes to war and probing the extent to which the peace was a reality. The Late Empire is studied in the final c