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6 - War and Society

from Part I - The Late Republic and the Principate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Colin Adams
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Liverpool
Philip Sabin
Affiliation:
King's College London
Hans van Wees
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Whitby
Affiliation:
University of Warwick
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Summary

This chapter has two main themes: the impact of society and social structures on the conduct of war, and the reciprocal effect of war on society. It concentrates on the changing character of external wars in the late Republic, the pressures which this caused in Rome and Italy, both politically and socially, and how these were eventually to lead to internal or civil wars which tore the Roman Republic apart. The imperial system which grew out of these struggles, and which in many ways was their logical outcome, saw radical change. Warfare again changed in character and purpose, if it is true that the reign of Augustus saw the end of imperial expansion. Political and social structures are at the heart of both the extreme belligerence of Rome in the late Republic and the relatively peaceful years of the Principate, the pax Romana. There is certainly a reciprocal effect: warfare and imperialism had a profound effect on the society of Roman Italy. The massive influx of wealth into Italy during the third and second centuries bc might have continued into the first century bc, but with it came severe political and social tensions. It is impossible to separate army and politics in the late Republic or Principate, but under Augustus the character of the army changed radically from that of a non-professional citizen army to a professional standing army. Links between war and social change were as much a part of the Roman revolution as anything else: ‘as states change their nature, so will their policy change, and so will their wars’.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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References

Bivar, A. D. H. (1955) ‘The stirrup and its origins’, Oriental Art n.s. I:.Google Scholar
Dobson, B. (1972) ‘Legionary centurion or equestrian officer? A comparison of pay and prospects’, Ancient Society 3:.Google Scholar
Garlan, Y. (1972) La guerre dans l’antiquité. Paris.
Harris, W. V. (1979) War and Imperialism in Republican Rome, 327–70 bc. oxford.
Lintott, A. (1981) ‘What was the “ Imperium Romanum”?’, Greece and Rome 28:.Google Scholar
Mitchell, S. (1976) ‘Requisitioned transport in the Roman empire: a new inscription from Pisidia’, Journal of Roman Studies 66:.Google Scholar
Rowlandson, J. (1996) Landowners and Tenants in Roman Egypt. Oxford.
Salmon, E. T. (1965) Samnia and the Samnites. Cambridge.
Zuckerman, C. (1988) ‘Legio v Macedonica in Egypt’, Tyche 3:.Google Scholar

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  • War and Society
    • By Colin Adams, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Liverpool
  • Edited by Philip Sabin, King's College London, Hans van Wees, University College London, Michael Whitby, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521782746.007
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  • War and Society
    • By Colin Adams, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Liverpool
  • Edited by Philip Sabin, King's College London, Hans van Wees, University College London, Michael Whitby, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521782746.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • War and Society
    • By Colin Adams, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Liverpool
  • Edited by Philip Sabin, King's College London, Hans van Wees, University College London, Michael Whitby, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521782746.007
Available formats
×