Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

 Author’s Prologue

Butallancientpoliticalcommunitieswereinfactbytheirnaturemilitary
organisations,anditisoneofthemostsignificantaspectsoftheoriginality
ofPolybiusthat,inthinkingabouttheRomanpoliteiainbook,hegivesa
largeamountofspacetotheorganisationoftheRomanarmy.Ihavebeen
asguiltyasmostothersofnotwantingtomakewarsandarmiesthefocus
ofmyattention;and,insofarasmilitaryhistoryandmilitarystructuresplay
anypartinthesevolumes,itismoreasageneralcontextthanasserioustop-
icsintheirownright.But,itshouldbeemphasisedherethat,rightdownto
thebattleofActium,notjustthemajorpowersbut,asitseems,everysmall
communitywithintheirshadowhadtobepreparedtoexertitselfinitsown
defence.
Indefaultofanyotherseriousattentiontomilitaryhistory,Iwouldlike
tosuggestthatweoughtatleasttoaskourselveswhetheritisnotthebattle
ofActium(ratherthan,say,theconquestsofAlexanderandtheemergenceof
theHellenisticmonarchies)whichmarksthemostsignificantturningpoint
inthehistoryoftheGreekcity-state.ForuptoActium(itseems)Greekcities
mightstillbeunderthenecessitytoproducemilitaryornavalforces,fortheir
ownprotectionorintheserviceofothers;butafterActium(orsoitseems)
thisessentialcommunalfunctionsimplyvanishes,atleastuntilthedrastically
changedcircumstancesofthethirdcentury.Asimilarchange,of immense
importance,wasoneofthemostprofoundconsequencesoftheSocialWar
of–..,andoftheextensionofRomancitizenshiptoallthecommu-
nitiesofItaly.Forthiswasthemomentatwhichthealliedcommunitiesof
Italy,andthecoloniaeLatinae,ceasedtoprovideandpayfortheirowncontin-
gentsfortheRomanarmy.Instead,theirmenweredraftedintotheRoman
legions.Iwillreturntothisthemeverybrieflylater,inlookingmoreclosely
atthetopicofthechaptersinthisvolume,RomanhistoryoftheRepubli-
canandAugustanperiods.Butitwillbeworthnotingherethatthemilitary
andnavalrolesofGreekpoleisinthelateRepublicontheonehand,andof
ItaliancivitatesuptotheSocialWar,butnotafter,arespecificallycompared
by Cicero in the fifthVerrine oration, written in the summer of ..^19
SofarasIknow,noprovincialgovernorundertheEmpirehadthespecific
opportunitiesformalpracticewhichhisdeploymentofshipsprovidedbythe
GreekcitiesofSicilyofferedtoVerres.Onekeyelementintherelationsbe-
tweenprovincialcommunitiesandtherulingpowerhadchanged,andatthe
sametime(asitseems)themilitaryroleoftheself-governingcommunity
haddisappeared.

. Cicero,Verr.II,.Thepassageistranslatedinchapterinthisvolume,‘‘TheLast
CenturyoftheRepublic:WhoseHistory?’’