Empire and Imperialism - Roman Imperialism Flashcards
When was Rome ruled by emperors?
3rd C. BC - 5th C. AD
When did Rome undergo the conquest of Italy?
Early 4th to early 3rd century
When were the first and second Punic wars?
3rd C: First and Second Punic Wars - gains control of Sicily, Spain etc. overthrowing the Carthaginians
When was Rome fighting Macedon and the Seleucids?
2nd C: Wars in the East (Macedon and Seleucids) - left the Ptolemies alone
How was Rome an archetype for ancient imperialism?
State monuments representing war and conquest
Trajan’s column & the column of Marcus Aurelius
What was International Relations Realist Theory?
Arthur Eckstein, Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome (2006)
Argues that scholars fail to understand Roman imperialism because they focus on factors internal to Roman society and not on the system of which Rome was a part; that system was an anarchic one in which all states were out for themselves and war was a necessary consequence
Stages: multipolarity, unipolarity, empire
Who was Polybius of Megalopolis and when was he alive?
200-118 BC
A Greek aristocrat, who was a witness to the Roman take-over of Greece and the East
His history of Rome’s rise to power was written in 40 books - first 6 books survive almost intact, the rest are fragmentary
Spent some 15 years as a detainee in Rome
Who was Cicero and when was he alive?
106-43 BC
Roman politician
Governor of Cilicia (Roman Turkey) between 51 and 50 BC
Author of political and philosophical treatises - addresses the issue of Rome ruling other nations
What were Cicero’s views on Roman imperialism?
More benevolent view of Roman expansionism when compared to Polybius (a Greek detainee)
Roman perspective on war and insight into how imperial powers view their conquest
What does Cicero say on Roman imperialism?
Our people by defending its allies has become master of the whole world’
On the Republic 3.35
‘The only excuse for going to war is that we may live in peace unharmed’
On Duties (De officiis) 1.35
Explain the Harris theory.
W.V. Harris, War and Imperialism in Republic Rome (1979)
Forceful argument against Defensive Imperialism
Context: Vietnam War?
Trying to argue that Roman society was geared towards war
Aristocracy and War - Harris’ arguments
1. Ten military campaigns before eligible for public office
2. Once in office main way of gaining esteem of fellow citizens was success in war
3. Sallust attributes Rome’s growth to desire for glory
4. Competition among aristocrats - political competition underpinned by military glory
5. Public manifestations of glory: triumph and funeral - demonstration of military success, allows for a greater chance of election to public office
6. But only consul for a single year, less time for a chance for military glory - encourages consuls to make war?
Who supported defensive imperialism?
Theodor Mommsen – 19th C.
H. H. Scullard’s standard History of the Roman Republic, first published 1935
A. N. Sherwin-White, Roman foreign policy in the East 168 B.C. to A.D.1 (1984)
What are the requirements for defensive imperialism?
Enemy must have committed wrongful and aggressive acts
Enemy must have had opportunity to make proper reparations
Formal declaration of war with proper ritual
