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1. Explain why Rome was called the “accidental empire.”
The Romans claimed that their warfare was defensive—that they were only protecting themselves. It didn’t matter that they won new territory, because that was “accidental.” It was only a part of their “defensive” maneuvers.
2. What were the keys to the Roman army’s success?
The Roman army’s success was based on constant training and fighting, the acquisition of other armies’ innovations, well-fed and healthy soldiers, and unflinching discipline. Retreat was not an option.
3. In the Second Punic War, what was the importance of Carthaginian general Hannibal during the campaign against the Roman army?
Hannibal was an expert tactician who led his army to near victory over the Roman legions.
4. After the Punic Wars, Roman legions became more loyal to their generals. Why did this shift in the army’s loyalty promote civil war?
A general who gained the loyalty of his legions through gifts and privileges could use his forces to wage civil war and gain control of Rome for himself.
5. How did General Lucius Sulla gain control of Rome?
He treated his soldiers to a lavish good time and won the allegiance of other generals’ men. When the Roman senate requested that he turn over the control of his armies, he refused. Instead, Sulla’s fiercely loyal armies marched on Rome and captured the city.
6. What was the importance of Julius Caesar leading the Roman army across the Rubicon River?
The Senate recalled Caesar to Rome, but ordered him to leave his legions behind in Gaul. Caesar knew that if he returned unsupported, Pompey’s men would murder him. When Caesar and his army crossed the Rubicon—Gaul’s southern border—civil war between Caesar and Pompey began.
7. Explain what is meant by the statement that the Roman legions were no longer an army of conquest but an army of occupation.
Revolts by peoples who were conquered by Rome, such as the Jews in Judea, had to be suppressed by the army. The Roman army was no longer gaining new territory—it was forcing the people it had conquered into allegiance.
8. What factors led to the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire?
Barbarians began to migrate into the Roman Empire, causing the edges of the empire to crumble. Emperors were regularly assassinated, so no leader was ever in power for very long. Armies proclaimed their own generals as emperor and tried to seize Rome for themselves. Roman armies were locked in civil wars and did not protect the Roman borders. The Roman army lost its fighting edge.
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