The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire Essay - 1396 Words

A Review of Edward N. Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire from the First Century A.D. to the Third. Edward Luttwak’s The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire from the First Century A.D. to the Third gives a militaristic analysis of the tactics used by the Roman Empire while also highlighting parallels between Rome and contemporary U.S. military policy. Luttwak divides his book into three chapters, a chapter for each of the 3 identified systems; the first chapter discusses Rome’s use of mobile armies and client states to defend her borders. The second chapter shows border defense as was provided by small groups of marching legionary troops. The third and final chapter details the transition from an offense stance to a more†¦show more content†¦Chapter 1 entitled â€Å"The Julio-Claudian System† elaborately explained how the Empire’s hegemony required an offensive tactic. This tactic called for an â€Å"economy of force†. Riddled with charts, graphs, and maps, Luttwak displays his true military background when he shows the reader where the client states are located and how Rome picked which client states to procure. Any client state that was considered amicus populi Romani enjoyed the financial and political benefits of the Roman Empire while providing defensive measures. Chapter 2 entitled â€Å"From The Flavians To The Severi† informs the reader of Luttwak’s belief that Rome’s expeditionary units, as was used in the second century, were highly less effective than the legions of the first century because they were not as movable. The author tells us, â€Å"†¦ legions were deployed at fixed bases which, in most cases, they were never to leave again; and soldiers soon acquired unofficial families in the settlements that grew spontaneously around the legionary bases. It is sometimes assumed that this domestication diminished the army’s combat capabilities by undermining its fighting spirit†. Chapter 3 entitled â€Å"Defense-In-Depth† shows an intricately detailed ana lysis of third century Roman military strategy. Luttwak believes thatShow MoreRelatedComparing Cyrus The Great Of The Persian Empire And Emperor Caesar Essay799 Words   |  4 PagesPaper #2 The Ancient Roman Poet, Virgil, once wrote, â€Å"They can conquer who believe they can.† King Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire and Emperor Caesar Augustus of the Roman Republic/Empire are leaders whose conviction in their rights to power establish the unwavering support of the people they lead. King Cyrus the Great rises to the throne of an expansive Persian Empire. As King, he brings virtually the entire Near East under his control. In 539, claiming to be under the divine right the BabylonianRead MoreThe Assassination of Julius Caesar Essay1528 Words   |  7 Pagesassassination of Julius Caesar in 44BC by conspiring members of the Roman senate was an effort to remove a dictator whose power had grown to extraordinary levels and to revive the Republic government. Caesar’s power span throughout the entire Roman Empire, which during his reign extended from present day Syria, down into parts of Africa, over to Spain, most of France and all of Italy. He had the fav or of the people, military and most of the Roman government. Caesar’s death at the hand of conspirators didRead More Livy’s The Rise of Rome Essays1435 Words   |  6 PagesLivy’s The Rise of Rome Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the â€Å"special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you mayRead More The City of Constantinople and Warfare of the Byzantine Empire1491 Words   |  6 PagesChristian capital of the eastern Roman Empire, otherwise known as the Byzantine Empire. Throughout its long history, there have been many different attacks on the religious capital city. Over a period of 1123 years, Constantinople was a solid city controlled by the Byzantines apart some small upsets. Multiple attacks and sieges were attempted to overthrow the city, however, most failed miserably. It wasnâ€℠¢t until 1453 that the city finally fell to the Ottoman Empire. Some victories of the ByzantinesRead MoreThe Ancient Roman Civilization1316 Words   |  5 PagesThe Ancient Roman civilization was a remarkable society noted in history, it was led by countless great leaders that sustained the great civilization for ages. The Romans encountered many wars and battles, they didn’t win all of their battles; however, they’ve learned through their failures to improve upon the progress of their society. In 264 BC to 146 BC the Romans were involved in a prolonged war with the Carthaginians, known as the Punic War. (Chris Scarre, 24-25) The word Punic comes from theRead MoreRoman Architecture Essay1439 Words   |  6 PagesWhen one thinks of Roman architecture, many things come to mind, such as arches, columns, statues, and richly covered surfaces in marbles. One must stop to think that this empire, which gained power and influence in the first century BC, must have been influe nced from the thousands of years of cultures preceding them in order to create their masterpieces of ingenuity. This phenomenon can be seen in our borrowing of ideas of ancient Greece and Rome for the construction of our capitol buildings inRead MoreQ - Does Alexander the Great deserve to be called the Great?1510 Words   |  7 Pagespurposes, to deserve will mean to be worthy of. Great has many meanings, and will be defined as: important; grand; distinguished; remarkable in ability or character; competent; or above what is normal, with implied admiration. Alexander, son of Philip, the king of the Macedonians, was more than most men. His achievements were admirable, and his success brilliant. His accomplishments were grand, momentous and distinguished, having huge impact on the history of the world. Alexanders ability was wellRead MoreIvan, Grand Prince Of Moscow1449 Words   |  6 PagesMy research theme was about Ivan III â€Å"Grand Prince of Moscow† in this paper I will tell you about Ivan and his childhood. I will also explain to you his greatest achievements and how he was successful in the many battles he ordered to take place. In this paper I will also explain how he became Ivan the Great and what people thought of him. Ivan Vasilievich, later known as Ivan the Great, was born on January 22 1440 in Moscow, Russia. Ivan family consisted of two brothers and his parents were MariaRead MoreThe Wars of Religion Essay1263 Words   |  6 Pages But is this title completely appropriate? For wars claiming to be centered on religion, they seem to carry an awfully heavy load of political baggage. In fact, one could argue that the wars in France, the Netherlands, as well as in the Holy Roman Empire, had many more political influences than religious. Religion masqueraded as a means of getting political power or territory for (though admittedly not all) a substantial amount of protestants; Calvinists to be specific. The French wars of religionRead MoreEssay about What made the roman imperial army so strong2028 Words   |  9 PagesWhat lies behind the strength of the Roman Imperial Army has sparked considerable debate throughout modern scholarship, with the dominant view concluding that Rome’s Imperial military power was heavily influenced by its organisation and discipline. However, Adrian Goldsworthy has emphasised that the military’s organisation should not be exaggerated, claiming that it was flexibility that was ultimately the key to its success. The strength of the Army can explicitly be seen in its ability to maintain