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   readerofbooks Teacher
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   I suppose that a traditional answer to this question would say that Roman expansion took place to secure its borders. This is what the ancient sources, at least, say. Notable scholars such as Ernst Badian also posit this theory. However, there is reason to think otherwise. First, just because the sources speak of "just" theories of war, it does not mean that this was what actually happened. One must remember that pro-Roman sources such as Polybius would not outrightly say that the Romans engaged in expansion for profit. Second, if one looks at the Roman economy, it is more than believable that they needed these wars. From where would land come? Where could they get slaves? William Harris observes that between the years 302 - 291, the Romans built no less than nine new temples - wealth from overseas military victory.

   Also when one considers the expense of the Punic Wars, one can easily see that what Rome needed was money. This nicely explains why the Romans immediately conducted a military campaign in the east. There was great wealth to be had.

   Finally, when one considers senators and equestrians, it is not hard to see how profitable wars could be. Just the slave trade alone would create incredible wealth. So, in conclusion, greed for money and power is probably the best reason for Roman expansion. For an excellent book on this topic, see: William V. Harris' War and Imperialism in Republican Rome.

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   Posted by readerofbooks on Monday November 9, 2009 at 6:20 PM