by Craig Nybo

Created on: December 10, 2008   Last Updated: March 22, 2012

The empire of Rome dominated most of the civilized world at its zenith. Its borders spanned Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa, swallowing and dwarfing the former Hellenistic empire of Alexander the Great. The astonishing might and rapid expansion of the Roman Empire came from the genius of its leaders. The Caesars of Rome understood that to control the entire world, as they saw it, one must have three things: shrewd politics, military weapons technology, and precision battle tactics.

• Shrewd politics

From scattered tribes of barbarians, the Romans rose. Legend says that twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, were born of a mortal woman, Rhea Silvia, and the god of war, Mars. Fearing that the lads would rise to the throne, King Amulius ordered them drowned. The twins were rescued by a she-wolf and raised in the forest until they came of age.

On April 21st, 753 BC, both brothers founded a city, Rome. But lust for power, accompanied by a thirst for violence, overtook Romulus: he murdered Remus in a fight for the throne. Rome thrived, growing over the next century and a half until the republic was established at around 509 BC.

A written constitution became one of the most significant factors in the rise of the Roman Empire. For the first time, power was balanced between different factionsthe magistrates, the senate, and the plebs (common people)with checks and balances in place between each branch of the government.

With a solid constitution, with the hearts of the people committed to Rome, the next natural step became escalated expansion. To accomplish this, Rome employed at first its bourgeois, then its farmers and citizens as soldiers. They were equipped with the most advanced gear of the era and commanded by brilliant generals who were versed in state-of-the-art war tactics.

• Military weapons

Rome spared no expense when it came to equipping its army. From personal weapons and body armor to the most advanced siege machines - most designs for these machines were lost during the middle ages - no barbarian army could stand against the Roman infantry.

When it came to equipping the infantry, Rome traded raw brute force for finesse. Where most barbarian fighters used heavy, lengthy weapons that could deal devastating blows all at once, The Roman soldier carried a short, stabbing sword called a Gladiaus Hispaniensis. With shorter weapons, Roman infantry were able to move within the effective range of enemy weapons and inflict many quick

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>