Analysis Of Polybius 's ' Polybius '

The military campaigns of the Caesars made Rome one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Suetonius conveys through his writings that being a good military leader and a good Caesar were synonymous. Augustus, who Suetonius thought an excellent leader, reunited the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire ( 51) and greatly expanded Romes territory (53). Augustus “showed not only skill as a commander, but courage as a soldier” in the eyes of his contemporaries (47). On the other hand, both Caligula and Nero, considered poor leaders by Suetonius, had very limited military success and aspirations. Only once did Caligula initiate a military exploit, and it was rife with his madness. His campaign into Germany was on a whim and all he accomplished was receiving the surrender of a

Before Marius left for Jugurtha, he decided a total reform of the military system was necessary. The military recruitment system in place before Marius involved recruiting the army from the landowning masses of Rome. A.J Koutsoukis, author of History of the ancient world; Ancient Rome describes recruitment as an "unwelcome obligation" as it meant "a long time away from the family farm, and possible economic ruin."6 In an effort to dramatically increase the size of the army and overcome the shortage of soldiers, Marius welcomed landless, unemployed recruits into the army. This transformed the service from a reluctant obligation to a paid profession. The landless soldiers were given weapons and payment by their general, and for this reason were unconcerned with the Republics' motives behind their fighting, and more concerned with pleasing the individuals responsible for their payment and weapons, in this case being the generals. Many soldiers sought guidance and advice from their generals

In the fourth chapter, “The Pathfinders”, Strauss explores reasons why local freemen and farmers of Italy would help Spartacus and his men, as well as the movements of Spartacus’ army in its earliest stages. It was critical that locals could help lead these rebels around regions that they couldn’t have understood on their own. Among one of these locals was a man known as the Picentine, who helped lead the rebels around the Eburine hills and avoid the Romans. In these movements, Spartacus continued his guerilla style against the Roman legions, eventually capturing standards of Roman centurions, as well as the fasces of the Praetor Varinius’s lictors, a symbol of power that led to Spartacus’ army swelling in size from either 40,000 to 120,000 men. Spartacus continued moving along the Ionian coast, plundering and taking cities by force, as well as continued training and arming of the army. By the start of 72 BC, the Roman’s would begin to take Spartacus much more seriously.

Greeks, but specifically Athens, were very prideful about their philosophy and military tactics. A speech in document 7 plainly states, “our military training is in many aspects superior to that of our adversaries… We rely not upon management or trickery, but upon our own hearts and hands.” This statement is said by the Athens which boast about their successful military compared to their enemies. Athens believe the cause to their success is because they have philosophy and education, therefore the Athens are able to think before taking action in a war or battle.

54) Despite his success, Agricola never let people’s high opinions of him go to his head. As a result, he treated soldiers under his command fairly and for that, they confided their trust in him. Agricola’s leadership was also great because of his ambitious and passionate nature. Early in his youth, he had a passion for military glory, which Tacitus described as “… thankless in an age in which a sinister construction was put upon distinction and a great reputation was as dangerous as a bad one.” (p.55) Because of his well-disciplined upbringing and humility, however, this passion became motivation to succeed in Roman conquest, not his own. Together, those qualities made Agricola an adept leader who did not accept the glory that leaders traditionally receive. Conversely, Rome had been ruled during and around A.D. 98, when the Agricola was completed, by tyrants who governed for their own benefit. Tacitus’ book shows, however, that Agricola nevertheless served the interests of his legions and the Roman Empire, not its emperor.

Both Livy and Aeneas constructed masterworks of literature that would be read by man for over two millennia. What these two authors composed would shape and construct what it truly meant to be Roman, not only to those living during the era, but to those living in the far future as well. The straight facts about past kings by Livy, and the telling tale of an epic hero named Aeneas by Virgil both portrayed the importance of pietas and military fortitude. On the one hand, there is pietas; now seen as one of the highest virtues of ancient Romans, a value that signifies respect and duty to the gods, family, and country above thyself. While military fortitude, or the act of being courageous in spite of the pain or harm that may ensue, was another theme that Livy and Virgil both interacted with that would change how Romans are viewed forever.

Rome was a very large and powerful city by the first BC but the reign of Augustus transformed it into an imperial city. In 31 BCE, Augustus became the supreme commander of the Roman Republic. During the Augustan Revolution, art and architecture pushed a political agenda. Art portraying Augustus remains common throughout his reign. The art and architecture helped reinforce Augustus’ political message that he was the restorer of Rome.

Before Augustus’ reign began, Civil war had ravished the basic principles of the Roman people. Piety, the warning to “fulfil our duties towards our country, our parents, or others connected with us by ties of blood” was undermined by faction. The duty towards country, parents and relatives was less of a bond because faction determined duty rather that Pietas. Thus Rome, a city founded in pietas, was that foundational principle. internal faction undermined the principles of pietas and corrupted its role in the city. Rome needed a moral reform towards pietas; Rome needed a refocus on the roots of the empire, its duty towards its ancestors, and unity based in pietas. Commissioned by Augustus, Virgil constructs the Aeneid to portray the cruciality of pietas by redefining Greek epic heroism to include pietas. Each comparison of aeneas to another greek hero emphasises the pietas within him, showing how he is better because of it and combining the heroism of all the Greek heroes into Aeneas. By doing this, virgil shows that to unify Rome through pietas is to harness Rome’s power. Thus, Virgil reveals to the Romans a virtue which allows the individual Roman citizen embody and partake in the glory of Rome.

Current militaries have benefitted from the principles of ancient Greek and Roman warfare by studying the ancient battles, tactics, and use of supplies to develop effective military plans. Current militaries study and debate historical turning points of the ancient battles to understand how the leaders planned and executed battles. The empires’ growth was due in part to the might and successes of their military. The strength of their militaries came from many factors including their use of armor, weapons, and military tactics. The empires’ leaders used these three advantages to create the superior armies of their time.

The training was so hard that the soldiers became well disciplined and very fit. They were trained to such a high level that most forces they came up against were swept away; this is illustrated in the following passage: " They [the new recruits to the army] are also taught not to cut with their swords but to thrust. The Romans find it so easy to beat people who use their swords to cut rather than thrust that they laugh in their faces." Vegetius, A Book About Military Affairs

Before Augustus came to power, Civil war had ravished the basic principle of the Roman people. Piety, the warning to “fulfil our duties towards our country, our parents, or others connected with us by ties of blood” was undermined by faction. The duty towards country, parents and relatives was less of a bond because faction determined duty rather that Pietas. Thus Rome, a city founded in pietas, was that foundational principle. internal faction undermined the principles of pietas and corrupted its role in the city. Rome needed a moral reform towards pietas; Rome needed a refocus on the roots of the empire, its duty towards its ancestors, and unity based in pietas. Commissioned by Augustus, Virgil constructs the Aeneid so that it portrays the cruciality of pietas by redefining Greek epic heroism to include pietas. Each comparason of aeneas to another greek hero emphasises the pietas within him, showing how he is better because of it and combining the heroism of all the Greek heroes into Aeneas. By doing this, virgil shows that to unify Rome through pietas is to harness Rome’s power. Thus, Virgil reveals to the Romans a virtue which allows the individual Roman citizen embody and partake in the glory of Rome.

Polyphemus, one of the most famous archetypes of the Cyclops’ of ancient Greek mythology, and Bruce Banner, The Hulk from the Marvel film, have made an impact in history with the incredible characteristics they both possess. Although both characters were written in different time periods throughout history, their commonalities are reflected within their personalities. Despite the drastic differences in both their settings, they still manage to show heroism throughout their numerous conflicts. In order to surpass such trials, both characters make use of their natural instincts to survive. Polyphemus and the Hulk share an infatuation with savagery as both enjoy going on rampages and possess incredible brute strength capable of massive power

Intro – Begin by talking about how people often see Aeneid by Virgil as focusing on the events surrounding the Trojan war, but an equally important part of the story is the prevalent theme of duty. For instance, if one looks at Aeneas one can see his devotion towards caring for his people, and his persistence to follow his duty. Because of the emphasize that Virgil places on Aeneas devotion to his people and his duty to obey the gods, one can begin to theorize that Virgil believed duty was the most important quality a man could possess. Thesis: Often times, the Aeneid carries the reputation as a book centering around the founding of Rome, however, without the constant reminder of duty, one cannot fully view Virgil’s story as he intended.

Pliny the Elder (23-79) left medieval and renaissance thinkers with a large assortment of beasts who shared certain human aspects. This belief in monsters formed part of the basis for European conceptions of natives in the New World. When Pliny had a thought, idea or something just to put down he would a document regardless if it was true or not. This leads to the conclusion that he wasn’t always right about what he had written in his natural history. Too much writing lead to Pliny not being able to check his own work. For this is when social construct was somewhat created as an idea put into the minds of Greeks and the romans. Ideas such as evil-eyed Illyrians, one-legged monocoli and animal-human hybrids. He suspected that these monsters

“But it isn’t only your severe punishments that produce right conduct,” Polybius told the Romans. “That alone wouldn’t make men brave. You encourage them to act heroically by holding out all kinds of rewards and incentives.”