Roman Slavery

After reading about the details of slavery in the Roman Empire it is amazing how the people viewed it as a right.  It's hard to believe that perception still exists today. I think the aspect that was most shocking is how the reading mentioned that if a Roman was murdered then his slaves would be executed as well for not doing enough to stop it. Their welfare was directly tied to their owner - the reading also mentioned suicide would also end the lives of the slaves. I wonder how this perception could even persist. Perhaps through the generations having slaves was normal, I wonder how many if any people questioned the consequences of slavery. Overall, I felt it was a little ironic that the dependence of slavery and the economy that was centered around it was ultimately a contributing aspect to the downfall of Rome. Ultimately, you would think other countries would have learned a lesson from the Romans, however it's evident that many didn't.

Punic War Consequences

One of the things that caught my attention in the readings was how The Punic Wars started almost in a casual way, however, complete destruction eventually occurs at the end. For instance, the First Punic war lasted 20 years and admit tingly both sides 

did not seek a major conflict with each other. This made me wonder that if two sides did not seek conflict they both probably did not imagine there would be a total of three Punic Wars. Also, because the first Punic War did last twenty years, you would certainly think there should have been some meeting of the minds. The readings also mentioned that each side did not know how to withdraw. This amazes me that all this energy was put forth to fight for twenty years, and in that time the two sides could not negotiate a peace, that would have saved many lives. I think other issues surfaced from the length of the first war, including, the effect on the next generation of Carthage.  Specifically, Hannibal who learned from his father hatred of Rome and eventually invades Italy in the Second Punic War, and of course this conflict lasts a significant time. In all, three wars are waged over a long period that ended countless lives. I don't know if all wars can be avoided, but it does beg the question if the Punic wars could have been avoided.

Wikipedia Article Analysis

"Roman Military Engineering"

The Wikipedia article illustrated the importance of engineering and its effect on the successes of the Roman military throughout ancient Rome.  The article broke the subject into fortified camps, bridge building, siege machines, road making, civilian engineering by Roman troops and mining operations. It summarized each subject and then described the situation when these engineering marvels benefited the troops. 

Criteria:

1. The length of the article is 1271 words.

2. The search term was Roman road building project. The Wikipedia title is Roman Military Engineering.

3. The disambiguation link displayed other readings with similar titles and concepts.

4. In the page discussion there was dialogue between two authors. They were discussing why certain topics were not discussed in article.

5. On the history page there were 500 hundred changes to the article.  The first change was November 5, 2006 and the last change was August 31, 2008.

6. There was one external links.

7. There were not any primary or secondary references listed.

8. There were five items listed for further reading.

Overall, I would recommend the article because it gives a constructive overview of the engineering marvels that helped propel the Roman military during ancient times. It was fascinating to see how engineering inventions were able to change the course of a battle or a war. 

Conquering 101 - Roman Style

I thoroughly enjoyed the article that describes the various conflicts the Romans were engaged in and how Rome became a power. The most interesting aspect was how the Romans were unique in their strategies with conquered cities and peoples.  For example, they did not destroy the cities they conquered, instead incorporated the province and sometimes gave them the same rights afforded to Roman citizens.  In some cases, they even granted complete autonomy. I wonder who is credited in Roman history with the strategy of successfully holding onto to conquered land.  It seems until this time, this strategy was not effectively implemented.

Another important element that Rome employed to keep peace in the conquered lands was an efficient road building project. It's very interesting how they built roads in a straight line, so that Roman soldiers can react swiftly if there were any uprisings.  Undoubtedly, this helped maintain peace in the Italian peninsula. I never would have put together that straight roads could help maintain peace. 

Lead by Example - Alexander The Great

I find it very interesting that the success of Philip of Macedonia would eventually be overshadowed by the success of Alexander. Again, Philip would probably be in various mythologies and stories throughout the world on a grand scale. However, Alexander transformed his life to almost a make believe character. 

Alexander had many factors in his favor early on, including, an excellent education with Aristotle and witnessing a father lead by example.

The most prolific aspect of Alexander's life that caught my attention was how in the heat of the moment in battle he would often lead the charge. This is completely different from many famous generals who would lead from the back. No wonder Alexanders men adored and respected the man. We are all mortal and it's amazing that Alexander had the most to lose than anyone on the battle field.  He was wealthy and controlled a vast empire, I think most in his position would be in a palace enjoying life on a grand scale. This was certainly not the case for Alexander. It strikes me that Alexander was definitely an adventurer, he felt he can handle anything along the way and in the meantime wanted to build the empire as big as possible. Obviously the odds of warfare did not concern him, most of his battles he was vastly outnumbered on foreign soil.  However, by his men watching by example, I feel the majority of the army probably felt invincible.