Between Rome's sack by the Gauls in 390 & the middle of the 2nd century BC, a part-time army of Roman peasants, under the leadership of the ruling oligarchy, conquered 1st Italy & then the whole of the Mediterranean. The loyalty of these marrauding heroes, & of the Roman population as a whole, to their leaders was assured by a share in the rewards of victory, rewards which became steadily less accessible as the empire expanded-- promoting a decline in loyalty of cataclysmic proportions. Wars, rural impoverishments, civil discord & slavery are some of the subjects covered in this study.
Preface
Historical Introduction
The sources
Italy & Rome
The Roman governing classes
The conquest of Italy
From Italian power to Mediterranean power
The conquest of the east
The consequences of empire-the governed
Reform & revolution
Rome & Italy
The end of consensus
The world turned upside down
The embattled oligarchy
The military dynasts
Epilogue
Appendices
Maps
Date Chart
Further Reading
Indices