When Rome went off to conquer the world, did they just march into a country, say something like 'Hi, we're the Romans, we have plumbing and a big army so you're going to be part of Rome now, whether you want to or not," or did they have justifications of some sort? How much was the rest of the world going to care if Rome expanded into a fairly small country and took it over? Or did sometimes they have justification and sometimes not?
Thank you!
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206 / 50,000
Abr 4, 2008 - 23 25
I believe in some cases they asked if they wanted to be a part of the Rome Empire (at least first). They Romans would let the country kept there local government and beliefs (as long as it did not hurt Rome). Also once a part of the Empire you would have protection against your neighbors (who might not be as nice as the Romans) and therefore, you would not have to have your own army, but of course you would pay tax to Rome.
You might want to contact a history professor at the nearest University who has studied ancient history (I have read a little but I am not an expert).
8,747 / 50,000
Abr 20, 2008 - 12 14
In those days, there was no UN, no international law, and there weren't really any countries either. The idea of countries and borders didn't really exist; only Egypt and the greek city states could be considered anything along the lines of a modern country. So, in that respect, Rome didn't need a justification, because there was nobody to justify themselves to.
Also, this was a fairly brutal age where might made right - if you were bigger and stronger than the tribe next door, then you could beat them up, take their nice things, and enslave them all in a mine, and nobody cared. Martial prowess and military might were considered virtues and things to aspire to - this is why gladiators became celebrities, and why Emperors usually had to lead their armies in person.
The idea of war being illegal unless you can justify it is an entirely modern concept. For most of history, it was dog eat dog. Rome just happened to be the biggest dog.