Warfare in the Roman Republic : From the Etruscan Wars to the Battle of Actium

Few ancient institutions capture students' interests and imaginations more than the Roman army. The conquest of territory that we still recognize, the sense of a professional military that is the forerunner of our modern armies, and the leaders all draw students, both young and old, to the army. Students often joke that ancient history should be easy because it is ancient, thinking that it does not change because it is so old. Indeed, much of what we call the drums-and-trumpets style of work is stuck in old methods and styles. But the reality is that military history, including the history of ancient warfare, is changing all the time. Just as historians in other specializations started drawing on new methods and engaging in more social history, postcolonial history, and cultural history after 1945, so did military historians. This led to the emergence of a war-and-society approach.