Epilogue

Summary

Warfare was a significant phenomenon throughout the history of the Roman world, exerting a fundamental influence on the evolution and fortunes of the Roman state over more than a millennium, and on the neighbours with whom the Roman state came into conflict. Warfare’s role varied according to the relative size of the Roman state at particular points in time and the relative strengths of its neighbours, making it difficult to generalise. The complexities of historical causation also need to be acknowledged so as to avoid the temptation to make warfare the underlying explanation for everything in Roman history. Even with those caveats, however, there is no denying the impact of war in Roman history. At the risk of over-simplification and over-generalisation, this epilogue attempts briefly to draw out some larger themes and observations.