They didn't have a network of help, they built one. Their use of selective trade (bribery) to co-opt neighboring tribes along its borders, and bringing non-Roman areas into the Roman economy worked very well until a series of depopulation events within the Empire that may have been the first big instance of the Black Plague. One reason Augustus cut the Roman regular army in half after the defeat and death of Antony was to right-size Roman forces and bring legions up to strength; a second reason was to free up Romans to get back to their regular lives and to cut the military budget; yet another reason was, the Empire had grown quickly and ruled many more non-Roman people.
The auxiliary legions were derived from conquered people who had their own traditional fighting styles and techniques, and they were deployed in parts of the Empire distant from their old homelands (making them cleave to their Roman commanders and regular legions); as Roman citizenship was continually expanded, Romanized people of non-Roman backgrounds increasingly made up the regular army.
The first non-Roman/provincial Emperor ascended to the big chair late in the 1st century (Trajan, born in Iberia but of non-Roman Umbrian stock) and he was a real ass-kicker. OTOH, Septimius Severus had Carthaginian roots, and his rule and those of his sons preceded what is generally called the Disaster of the Third Century (again, probably plague-induced).
One of my favorites, Aurelian, was born to a non-Roman family in Dacia; on his first outing he was defeated at first by barbarian invaders, who decided to split up to sack and plunder separately while Aurelian rode around and gathered his scattered troops; when Aurelian struck, he smashed the smaller groups of barbarians one by one until there were no more. He built the Aurelian Wall around Rome (parts are still visible today), knocked out the pretenders around the Empire, and put the whole works back together, just in time to be assassinated by an embezzler on his staff who thought he'd been found out. A ruled about five years.
of course. Roman law and the way they set up to local rule.
I’ve done a little reading. I started with Penguin Books and a Roman historian Livy. I read in chronological order. Livy was give access to the leading families of Rome who paid chroniclers to record the speeches of family senators and consuls. Much of Livy is gone after the second Punic War.
Some of the leading families gave him access to their histories. Many paid chronicolers (sp) to record speeches of their consuls and senators. Livy reconstructs many speeches given before battles or at key times in Roman history.
Then I read concurrent sources which took me to 669 the year of the 4 emperors. Then io burinedopuit Lots of dramas and documentaries on streaming. Love ed my two visits to Rome.
The Forum was a dumping ground for centuries. The road was above the forum and people would send their servants dump down the little berm. And there was time when it was afad amongst the rich in France, England, and Germany to have Roman statuary and other objects in their homes.
When Napolean came marched into Italy, he sent a message with list to the pope to provide 100 items of art. He transferred them to Paris, the beginning of the Louvre as a major museum. At the east end of the Champs Elysee’ is an obelisk he took from Egypt. In Italy, he had two archeologists with him and he left them there to begin the restoration of The Forum. This was the first decade of the 1800s. What we see today is the result of Napolean’s interest in antiquity
I appreciate your threads this morning. Thanx.
thanx for 105. I’m weaker on 69-300 than other periods.
I see a lot of Livius (Livy) online for free. https://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/livy/
I saw this on TV 30 minutes per week over a year in about 1990, from his lectures at UCLA. m Lots of paintings, maps, and illustrations.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYbocufkwRFAS80nLFShkXSblfcFTXwRH
Whoops -- what is generally called the Disaster of the Third Century is actually generally called the Crisis of the Third Century. :) [blush]