Week 4: Monday, February 6
Roman legionary from the late Republic.
1) According to the textbook, what appears to have accounted for the success of the Roman armies?
2) According to Machiavelli, what was the strength of the Roman Empire?
3) What kind of consitution did Polybius claim the Romans possess? What were the advantages of this system?
4) From what you have read of Polybius' account, what sorts of Greek traditions or practices did the Romans sustain?
5) According to Polybius, what appears to have motivated Roman soldiers and their officers to maintain discipline and to fight well?
6) According to Polybius, why could Roman formations defeat the Macedonian phalanx?
Other Questions
1) What seem to have been Hannibal's strengths as a general?
2) Why were the Romans so catastrophically defeated at Lake Trasimene and Cannae? At the same time, how does Polybius' account of these two battles express Roman strengths?
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2006.