Roman Empire

Modern society clearly distinguishes civil rules from military structure, because political power is separated from military command. However, in Rome the relation among socioeconomic conditions, institutions, and the organization of the army remained a close one throughout its history, including during the Republican era and the Roman Empire. It can be said that war was the most important element in Roman history. It was the army that built and expanded the Roman [Page 1476]Empire, whose structures were continuously modified, adapting to the changes that were brought about by conquest. During the Augustan Empire, Rome was able to guarantee its subjects a long era of peace, thanks to the very same army that was responsible for building the empire.