Bibliography
| Title: Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome Type: Book Year: 2006 Abstract: Eckstein applies modern international relations theory to Roman imperialism and expansion. Rather than arguing that the Romans were more violent, or more willing to engage in warfare than their neighbours, Eckstein instead suggests that the entire Mediterranean basin was a multipolar anarchy, with all states equally committed to warfare and aggression in order to survive. Rome's dominance, Eckstein further argues, was instead due to its ability both to manage its foreign allies, and to incorporate outsiders, including former slaves, into the citizen body. As a result, Rome had access to resources that no other state could match. The catalyst for Roman intervention in the Greek East in 201-200 B.C. was the collapse of Ptolemaic Egypt, and the resulting imbalance of power between the remaining Hellenistic monarchies, a fact correctly recognized by the historian, Polybius. |