military history of the roman republic
The Roman military was associated with the Roman state much more closely than any modern European nation. For most of ancient Rome's history, the Roman state existed only as a body to support and bankroll the Roman military. The military's campaign history stretched over one thousand and three hundred years. The make up of the Roman Army changed considerably over Rome's history. For most of the Roman Army's history, most of Rome's forces were controlled at or beyond Rome's borders to either expand Rome's territory or to protect its borders.