‘They are the enemies of all mankind’ : justifying Roman imperialism in the Late Republic

The nature of Roman imperialism in the Republican period has been the subject of several recent works. These have stressed the manner in which Rome’s competitive political system and her traditionally militaristic culture encouraged the domination of overseas enemies and the conquest of new territory under the leadership of the senatorial elite. Earlier preoccupations with concepts of defensive imperialism and ‘just wars’ have given way to a view of the Romans as essentially an aggressive, acquisitive people whose political leaders depended heavily on the fruits of war to maintain their positions. This historical revision of Roman imperialism has been partly encouraged by a reappraisal, among European historians, of the nature of modern imperial achievements. This paper examines a particular aspect of the representation of imperialism - the way that the suppression of piracy and banditry were used as justifications for Roman imperialism in the Late Republic - and considers the ancient material in the light of modern cases which have been reinterpreted in recent scholarship. [Taken from the introduction]