Rome now turned its attentions to Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire to the east. After campaigns as far abroad as Bactria, India, Persia and Judea, Antiochus moved to Asia Minor and Thrace [153] to secure several coastal towns, a move that brought him into conflict with Roman interests. A Roman force under Manius Acilius Glabrio defeated Antiochus at the Battle of Thermopylae [147] and forced him to evacuate Greece: [154] the Romans then pursued the Seleucids beyond Greece, beating them again in naval battles at the Battle of the Eurymedon and Battle of Myonessus, and finally in a decisive engagement of the Battle of Magnesia. [154] [155] BC - Gaius Petronius' expeditions against Nubia - Roman forces managed to reach Qasr Ibrim and northern Nubia, capturing several cities, including Pselcis, Primis, Abuncis, Phthuris, Cambusis, Attenia, and Stadissias, then destroyed the city of Napata (kushite capital) and other cities in retaliation while taking captives. Kushites Kandake earns a favorable peace treaty and Romans established a new frontier at Hiere Sycaminos ( Maharraqa), halting Rome’s southward expansion in Africa. Third Mithridatic war (73-63 BC) In which Rome gives the final blow and conquers the Pontic kingdom and Syria. Women had few rights in Rome, however rich or poor they were. Women couldn’t vote and were controlled by the ‘paterfamilias’ – the male head of the household. Roman women had very few rights. It was their responsibility to raise children and take care of the household. BC - Siege of Aracillum - Roman forces under Gaius Antistius Vetus against the Cantabri people, Roman victory.

In 115 AD, revolt broke out again in the province, leading to the second Jewish-Roman war known as the Kitos War, and again in 132 AD in what is known as Bar Kokhba's revolt. Both were brutally crushed. It conquered a huge empire that stretched from Britain all the way to the Middle East. The soldiers were the best trained, they had the best weapons and the best armour. Chaliand, Gérard. (ed.), The Art of War in World History, University of California Press, 1994, ISBN 0-520-07964-7Harkness, Albert. The Military System Of The Romans, University Press of the Pacific, 2004, ISBN 1-4102-1153-3 As before, once opposition to the triumvirate was crushed, it started to tear at itself. The triumvirate expired on the last day of 33 BC and was not renewed in law and in 31 BC, war began again. At the Battle of Actium, [243] Octavian decisively defeated Antony and Cleopatra in a naval battle near Greece, using fire to destroy the enemy fleet. [244]

Trajan's Parthian campaign [13] (115–117) – Trajan invaded Parthia (planning its annexation) and occupied Ctesiphon while managed control of western Persia by a client ruler ( Parthamaspates), but died. The Roman army withdrew, immediately abandoning the newly annexed provinces of Assyria, Mesopotamia and Armenia.BC – Battle of Cabira or the Rhyndacus – Lucullus defeats the retreating forces of Mithridates, opening way to Pontus. May – Battle of Argentovaria – Western Emperor Gratianus is victorious over the Alamanni, yet again.

Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Now, for the Romans, barbarians were local tribes who lived on the other side of the wall in what’s now, northern England and Scotland.

By 59 BC an unofficial political alliance known as the First Triumvirate was formed between Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus to share power and influence. [217] It was always an uncomfortable alliance given that Crassus and Pompey intensely disliked one another. In 53 BC, Crassus launched a Roman invasion of the Parthian Empire. After initial successes, [218] he marched his army deep into the desert; [219] but here his army was cut off deep in enemy territory, surrounded and slaughtered [206] at the Battle of Carrhae [220] [221] in "the greatest Roman defeat since Hannibal" [222] in which Crassus himself perished. [223] The death of Crassus removed some of the balance in the Triumvirate and, consequently, Caesar and Pompey began to move apart. While Caesar was fighting against Vercingetorix in Gaul, Pompey proceeded with a legislative agenda for Rome that revealed that he was at best ambivalent towards Caesar [224] and perhaps now covertly allied with Caesar's political enemies. In 51 BC, some Roman senators demanded that Caesar would not be permitted to stand for Consul unless he turned over control of his armies to the state, and the same demands were made of Pompey by other factions. [225] [226] Relinquishing his army would leave Caesar defenceless before his enemies. Caesar chose Civil War over laying down his command and facing trial. [225] The triumvirate was shattered and conflict was inevitable.

BC – Battle of Tigranocerta – Lucullus defeats the army of Tigranes II of Armenia, who was harbouring his father-in-law Mithridates. BC – Battle of Lake Vadimo – A Roman army under P. Cornelius Dolabella defeats the Etruscans and Gauls. War between the Sassanids under Ardashir I and Severus Alexander; resulted in humiliating Roman defeat and withdrawal. BC – Battle of Trifanum – Roman general T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus decisively defeats the Latins. BC – Battle of Vesuvius – Romans under P. Decius Mus and T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus defeat the rebellious Latins.BC – Battle of Beneventum – Inconclusive encounter between Pyrrhus and the Romans under Manius Curius.