Mediterranean anarchy, interstate war, and the rise of Rome

395 Pages·2006·1.56 MB·English

by  Eckstein

Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War,
and the Rise of Rome
The Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature
In honor of beloved Virgil—
“O degli altri poeti onore e lume . . .”
—Dante,Inferno
Mediterranean Anarchy,
Interstate War, and the
Rise of Rome
Arthur M. Eckstein
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley . Los Angeles . London
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University of California Press
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University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2006 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eckstein, Arthur M.
Mediterranean anarchy, interstate war, and the rise
of Rome / Arthur M. Eckstein.
p. cm.—(Hellenistic culture and society ; 48)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13, 978-0-520-24618-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-10 0-520-24618-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Rome—History-Republic, 510–30 b.c.
2. Rome—Foreign relations—510–30 b.c.
3. Anarchism. 4. War. 5. International relations.
I. Title.
dg237.e27 2006
937'.02—dc22 2006031443
Manufactured in the United States of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on Natures Book, which contains
50% post-consumer waste and meets the minimum
requirements of ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997)
(Permanence of Paper).
For Erich
Moribus antiquis res stat Romana virisque
Ennius

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Maps xviii
1. Political Science and Roman History 1
2. Realist Paradigms of Interstate Behavior 12
3. The Anarchic Structure of Interstate Relations
in Classical Greece 37
4. The Anarchic Structure of Interstate Relations
in the Hellenistic Age 79
5. Terrores Multi:The Rivals of Rome for Power in Italy
and the Western Mediterranean 118
6. Rome and Roman Militarism within the Anarchic
Interstate System 181
7. Roman Exceptionalism and Nonexceptionalism 244
Appendix to Chapter 6: Roman Commanding Generals
Killed in Battle with Foreign Enemies, 340s–140s b.c. 317
Bibliography 319
Index 343

Acknowledgments
A major scholarly work is often long in gestation, and many friends at
various stages help it along the path toward publication. This book is no
exception. Portions of the original manuscript were read and carefully
commented upon by Hans Beck, Craige Champion, and Boris Dreyer,
as well as by the anonymous referees at the University of California Press.
These scholars of antiquity both encouraged the project and saved me
from errors. And special thanks are owed to John Rich of the University
of Nottingham. It is striking how the Internet has created the fruitful in-
teractions of an international republic of scholars. My gratitude to these
historians does not mean, of course, that they necessarily agree with what
is said in this book. From across the disciplinary boundaries, meanwhile,
the project received the encouragement of the political scientists Robert
Jervis, Richard Ned Lebow, Kenneth Waltz, and William C. Wohlforth.
It is significant that few historians of antiquity will be familiar with these
names. At the University of California Press, the project was overseen by
Laura Cerruti and Cindy Fulton. As usual, Jeannie Rutenburg provided
continuous scholarly commentary, as well as support and love, through-
out the researching and writing.
This book is dedicated, in gratitude, to Erich S. Gruen: a profound
and rigorous scholar, the best undergraduate lecturer I ever saw, the best
graduate seminar instructor I ever experienced, and in general a model
of generosity, courage, and humane interactions. If human beings were
all like Erich, the world would be a better place than it is, and heavily
militarized anarchy would be a subject merely for antiquarians.
ix