Impact Of Overseas Conquest On Roman Society

Throughout its existence, Ancient Rome was mainly a militaristic society. Ever since its foundation as a Republic, Romans were continuous victors in their battles and were able to get a hold of land overseas. From their battles against the Hellenistic Kingdoms and Greece in 211-168 BC to the sack of Carthage as a result of the third Punic War at 149-146 BC, the Romans never failed to disappoint the state. The new acquired Roman state land would be known as ager publicus or “public field” and were used by Romans for various purposes. However, there were both positive and negative impacts on the Roman society due to overseas conquest. During the second century BC, overseas conquest had an immense impact on the economic, social, and political

life of Ancient Rome.

To start off, overseas conquest brought prosperity and enhances the economy of Ancient Rome.

Each time the Romans conquered land, they would bring the riches of the land into the Roman Treasury ultimately increasing the wealth of the state. This is emphasized by Plutarch in his Life of Cato The Elder: “Cato, however, found the city by no means in a poor and lowly state, as the Romans supposed, […] overflowing with enormous wealth, filled with arms of every sort and with military supplies” (Plutarch, Cato the Elder 26.2 pg381). After victory in the Battle of Pydna at 168 BC during the third Macedonian War, the Macedonian kingdom collapsed. Soon, the Romans were able to get a hold of its treasury and bring it back to Rome. After becoming prosperous, the state seized charging taxes known as tributum to their Roman

citizens.
However, the economic uplift as a result of overseas conquest brought chaos to the social order of Ancient Rome. Conflicts emerged between the patricians (aristocracy) and plebeians (most of the plebs). Although the ager publicus was initially intended for all citizens to utilize, the aristocrats were the most advantageous as they used their social status to occupy peasants’ land and farms. This negative impact of overseas conquest is described by Plutarch: “then the poor, who had been ejected from their land, no longer showed themselves eager for military service […], so that soon all Italy was conscious of a dearth of freemen […] by whose aid the rich cultivated their estates, from which they had driven away the free citizens” (Plutarch, Tiberius Gracchus 8.3 pg161). As conflicts emerged between the social classes of Ancient Rome, riots and rebellions soon led to political reforms.
Overseas conquest impacted the political life of Ancient Rome through the implementation of several bills to maintain stability in the state.

The Populares, the aristocrats that favoured the populous, began to propose reforms that went against the wishes of the Optimates, the aristocrats that favoured the elite. Tiberius Gracchus was the most well-known man at the time that favoured the general public. As Tribune of the plebs, he put forward a legislation called Lex Sempronia agrarian that limited individual holdings of public land. This law “forbid the holding by one person of more than five hundred acres of land” (Plutarch, Tiberius Gracchus 8.2 pg161) only allowing a family maximum of 250 hectares of land. Tiberius’ legislation was effectual for a time but eventually taken down years after his death. Another significant bill that was passed was a series of reduction in property qualifications for military service. As the populous lost their land, the number of men eligible to serve in the army began to decrease leading to recruitment problems. Therefore, property qualifications reduced from 11, 000 asses from the start of the second century to almost zero asses by the last decade of the century. As a result, anyone could serve in the Roman

military.
All in all, overseas conquest proved to have both positive and negative impacts to the economic, social, and political life of Ancient Rome during the second century BC. Although the roman economy prospered from constant victories and reduction of taxes, conflict between the social classes emerged. The aristocrats took advantage of the ager publicus and seized the land and farms of peasants. As a result of riots by the plebs, political reforms were introduced by men such as Tiberius Gracchus that limited individual holdings of land and other reforms that allow poor roman citizens to participate in the military. Constant victories and the seizing of land expanded the Roman state and altered the lives of Roman citizens with both advantageous and disadvantageous.