Military history of ancient Rome |This article does not cite any
references or sources. (November 2006)| |This article is part of
the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD
erals |Roman navy (fleets, admirals)| |Lists of wars and
battles| |Decorations and punishments| |Military engineering
(castra, siege engines, arches, roads)| |Strategy and tactics|
|Frontiers and fortifications (limes, Hadrian's Wall)| The
military history of ancient Rome is inseparable from its
political system, based from an early date upon competition
within the ruling elite. Two consuls were elected each year to
head the government of the state, and in the early to mid-
Republic were assigned a consular army and an area in which to
campaign. From Gaius Marius and Sulla onwards, control of the
army began to be tied into the political ambitions of
individuals, leading to the political triumvirate of the late
1st century BC and its resolution in a civil war that led to the
Republic's collapse. The Empire was increasingly