Mind-Munitions

Chapter 3
The Glory that was Rome
Rome lacked the rich mythological sources available to Greek
propagandists, so it created a mythology of its own to provide
examples for its citizens to emulate. Indeed, the Romans were
exceptional creators of mythological propaganda and their
writings often tell us more about contemporary Roman attitudes
than they do about the actual historical record. One story stated
that Rome was founded by the survivors of Troy and the very best
aristocratic families claimed to be able to trace their lines back to
the arrival of those founding fathers. The other, better known,
legend was that Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, born
of a virgin, orphaned by murder, and reared by a wolf – a story that
reinforced Roman pride in their humble origins and that was especially
useful at the height of Roman power to emphasize just how far
they had come. But it was a violent story and fittingly so, for ‘the
glory that was Rome’ was built on and sustained by violence.
War was an integral part of early Roman life and was the key to
Roman expansion, first beyond the city boundaries into Peninsular
Italy and then beyond into wider Europe, stretching eventually
from Spain, Britain, and France in the west to Egypt, the Persian
Gulf, and the Caspian Sea in the east. Military service (possibly as
much as ten annual military campaigns) was an essential qualification
for political office throughout the Roman Republic (510-27
BC) and, for a young aristocrat with political ambitions, selection
as military tribune (of which there were six in each legion) was
essential to his career in the Senate and to his appointment as
consul (two per year) – a post which demanded military and political
skills. The formative educational experience of such men was
in the army. War, in other words, was the lifeblood of a Roman