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Winning Hearts and Minds: Tactics of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the Early Roman Empire

Abstract

The most common strategy for Romanizing a province was through developing connections with elites in the indigenous society coupled with (in many cases) the inclusion of regional gods into the Roman pantheon. These ties were cemented as Romans adopted the provincial religious deities and the sons of prominent locals were sent to Rome for the finest education of the day. This system allowed for relative stability in the provinces, particularly when the Roman provincial governor was sensitive to local customs. What about those indigenous people whose goals conflicted with those of Rome? How does one combat a monolithic power with the most formidable army yet seen? This paper will examine three different revolts- all with varying outcomes- in the first few years of the Imperial Period to analyze the tactical and strategic successes and failures of the insurgents and how they were combated by the Empire. These specific examples are chosen for their differing outcomes and their approximate relation in time (All three were fought within 60 years). In analyzing these the answer of how to successfully rebel against the early Roman Empire will be deduced, as well as how to defeat an insurgency, something many modern countries still grapple with

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