Children of Mars

The Origins of Rome's Empire

Jeremy Armstrong

$54.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Oxford University Press
01 December 2025

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Military history; Politics & government

Series: Ancient Warfare and Civilization

A fresh narrative history of the rise of Rome's empire in Italy, that exposes the monumental expansion of the Roman familial, social, political, and militaristic way of living across Italy.

Before the Romans could become masters of the Mediterranean, they had to first conquer the people of their own peninsula. This book explores the origins of Roman imperialism and the creation of Rome's early Italian empire, bringing new light and interpretations to this important but problematic period in Roman history. It explains how and why the Romans were able to expand their influence within Italy, often through the use of armed conflict, laying the foundations for their great imperial project. This book critically reexamines and reframes the traditional literary narrative within an archaeologically informed, archaic Italian context. Jeremy Armstrong presents a new interpretation of the early Roman army, highlighting the fluid and family-driven character which is increasingly visible in the evidence. Drawing on recent developments within the field of early Roman studies, Children of Mars argues that the emergence of Rome's empire in Italy should not be seen as the spread of a distinct

By: Jeremy Armstrong
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780197584972
ISBN 10: 0197584977
Series: Ancient Warfare and Civilization
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jeremy Armstrong is Associate Professor of Ancient History at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and the author of Early Roman Warfare: From the Regal Period to the First Punic War and War and Society in Early Rome: From Warlords to Generals.