Dr Simon Elliott

Yeah, and they recruit lots of Eastern horse archers into their army, as an example.

So you can either neutralise them, ignore them, or recruit them.

Right, so the Roman Empire is a Mediterranean empire.

That's the first thing to remember.

And it becomes a Mediterranean empire, I would think, from...

It's all about North Africa, in actual fact, because after the end of the Third Punic War, the Roman elites really didn't want Africa to recover.

And it's only in the leaders like Caesar where people start reinvesting in the region.

So it's as you come into the first century BC that the bits of North Africa start getting joined together again.

And then, ultimately, Egypt joins them, and that's it.

That's your Mediterranean Empire.

By then, Caesar has already bolted on Gaul.

Yeah.

Okay?

Yeah.

So that's more or less it.

And then there's only one or two other bolt-ons that come along after that.

You've got Britain, you've got Dacia, you've got Judea, et cetera.

But broadly, it's in place.