HISTORY
ANCIENT ROME
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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most mercenaries were poor fighters
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they began invading Roman towns
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They felt little loyalty to Rome
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the cost of paying soldiers destroyed the economy.
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Detailed explanation-1: -The Roman Republic’s biggest disadvantage was their lack of a strong navy and naval firepower. The First Punic War began in 264 B.C. but Rome did not build its first naval fleet until 260 B.C. This weakness, and inexperience, was clearly noticed by the Carthaginian naval forces.
Detailed explanation-2: -Mercenaries could fight against one country and then fight for them in the future, depending on who hired them. The French troops, along with the German mercenaries, led a successful campaign into the Italian province.
Detailed explanation-3: -At the time, Rome used many mercenary armies from other nations, called foederati, who with the rise of Emperor Augustulus became frustrated by their treatment and status. These armies, led by Odoacer, revolted against Emperor Augustulus and deposed him in 476, and granted Odoacer kingship.
Detailed explanation-4: -A number of historians attribute the overreliance on foreign soldiers and mercenaries as a strong cause to the decline of both the Roman Empire and Tang Dynasty. The later Roman Empire increasingly depended on foederati, or treaty-bound “barbarian” communities, as frontier soldiers and commanders.
Detailed explanation-5: -The transition from a citizen’s army to a very nearly mercenary one did not go smoothly. To many Romans, the same barbarians so admired for their military prowess were also the enemy. Since the early third century, the empire had been locked in a violent and essentially continuous struggle against barbarian raiders.