Children of Mars: The Origins of Rome's Empire

Ancient Warfare and Civilization

by Jeremy Armstrong

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 “Roman” people across Italian land, but rather the expansion of a social, political, and military network amongst the Italian people. Armstrong suggests that Rome's early empire was a fundamentally human and relational one. While this reinterpretation of early Roman imperialism is no less violent than the traditional model, it alters its core dynamic and nature, and thus shifts the entire trajectory of Rome's Republican history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2025

Reviews

[Caleb Fogler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Children of Mars, Jeremy Armstrong takes us through Rome’s early Republic and its domestic and foreign political events. Armstrong starts with the founding myths of Romulus and Aeneas through early Roman conflicts with the Veii and Brennus, a Gallic War-chief. We then move forward through Rome’s sacking and witness the rebirth through political reforms and Italian tribal integration. Through personal elite conflicts and monopolizing of regional man power, Rome begins to overpower its nearby neighbors.

Soon Roman elites are pulled into conflicts with and against other Italian powers that begin to draw foreigners, particularly Pyrrhus of Epirus. Armstrong eventually leads us to Rome’s first major foreign rival, Carthage. Armstrong doesn’t really focus on the battle tactics of the first two Punic Wars, instead we see how Rome raided through the first war and then suffered through a war of attrition in the second.

Children of Mars is scholarly and probably better for readers already familiar with aspects of Roman history and society. Armstrong also includes an Appendix that details the early Roman army, which could be useful for anyone studying this period of Rome. Overall enjoyable but might be too dry for many readers.

[Adam K · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Children of Mars: The Origins of Rome’s Empire, author Jeremy Armstrong argues that Rome’s rise to imperial power in the fourth and third centuries BCE was not the product of a uniquely visionary people or a cohesive early “Roman” identity. Instead, Rome’s empire emerged from a messy, pragmatic, and highly relational system shaped by local Italian elites competing for power, status, and security. Armstrong emphasizes that early Rome was a loose federation of families and communities whose shared practices (warfare, alliance networks, obligations, and patronage) gradually coalesced into an imperial structure almost unintentionally. Rather than a sudden burst of exceptionalism, Rome’s expansion was a process of repackaging existing social bonds and military habits into a broader system that slowly centralized authority. Drawing on recent archaeological and scholarly advances, Armstrong challenges traditional literary narratives, offering a more grounded and complex picture of how Rome’s empire actually took shape.

Naturally, the history of the early Roman Republic is rather complex and seemingly convoluted. Armstrong works to disentangle many of these lines by presenting his thesis as an alternative to some more traditional interpretations of ancient source materials. Relying heavily on Livy and Polybius, he takes us through early Roman history in a loosely chronological manner. There are many fascinating ideas contained within this text. For example, Armstrong argues that the second Punic War was a turning point for the republic because it wiped out many of the elites from the older patrician families, thus making way for novus homo ("new men") to rise to positions of power. Contrary to their predecessors, these "new men" did not rely on their social and familial ties for respect, but the prestige of the burgeoning Roman state itself.

The appendix is a deep dive into the organizational structures of the early Roman Republic military—all of which is as fascinating as it is confusing. The main point that Armstrong wants to make, though, is that while historians often tried to view these perplexing military structures as overly complex systems put in place by Rome, the truth is more likely to be that Rome merely co-opted existing military structures from various communities to which they had close alliances/agreements with.

I could certainly understand why some may find this book a bit dry but, on the contrary, I appreciate its brevity and directness. If you have any interest in the early Roman Republic, I think this book is definitely worth a read.

[Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Prakash · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a good read