ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the Romans paid close attention to the impact of the mercenary culture of the Hellenistic Age and the successes of Hellenistic armies. It considers that the peace terms and diplomatic treaties of the middle and late republic express clear evidence of this. Additionally, the direction of Roman wars towards the recruiting grounds of larger empires also supports this idea. From the third century bce down to the early first century bce, the interwar periods consistently see a resurgence in pirate activity and Roman campaigning against the pirates. In the eastern Mediterranean, evidence of both appears back into our earliest records, though mercenaries appear to have remained a relatively small proportion of the overall army. The Romans may not always be the most internally organized or agreeable of people, but they do know where the mercenaries are coming from.
