A Study Of Naval Construction In The Early Roman Empire

In 27 BC,Octavian established the Principate,essentially entering the Imperial stage.In the early Roman empire,political stability and economic prosperity ensured the establishment of a Standing navy.The imperial navy is often overlooked in many accounts of Roman military activity.However,this was not the case.For as long as Rome existed,the navy was part of the armed forces of the Roman empire and became the world’s first "superpower" navy.The establishment of the early Roman imperial navy followed the transformation from the republic to the principate and met Octavian’s demand to strengthen his own power,It was also the inevitable trend of the development of the Roman navy.The victory of the first Punic war not only introduced Rome’s development strategy to the sea,but also provided a sufficient material(food)base for her overseas expeditions.Since then,the frequent foreign wars of conquest broke through the Roman mainland,making Rome to obtain the vast territory of land,but also constantly impinged on the declining republican system of administrative mechanism.Efficient command mechanism and professional combat corps have become the inevitable choice in overseas war.The navy,which used to be a subsidiary of the corps,has become increasingly important in foreign wars and has gradually developed towards specialization and independence.After the establishment of the empire,under the precondition of the prosperity and development of agriculture,industry and commerce,Augustus set up two standing naval fleets in Rome,set up relatively independent naval fleets in overseas provinces and border regions,and built corresponding naval bases.The early Roman government’s emphasis on the navy was due to its own advantages.The establishment and development of each naval fleet effectively guaranteed the security of the maritime trade in the Mediterranean world;strengthened the jurisdiction of each province,and facilitated the contact between each region.In Roman history,it was through the power of the navy that Rome was able to lay its hands on and eventually rule over the entire Mediterranean coast;It was with his navy that Octavian won the battle of Actium,ending the traditional republic and becoming the first "emperor" of the Roman empire;It was the navy that sustained the growth and prosperity of the early Roman empire’s trade and economy.Finally,in a manner of speaking,The loss of naval power was also one of the important reasons for the collapse and destruction of the western Roman empire.