Roman Warfare, Ships and Medicine
Commander N Westphalen Introduction Previous articles describe the development from prehistory to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, of a cycle whereby increasing trade required larger and more efficient ships to transport merchandise and better weapons to defend or attack them; both of which in turn facilitated further trading opportunities. 1;2 However, it was not until the 18th century that Western medicine had developed sufficiently for its role as an enabler of this cycle to be recognised, which among other developments, made possible the European settlement of Australia. 3 While the technical developments in weapons, ships and medicine driven by this cycle often developed independently in multiple regions worldwide, they remained closely linked throughout Western history in particular. This article describes the technical and other developments in Roman war...