Overview

In 25 B.C., the Roman emperor Augustus sent Aelius Gallus, prefect of Egypt, on a military expedition to the Arabian Peninsula. His aim was to extend Roman control throughout Arabia, and to gain control of the wealthy spice-producing states at the peninsula's southern tip, but instead the Romans became mired in a miserably failed operation that proved costly in terms of lives, finances, and the empire's reputation. It was the first time Rome truly came face to face with the limits of its imperial ambitions, an early sign of the slow Roman retreat that would commence some two centuries later.

Background

Founded as a republic in 507 B.C., Rome had begun its existence fighting with the Etruscans for supremacy...