Salve,<br>
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Relations between Celts and Romans were not always hostile even if the Roman attitudes to Celts before their conquest were inspired by fear and hate. Celts were recruited into the Roman army from republican times on and conquests of Celtic tribes was often assisted by willing allies and auxiliaries from the same background. After the conquest indigenous peoples, especially the elites, were assimilated into the Roman world, though not all segments of society and all aspects of life were thoroughly Romanised with for instance Celtic languages recorded as still being spoken in late Roman times.<br>
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Roman values in battle stressed discipline and group cohesion, though individual displays of bravery were also valued highly. Roman warfare was characterised by great brutality and perseverance. Enemies were usually relentlessly engaged in spite of defeats untill Roman terms could be imposed.<br>
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Roman warfare encompassed both high and low intensity warfare. Though decisive engagements like pitched battles and sieges were deliberately pursued, the Roman army was able to adapt to guerilla type warfare and adopt tactics to suit different opponents. The main focus was on land warfare with naval warfare taking on a secondary role after the elimination of the main naval threats in the Mediterranean.<br>
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The Roman army was traditionally made up of both citizen forces and (originally) non citizen allied and auxiliary troops from conquered territories as well as from across the frontiers. The citizen troops were concentrated in the legions, the backbone of Roman military power, and assisted by a variety of both professional and irregular other forces. At first military duties were largely borne by the propertied classes able to afford the necessary equipment, though these requirements were lowered as time went by. Throughout its history the Roman army contained a mix of both volunteers and conscripts and though earlier armies consisted of a part-time militia, the armed forces gradually turned into a long service professional army.<br>
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Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
