<P> During the time of expansion in the Republic and early Empire , Roman armies had acted as a source of revenue for the Roman state , plundering conquered territories , displaying the massive wealth in triumphs upon their return and fueling the economy to the extent that historians such as Toynbee and Burke believe that the Roman economy was essentially a plunder economy . However , after the Empire had stopped expanding in the 2nd century CE , this source of revenue dried up ; by the end of the 3rd century CE , Rome had `` ceased to vanquish . '' As tax revenue was plagued by corruption and hyperinflation during the Crisis of the Third Century , military expenditures began to become a `` crushing burden '' on the finances of the Roman state . It now highlighted weaknesses that earlier expansion had disguised . By 440 CE , an imperial law frankly states that the Roman state has insufficient tax revenue to fund an army of a size required by the demands placed upon it . </P>
<P> During the time of expansion in the Republic and early Empire , Roman armies had acted as a source of revenue for the Roman state , plundering conquered territories , displaying the massive wealth in triumphs upon their return and fueling the economy to the extent that historians such as Toynbee and Burke believe that the Roman economy was essentially a plunder economy . However , after the Empire had stopped expanding in the 2nd century CE , this source of revenue dried up ; by the end of the 3rd century CE , Rome had `` ceased to vanquish . '' As tax revenue was plagued by corruption and hyperinflation during the Crisis of the Third Century , military expenditures began to become a `` crushing burden '' on the finances of the Roman state . It now highlighted weaknesses that earlier expansion had disguised . By 440 CE , an imperial law frankly states that the Roman state has insufficient tax revenue to fund an army of a size required by the demands placed upon it . </P>
why did rome need to acquire new land through military expansion
why did rome need to acquire new land through military expansion
plunder economy
plunder economy