In this work, Nathan Rosenstein challenges the claim that during and after the Hannibalic War, the Roman Republic's need to conscript men for military service helped bring about the demise of Italy's small farms and that the misery of impoverished citizens then became fuel for the social and political conflagrations of the late republic.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-319).

Tables and Figures; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction: Agriculture in Italy from Hannibal to Tiberius Gracchus; 2. War and Agriculture: A Critique of the Conventional View; 3. War and the Life Cycles of Families: Three Models; 4. Mortality in War; 5. Military Mortality and Agrarian Crisis; Appendix 1. The Number of Roman Slaves in 168 B.C.; Appendix 2. The Accuracy of the Roman Calendar before 218 B.C.; Appendix 3. Tenancy; Appendix 4. The Minimum Age for Military Service; Appendix 5. The Proportion of Assidui in the Roman Population.