Although the romans would be considered brutal tyrants by Modern standerds, although i find this ironic coming from the era of the A-bomb and testing it on a defenceless city. was they really brutal by the standards of the time, I dont think so... Rape murder and pillage have been sanctioned by every religion over the centuries and was even considered by the christian church an act of purity! It was not the romans who were brutal I beleive its just human nature to find all kinds of ways to exterminate each other, Its just that some societies were better at it than others. Another point i would like to put is you have bear in mind at what the carthaginians or greeks and even Barbarian Hordes would have done if they had defeated the roman Legions. But two dont make a right, right?