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To sum it up: The costs simply outweighed the benefits. You have to consider that Germania at this time was essentially one huge forest, which was very, well empty. No cities to conquer, the first German cities were actually founded by the Romans, like e.g. Aachen, Cologne or Trier. The Germans were primitive tribesmen and had little too offer to the Roman ...

The Rubicon river marked the boundary between the province of Cisalpine Gaul and Italy proper. Caesar, as a proconsul, held imperium (the right to command) within the provinces, but only a consul or praetor could hold imperium inside Italy. Generals were expected to lay down their command and re-enter Italy as private citizens; not doing so would be seen as ...

Although Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, which marked the border of his province, was significant in that it marked the start of full on hostilities, it was by no means certain that he would be victorious. According to both Plutarch and Suetonius, Caesar had doubts in his mind as he reached the river, the latter claiming that these doubts were soothed only ...

When Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River, Pompey fled to Greece with his army and most of the Senate. In the beginning, the advantage seemed to lie with Pompey. Not only did he command a large army, but he also controlled much of the East as well as Spain. Caesar, however, handled the situation masterfully. Finally in 48 B.C., Caesar crushed ...

Pharsalus was the turning point. Caesar was out numbered and could easily have lost but was the better general on the day. Remember that Pompey was considered the better general between the two at the time. After that, it was a matter of time before he finished the civil war. Pompey was later assassinated in Egypt and thus never had a chance to recover ...

One way to determine this is to go to a translation of the source, which should provide you with all the Tacitus you can eat on the subject. In short, Tacitus suggests that Nero may well have been the primary motivation for the fire starting where and when it did, although Nero himself was in Antium when the fire started (again, according to Tacitus). As ...

Like we discussed in my answer in Why China was able to unify and not Europe. The following documentary gives an explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAQqIcBamhs&feature=player_detailpage#t=2343s The Germanic tribes, although being quite capable fighters didn't have enough to offer the Romans. The area was poor and difficult and dangerous to ...

The Romans were able to "conquer" large parts of Germania, briefly. They were unable to HOLD it for any length of time. The reason stemmed from the region's "backwardness." There was no central government or central power through which the Romans could operate. There were no cities (except the ones the Romans built). There were few roads, and the country ...

The alternative theory is put forward by Suetonius (Nero, 38-39) who strongly supports the idea that the fire was Nero's doing, and that common people saw his agents with torches but didn't dare stop or detain them. 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned' is a reference to Suetonius's account of Nero singing a poem (probably of his own composition) about the fall ...

Here is a time line of events of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey (continued by his party after his death) 50 - Caesar enters Italy proper by crossing the Rubicon with his army 49 - Pompey evacuates Italy and arrives in Greece On route to Spain, Caesar initiates a siege of Massilia, he leaves for Spain, and his subordinates successfully end the ...