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Nero's disastrous reign showed that poorly treated legions could and would revolt.
尼禄大帝的残暴统治也表明了军团如果没有得到良好的对待，很可能叛变。
But the year of four emperors was an anomaly, the under pinning of the Pax romano was a strong well lead and well paid military personally controlled by the Princeps himself.
但是四帝之年则是不同寻常的罗马和平时期的根基非常稳健，军队得到良好指挥，军饷也很好，由元首亲自控制。
Change for the worse was on the horizon.
但是情况正在走向下坡路。
The Roman empire had pretty much reached its natural boundaries under Marcus Aurelius, 161 to 180AD,
罗马帝国在公元161到180年之间在马可·奥勒留的统治下，已经扩张到了边界。
the client states destined to become Roman had been added to the empire, offensive operations were pretty much through,
注定要属于罗马的附庸国都已经归入罗马帝国名下，攻击性的军事行动也增多了。
but the Roman empire's needs increased. The Romans attacked only against raiding tribes or to find a more favourable place, to construct fortifications and the big task now was to keep the barbarians out.
但是罗马帝国的需求也有所增加，罗马人原来只攻击发动偷袭的部落或者寻找合适地点建造防御工事，而现在的大任务是要抵御野蛮人的袭击。
Indeed defending Rome's borders often known collectively as the Limes, L I M E S, or boundary, became the ultimate concern of every emperor.
事实上，保卫罗马的边疆也就是所谓的边界线已经成了每个皇帝的终极关切。
Sometimes incorrectly understood as a series of walls the nature of the Limes depended on the nature of the area itself.
有时候人们会将边界线误以为是一排高墙，但事实上边界线取决于各处的地理特点。
Where natural boundaries were available like the Euphrates river, Rhine river or the Sahara desert the Romans were happy to use the natural boundaries, where natural boundaries were not available,
在具有天然地理防御优势的地方，例如幼发拉底河，莱茵河或者撒哈拉沙漠，罗马人很乐意利用自然地理边界，而在没有地理防御条件的地方，
the Limes contained a series if not always a line of fortifications these were built more to keep watch on the border than to defend it.
则会建造一系列的防御工事。不过这些更接近于瞭望台，而非防御工程。
Nearby would be a Roman legionary base, a castrum, or an auxiliary camp, castello.
在其附近会有一个罗马兵团基地兵营，或者援军营。
The first roman patrol or watchtower garrison to detect a barbarian attack might be defeated but a suitable force of Romans usually auxiliaries could quickly come up to defeat the attackers when needed.
阻挡蛮族袭击的第一拨罗马巡逻兵或哨兵可能会不敌进攻，但是辅助兵通常能够很快地赶到增援，击退蛮族。
