>>54750886It's about pride. The Roman Legions were the backbone of Rome, and the entire society and economy revolved around constant war and conquest. When there stopped being rich lands to expand in to, the Roman economy stagnated. The standards represented the Legion and everything it stood for, so Rome would go to any length to get them back, if possible.
>>54750921Byzantium was good, but it seemed like it was in a constant state of decay. The Ottomans almost took Vienna, however. And Russia's always been pretty badass, if very poor.
