1. Judas had heard about the Romans and their reputation as a military power. He knew that they welcomed all those who joined them as allies and that those who came to them could be sure of the friendship of Rome.
2. People had told him about the wars the Romans had fought and their heroic acts among the Gauls, whom they had conquered and forced to pay taxes.
3. He had been told what they had done in Spain when they captured the silver-mines and the gold-mines there.
4. By careful planning and persistence, they had conquered the whole country, even though it was far from Rome. They had overcome the kings from distant lands who had fought against them; they had defeated them so badly that the survivors had to pay annual taxes.
5. They had fought and conquered Philip and Perseus, kings of Macedonia, and all who had joined them against Rome.