MAP OF ITALY

ROME AND ITALY BY 338 B.C.

th
4 cent. Rome comes to terms with Etruscan cities (Cerae) or
defeats them in war (Veii)

Romans believed that they had links with the Latins to the south
from early times

Latin League/Rome no part in this political association

Hill tribes of central Italy (Sabines, Aequi, Volsci)

Rome’s arrogance inspires a war against her by many of the Latins

and other peoples in 4th cent. (340 B.C.)

338 B.C. Rome dismantled the Latin League

 OTHER ENEMIES IN FOURTH CENTURY

 390 B.C. the Gauls captured Rome

 metus Gallicus (“the Gallic Fear”)

 Wars against the Samnites (of central southern Italy)

 295 B.C. victory at Sentium against a combined force of
Samnites and Gauls
 THE IDEOLOGY OF WAR

o Noble self-sacrifice for the fatherland, single-minded search

for glory in the Roman histories of this time
o The way in which Rome used her victories:
the territory of defeated states often became ager
Romanus (“Roman land”) to be given to citizens and in some
cases a colonia (“colony”, a community of Roman citizens)
was created
granting of Roman citizenship (“citizenship without the
right to vote” or full Roman citizenship). The granting of
citizenship was above all part of a system of control
citizenship brought with it the obligation of service in
the Roman army
o Roman concept of imperium
 Winning an empire

 280 B.C. Tarentum faced war with Rome- called in King

Pyrrhus from Epirus
“Pyrrhic victory”
275 B.C. defeated by Rome Pyrrhus decided to retire home

 Rome’s victory brought her to the notice of other

Mediterranean powers as a force to be reckoned with

 Carthage in North Africa-Carthaginian domination of the

seas- Carthage’s trading empire in the West

 First Punic War (Punic = Carthaginian, since Carthage

was a colony of Phoenicia, whose people the Romans called
Punici)
241 B.C. Rome’s victory & take over of Sardinia and
Corsica-exploitation of the islands’ resources
Sardinia and Corsica Roman provinciae from 227 B.C.
Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca
248–183 or 182 BC
 Hannibal

Fabius Buteo, the Roman envoy to the Carthaginian senate, held

out his arm and said that the folds of his toga held both peace and
war and that he would shake out whichever they wanted. The
Carthaginians left the choice to Fabius and when he said that he let
fall war, they cried, “Done”!
 The Second Punic War

Hannibal’s Invasion of Italy in 218 B.C.

Cannae (216 B.C.)
Philip, King of Macedon signed an agreement with
Carthage in 215 B.C.
205 B.C. the Roman general Scipio invades Africa
Hannibal is defeated by Scipio at the battle of Zama in
202 B.C.
 The Age of the Gracchi

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus tribune 133 B.C.

 Bill to use the lands in Italy taken in the period of expansion
 The land was to be parceled out to peasant farmers
 Veto to the proposal in the Senate by M. Octavius
 Tiberius tried to antagonize the Senate over the kingdom of
Pergamum left by will to the Roman people

Gaius Gracchus tribune in 123 B.C.

 Proposed more wide-ranging program of bills than his
brother
Centuriation in the Po Valley, 1945

Centuriation in Puglia, 2003