Expansion of Ancient Rome

• Roman History - The Era of the Roman Republic

At first, Rome was just one small city-state in the area of Latin-speaking people known as Latium, on the west side of the peninsula of Italy. Rome, which was originally a monarchy, founded in 753 B.C., couldn't even keep foreign powers from ruling. From about 510, when the Romans threw out their last king, until the middle of the 3rd century B.C., Rome made and broke strategic treaties with neighboring groups in order to help her conquer other city-states. In the end, after revising her battle tactics, weapons, and legions, Rome emerged as the undisputed leader of Italy. Here is a quick look at the events leading to Rome's domination over the peninsula.

• Early Rome
• Legendary Founding of Rome
• Mommsen on the Early Kings

Kings of Rome

In the legendary beginning of its history, Rome was ruled by 7 kings.

1. The first was Romulus, whose ancestry is traced to Trojan (War) prince Aeneas.
2. The next king was a Sabine (a region northeast of Rome), Numa Pompilius.
3. The third king was a Roman, Tullus Hostilius, who welcomed the Albans into Rome.
4. The fourth king was Numa's grandson, Ancus Martius.
   After him came the 3 Etruscan kings,
5. Tarquinius Priscus,
6. his son-in-law Servius Tullius, and
7. Tarquin's son, the last king of Rome, known as Tarquinius Superbus or Tarquin the Proud.

The Etruscans were based in Etruria, a large area of the Italic peninsula to the north of Rome.

• 7 Kings of Rome
• Geography of Rome

Beginning of the Expansion of Roman Power - Latin Alliances

After the Romans expelled their Etruscan king and his relatives, they had to fight to keep him out. When the Romans defeated the Etruscan Porsenna at Aricia, Etruscan dominance had reached its end.

Then the Latin city-states, excluding Rome, banded together in an alliance against Rome. While they battled each other, the Latin allies also suffered attacks from the mountain tribes. These tribes lived east of the Apennines, a mountain range that separates Italy into an eastern and western side. The mountain tribes were attacking because they needed more land.

Whatever the motivation of the mountain tribes may have been, the Latins had no extra land to give them, so in about 493 B.C., the Latins, this time including Rome, signed a mutual defense treaty that is called foedus Cassianum 'Cassian Treaty'. A few years later, in about 486 B.C., the Romans made a treaty with one of the mountain peoples, the Hernici, who lived between the Volsci and the Aequi, other eastern mountain tribes. Bound to Rome by separate treaties, the league of Latin city-states, the Hernici, and Rome defeated the Volsci and settled Latins and Romans as farmer/landowners in the territory.

In 405 B.C., the Romans began an unprovoked 10-year struggle to annex the Etruscan city of Veii. The other Etruscan cities failed to rally to the defense of Veii in a timely manner. By the time some of the Etruscan league of cities came, they were blocked. When Camillus led the Roman and allied troops into victory in Veii, they slaughtered some Etruscans, sold others into slavery, and added land to the Roman territory, much of it given to Rome's plebeian poor.

• Latin League
• Veientine Wars
• Battle of Lake Regillus
• Coriolanus

Rome's Temporary Setback - The Sack of the Gauls

In the fourth century B.C., Italy was invaded by the Gauls. Although Rome survived, the Romans' defeat at the Battle of the Allia remained a sore spot throughout Rome's history. The Gauls left Rome only after they were given vast quantities of gold. Then they gradually settled down, and some (the Senones) made alliances with Rome.

• Battle of the Allia
• Worst Defeats in Roman History

Further Expansion of Ancient Rome - Rome Dominates Central Italy

Rome's defeat made other Italic cities more confident, but the Romans didn't just sit back. They learned from their mistakes, improved their military, and fought off Etruscans, Aequi, and Volsci between 390 and 380. In 360, the Hernici (Rome's former non-Latin league ally who had helped defeat the Volsci), and the cities of Praeneste and Tibur allied themselves against Rome, but they were defeated. Rome added them to its territory.

Rome forced a new treaty on her Latin allies making Rome dominant. The Latin league with Rome at its head then defeated the league of Etruscan cities.

In the middle of the fourth century B.C., Rome turned towards the south, to Campania (where Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius and Naples are located) and the Samnites. Although it took until the beginning of the third century, Rome did defeat the Samnites and annexed the rest of central Italy.

• Samnite Wars

Expansion of Ancient Rome Continues - Rome Annexes Southern Italy

Finally Rome looked to southern Italy and fought King Pyrrhus of Epirus. While Pyrrhus won two battles, both sides fared badly. Rome had an almost inexhaustible supply of manpower because it demanded troops of its allies and conquered territories. Pyrrhus pretty much only had those men he had brought with him from Epirus, so a Pyrrhic victory turned out to be worse for the victor than the defeated. When Pyrrhus lost his third battle against Rome, he left Italy, leaving southern Italy for Rome. Rome was then recognized as supreme and entered into international treaties.

• King Pyrrhus of Epirus
• Tarentum and the Pyrrhic Wars
• Origins of Latin Literature - Livius Andronicus of Tarentum
• Ancient Rome Glossary

The next step was to go beyond the Italic peninsula.

Source: Cary and Scullard: A History of Rome

Roman History - The Era of the Roman Republic