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Rome’s Conquest of Italy:
I. Disaster
- 18 July 390, Battle Allia and Gallic Sack: Vae victis!
Italian neighbors attack after defeat:
- Aequi, Volscians, and Etruscans
- but 115 yrs later: 275 BC, Rome is mistress of Italy
- 800 years (410 AD) before another foreigner enters Rome in arms
- HOW?
Recovery
- refortification
- army reform: abandon hoplite phalanx
- instead use throwing spears; short swords; long shields
- New tactical units:
1 Legion = 30 maniples
1 Maniple = 2 centuries
1 Century = 60 men
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II.
Expansion 390-275: Three main areas
1) Latins
- 493: Treaty w. Latin League (30 communities)
Foedus Cassianum
- 360  340-338 Latin War
- 338 supremacy in Italy
- divide & rule: each state has sep. agreement now with Rome
2) Samnites: Italian mountain tribes
Three Samnite Wars
- Capua appeals to Rome:
1st Samnite War 343-341
- Greeks in Naples appeal to Rome:
2nd Samnite War 326-304
- Lucanians appeal to Rome:
3rd Samnite War 298-290
- Battle of Sentinum 295
- surround and absorb
3) Greeks from mainland:
- Tarentum & King Pyrrhus of Epirus 280-276
- Pyrrhic victories: Heraclea 280, Ausculum 279, Beneventum 276
III.
Attitude toward Enemies
- Hostis = both stranger and enemy
- Domestic and foreign affairs: domi militiaeque = “at home and at war”
-Aggressive attitude:
–Neutrals not respected. Either with or against...
–But loyal friends rewarded
–Always clear distinction between enemy and ally
Starting a War: a religious event
Rules:
1. Rome injured party
2. Fetiales (fetial priests): demand reparation
3. Centuriate assembly declares a “just war” iustum piumque bellum
4. Boundaries and bloody spear (Temple of Bellona)
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Defensive Imperialism: Cicero On the Republic
• “Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for
revenge or defense can actually be just.”
• “No war is considered just unless it has been proclaimed and declared, or unless reparation has
been demanded.”
• “But our people by defending their allies have gained dominion over the whole world.”
The defeated
-Unconditional surrender: deditio in fidem: “surrender to good faith of Romans”
-Romans usually demanded: $ compensation; treaty of alliance; and some land.
-But keep your own government
How Rome was different:
-Unjustified war is immoral
-Negotiation and neutrality incomprehensible
•Example 168 BC: Antiochus IV (Syria), Ptolemy VI (Egypt) and Popilius Laenas (Rome)
IV.
Citizens
Different levels of citizenship and allies possible
- Civic status used as weapon of control
- Two principles of Roman Citizenship
1) extendable to worthy outsiders
2) divisible collection of individual rights
Citizenship Rights
- public rights - vote, hold office
- private rights - conubium, marriage
- commercium, commerce
- provocatio, appeal
+ duties - taxes and fighting
- Citizens lived in either ager Romanus (Roman territory in & right around Rome)
OR
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Roman colonies OR unurbanized areas in Italy - pagi, rural districts & vici, hamlets
Secondary type of citizenship:
civitas sine suffragio
-all duties of cit., all private rights, but no VOTE
-Lived in more autonomous townships called municipia
-carrot and stick
V.
Socius (pl. socii) – ally (fight but no taxes)
Three standard feature of treaties with allies:
- no foreign policy
- internal autonomy
- auxiliaries
- Types of allies:
1) socii nominis Latini, allies of the Latin name
-mix of Romans and Latins
- live in Latin colonies, founded from 338-180
- internal autonomy
- private Roman rights
- fight but no taxes
- right of migration to Rome
2) ordinary allies: civitates foederatae, federated states - foedus, treaty
-different levels of treaties: unfavored and favored
VI.
Effects ?
1. Security
- Italy is patchwork of different statuses
- Divide and rule = no neighbors with unified goals
2. Colonial strategy
- Find land for landless  more soldiers
- Colonies = outposts of Rome
- Incentives: Rome uses range of possible alliances and treaties with Rome as
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system of reward and punishment to help maintain empire.
Enter Hannibal: 218 BC…