The Roman Conquest of Italy

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This account details the turbulent centuries when Rome subdued the peoples of Italy, integrating their aristocracies and establishing a unified Italian state of Roman citizens by the end of the first century BC. During the second Punic War, Italy was home to various ancient settlements, including Gauls in the North, Etruscans in the center, Greeks along the Southern coasts and in Sicily, and indigenous Phoenicians in Sardinia, while Romans occupied only a small fraction of modern Italy. The violent yet effective incorporation of these groups into the Roman polity led to a state that Augustus inherited—one of the largest and most efficiently administered in the ancient world. The narrative begins with the peoples of Italy at the end of the fourth century BC, highlighting early Roman diplomacy and military success in creating client populations among the Etruscans, Latins, and Hellenized southern groups. Initially, these Italian peoples sought to maintain their independence and traditions, but by the end of this period, many were demanding Roman citizenship. The author explores the dramatic changes in the Roman economy and polity, as well as the significant population shifts resulting from the enslavement and importation of defeated rebels, including over one million Gauls. This history of Roman power's formative years is clearly written and incorporates recent scholarship and archaeological findings.