Around 600 B.C., a band of Etruscans crossed the Tiber and took over the Latin village overlooking the river. They organized them into a city-state and introduced elements of civilization. They built temples and fortifications, and they introduced the Etruscan alphabet, which was modeled on the Greek alphabet. They may also have given the villages a common name for the first time. Some scholars think that the name Roma or Rome is an Etruscan word, but this is not certain. Although the Etruscans had given them civilization, the Latins at Rome still resented being ruled by foreigners. In 509 B.C., they revolted and drove the Etruscans out.

In their early history, the Romans were almost continually at war with the other states around them. I want to consider why this was true. Conditions in Italy in the Early Republic had made it almost impossible for Rome or any other state to avoid war. There were literally hundreds of small, independent states in Italy, all competing with one another for power and resources. As I suggested last time, most of these states needed land, and they could only get it by taking it from their neighbors. Because war was so common, the Romans came to admire and to reward men who were good soldiers and good generals. If a consul won a great battle, he and his relatives would find it easier to win election to other offices in the future. Even common soldiers earned great prestige when they had fought in an important Roman victory. They were also given land and a share in the spoils of war on occasions. Thus, the Romans were always ready and even eager to fight, if they were given any reason to do so by some other state. And conditions were such that reasons could usually be found.

Rome’s success in war largely depended on her army, so I want to look briefly at what the Roman military system was like. Down to 100 B.C., the Roman Army was a citizen army made up of average Romans. Almost all Roman men from age 17 to age 46 were drafted. The only men exempted from service were a few very poor Romans who did not own any farmland. This was because soldiers had to buy their own armor and weapons. Poor men could not afford to do this, so they could not be drafted. But in the early Republic, very few Romans did not own land. Most of them were farmers as we have seen.

This army was eventually successful in extending Roman military power until it covered the whole Mediterranean. Roman expansion can be divided into three basic stages, which I will discuss separately.

The first stage includes the Roman conquest of Italy. It extends from the founding of the Republic in 509 B.C. to 272 B.C. As we have seen, Italy was filled with may different competing states at first. The peoples who lived in the plains, like the Latins and the Etruscans, were more advanced. They had city-states, as Rome did. Those who lived in the Apennines Mountains were less civilized. They usually had a loose, tribal organization of some kind. Because of the constant warfare, some states had to band together for common defense. It was natural for Rome to ally with other Latin cities since they had a lot in common. In 493 B.C. all the Latin cities, including Rome, formed a military alliance called the Latin League.  It was aimed primarily at two groups of enemies. They were the Etruscans to the north of the Tiber and the barbarian tribes in the mountains around Latium. At first, Rome was merely an equal partner with the other Latin cities. But gradually the skill and the toughness of her armies allowed her to become the leader of the alliance.

Roman expansion in Italy mainly consisted of adding more and more states to this alliance as her influence spread. When she conquered other peoples, Rome usually did take land from them. Sometimes she founded coloniae, new Roman settlements, on this land to watch out for her interests. But even conquered states usually became her allies. Many others became allies voluntarily because Rome could protect them when they were being threatened by someone else.

You should recall that Greek Empires, like that of Athens were also organized as alliances. But the Roman alliance was much different from those in the Greek world. It was much more stable. Unlike Athens and other Greek cities, the Romans treated their allies well. They did not interfere with the government of allied states, and they protected their interests in war. This was partly because Rome sometimes needed the help of her allies, especially in her early history. She was careful not to offend them.  Rome also gave the peoples of many allied states Roman citizenship. This again was something that Athens and other Greek cities never did. In Athens all citizens were supposed to have an equal chance to hold office, but this was only possible if the number of citizens was relatively small. But in Rome, a small number of families tended to monopolize the major offices in the state. They could give out citizenship without seriously threatening their own position.

Citizenship was valuable to the allies, not so much for political reasons as because it allowed them to trade with Romans on an equal basis and to intermarry with Roman families. All Rome required of the Italian allies in return was that they support her in war and provide troops to fight with the Roman Army. Generally, it was a good bargain for both sides. The allies got protection and fair treatment, and the Romans got vast numbers of soldiers to assist them in their conquest.