Category: The Early Republic (509-264 BCE)
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 3; 278-275 BCE)

Before King Pyrrhus of Epirus crossed over to Sicily he reportedly narrowly escaped an attempt on his life. According to his biographer Plutarchus the king’s personal physician had offered the Romans to poison his master in return for a royal reward. The new consul for 278 BCE, Gaius Fabricius Luscinus,…
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 2; 280-279 BCE)
The Early Republic: The war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (part 1; 281-280 BCE)
The Early Republic: Prelude to the war with Pyrrhus of Epirus (289-281 BCE)
The Early Republic: consolidation in Latium and the Third Samnite war (303-290 BCE)
The Early Republic: the Second Samnite war and the wars against the Etruscans (part 2; 311-304 BCE)
The Early Republic: the Second Samnite war (part 1; 327-312 BCE)
The Early Republic: Samnites, Latins and Campanians (343-327 BCE)

In 343 BCE a war broke out between the Romans and Samnites, an Oscan-speaking people that lived in the hills and mountains of southern Central Italy. Roman behaviour was exceptionally opportunistic, as little more than ten years ago they had made an alliance with the Samnites. Now, however, they decided…