Roman historians wrote that during the sixth century B. C.E., their kings began to rule as tyrants. Ancient sources say that in 509 B. C.E. the Roman people rebelled against the king and created the Republic. Two leaders, called consuls, were elected each year. They worked with the Senate and a body called the Centuriate Assembly.
By this time, Rome’s lands covered about 300 square miles and included up to 40,000 people. According to the ancient sources, Rome fought a series of wars against the Etruscans as it went from the monarchy to a republican government. Next, the Romans battled a group of Latin cities called the Latin League. The Romans won a close victory in 499 B. C.E., and a few years later the two sides signed a peace treaty that formed an alliance.
Under the treaty, each side agreed to help the other if it was attacked or wanted military aide. In this new Latin League, Rome was the major power and it received half of all the land and wealth captured during wars. The other half was split between the other Latin cities. With every success on the battlefield, Rome was guaranteed to grow larger than its neighbors.
Rome’s main foe during the fifth century B. C.E. was the Etruscan city Veii. Located about 10 miles north of Rome along the Tiber River, Veii was rich and powerful. Rome and Veii competed to control the salt beds along the river. Salt was an important resource in ancient times and it played a major role in foreign trade. Each city also wanted to dominate the
Trade routes along the Tiber. Starting around 481 B. C.E., the Romans and the Veians fought a series of wars. Rome finally triumphed in 396, after a long siege of Veii. With its victory Rome almost doubled its territory in the central part of the Italian peninsula, and won increasing respect among other Etruscan cities and the Greeks.
Siege Warfare
Laying siege to an enemy city is an ancient military tactic. The Greeks did it before the Romans, but the Romans were particularly effective in capturing enemy cities using a siege. The basic idea of a siege is to surround a city and prevent the citizens from receiving supplies— food, water, and weapons. Then, when the enemy is weakened, the siege forces can attack. Before that point, however, the city under siege might decide to surrender. At Veii the Romans finally ended their siege after they used a tunnel to sneak soldiers underneath the city's defensive walls and into the city itself.
Rome’s fortunes, however, suffered during the 390s B. C.E., as it faced an invasion from the north. The Gauls had been moving across the Alps into the northern part of the Italian peninsula for more than 100 years. With a fleet cavalry and soldiers who swung large, heavy swords, the Gauls captured land from the Etruscans. The Romans began to call this region Gallia Cisalpina, or Cisalpine Gaul, meaning “Gaul this side of the Alps.”
As the Gauls continued to move south, the Romans tried to sign a peace treaty with them. This diplomatic effort failed, and the Romans then sent out an army of 10,000 to 15,000 men-the largest force they had ever assembled. Still, the Gauls defeated this huge force and began a siege of Rome. The Gauls finally left when they learned that their homeland was under attack-and after the Romans gave them 1,000 pounds of gold.
World History
