The Vitality of Rome’s Loyal Allies for Expansion Essay

Ancient Rome in 338 BC had finally defeated the alliance between the Latin Cities, which then allowed her to gain control over Latium. From here she began forming alliances and conquered many states in Italy. Through the vital cooperation, attribution to military success by providing men for the Roman army, and protection that her allies offered, Rome’s boundaries were pushed further. Her expansion had spread from her immediate surrounding areas of the Mediterranean until her power stretched out both east, west and south of the actual city of Rome (149 BC). Therefore, Rome’s successful expansion is due to the loyalty of her allies. The establishment of loyalty between Rome and her allies allowed her to conquer their territories while†¦show more content†¦(Tingay and Badcock, 43) For example, such selfless fighting can be observed during the First Punic War in 260 BC. Despite the fact that the Carthaginians had defeated the Romans twice in battle, â€Å"the Rom an people by voluntary contributions built one last fleet.† (Stillman, 8) That â€Å"last fleet,† due to their loyalty to Rome, defeated the Carthaginians. (Stillman, 8) Having allies in this battle was important because they comprised a very large amount of the Roman army, so the pure willpower of this army during the final battle would not have been as powerful without them. From this victory Rome acquired the island of Sicily, which allowed her to dominate trade and expand over the Mediterranean. (Tingay and Badcock, 43) Therefore the military success, which was highly beneficial in expanding Rome (typically through war), was positively impacted by the loyal alliances Rome made with her surroundings. Most importantly, though, the loyalty of Rome’s allies provided vital protection beyond military success, allowing expansion. For instance, one of the first tests of the loyalty of Rome’s allies was during the Pyrrhic Wars (280 BC). In this war King Pyrrhus of Epirus fought to protect Tarentum from Roman conquer. Nevertheless, the â€Å"allied cities†¦refused to open their gates to Pyrrhus as he marched towards