Between Rome and Carthage Southern Italy during the Second Punic War

Hannibal invaded Italy with the hope of raising widespread rebellions among Rome's subordinate allies. Yet even after crushing the Roman army at Cannae, he was only partially successful. Why did some communities decide to side with Carthage and others to side with Rome? This is the fundamental question posed in this book, and consideration is given to the particular political, diplomatic, military and economic factors that influenced individual communities' decisions. Understanding their motivations reveals much, not just about the war itself, but also about Rome's relations with Italy during the prior two centuries of aggressive expansion. The book sheds new light on Roman imperialism in Italy, the nature of Roman hegemony, and the transformation of Roman Italy in the period leading up to the Social War. It is informed throughout by contemporary political science theory and archaeological evidence, and will be required reading for all historians of the Roman Republic.

1. Introduction; 2. Apulia; 3. Campania; 4. Bruttium and Western Magna Graecia; 5. Southern Lucania and Eastern Magna Graecia; 6. The Roman re-conquest of Southern Italy; 7. Conclusions; Appendix A. The war in Samnium, 217–209; Appendix B. Chronology of events in Bruttium, 215; Appendix C. Chronology of events from the defection of Taras through the defection of Thurii, 213–212; Appendix D. Defection of the Southern Lucanians, 212.

Michael P. Fronda is Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies, McGill University. He has published a number of articles on topics in ancient history and has contributed to D. Hoyos (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Punic Wars.