Punic Wars > Rome
Rome
Background
Prior to the onset of the Punic Wars the city of Rome was the leading city-state on Italy. It was the capital of the Roman Republic which was an expansionist and wealthy republic that commanded a massive citizen army known as the legions.
Over the course of the development of Rome it came into contact with its neighbors elsewhere in Europe and on the island of Sicily. Prior to the Punic Wars the Roman Republic engaged in the Latin War as well as the Samnite Wars as well as the Pyrrhic War. At this point the Romans had secured power on the entire Italian peninsula except the Po Valley and Gallia Cisalpina.
