Rome's Third Samnite War, 298–290 BC

A compelling account of alliances, animosities, and ancient warfare in central Italy. The Third Samnite War was a crucial episode in the early history of Rome. Upon its outcome rested mastery of central Italy, and the independent survival of both Rome and the Samnites. Determined to resist aggressive Roman expansion, the Samnites forged a powerful alliance with the Senones (a tribe of Italian Gauls), Etruscans, and Umbrians. The result was eight years of hard campaigning, brutal sieges, and bitt