o become an army for the protection of Rome and the conquering of new territory. Eventually, The 2 consuls’ decisions became useful. Rome started to wage wars with its neighbors, the Aequi, Volsci, Celts, and Samnites. For 250 years, the Romans were almost at war constantly. The Romans either made alliances with their neighbor’s or they conquered them. By 280 B.C., All of Italy was under Rome’s control. The Romans were careful not to oppress the rest or Italy for Rome new that they were vital in defending Rome from invaders. Most of the peoples joined the military because they were offered special rights as military citizens. The tribes and cities that were farther away from Rome were allowed protection from Rome's army and their government. Rome's sent ex-soldiers to areas in Italy that Rome thought may have trouble, and eventually they became a town over time. This was very smart in Rome's behalf because a Greek King named Pyrrhus brought a huge army to Rome thinking that he could win a vast and great empire easily. But he was wrong because the Romans pushed him back to Greece and the southern cities of Italy allied with Rome. Later, Hannibal wanted control of Sicily, so he fought Rome for it. He crossed the Alps with War Elephants and began fighting Rome. He was defeated, and Rome gained control of Sicily. Hannibal reeked havoc on Rome for 13 years, and even though Rome lost 1 battle, they remained fighting in other areas like Spain, Italy, Africa and Sicily. Eventually, Carthage, Rome's ‘rival’, was broken down and under Roman control. A little while later, Rome was yet again at war, and now with Greece. Macedonia and Syria had powerful rulers who joined powers to attack Greece and Egypt. They defeated both the kings, but this drove Rome to make Greece and Egypt into provinces. In 133 B.C., Rome controlled all of the Mediterranean and Carthage was destroyed completely due to a new rebelling. From 133 to...
