- The Samnite Wars (343-290 BCE) were a series of three wars over a fifty year period.
- The were conducted by Rome against the Samnites, a tribe occupying the Appenines, for control over central and southern Italy.
The Three Samnite Wars
- First Samnite War (343-341 BCE):
- Rome rescued Capua from a Samnite attack.
- Second Samnite War (326-304 BCE):
- Rome contested control by the Samnites over Central and Southern Italy.
- Third Samnite War (298-290 BCE):
- Rome succeeded in gaining control over Central and Southern Italy.
Battle of the Caudine Forks (321 BCE)
- There was no battle, instead an entire Roman Legion was bottled up in the mountain Pass known as the Caudine Forks and forced to surrender.
Maniple System (315 BCE)
- Up to this date, the Romans had been using the Greek style Hoplite Phalanx System. But the hilly terrain of the Samnites did not favour the Phalanx system, resulting in the capture of an entire Legion in the Pass known as the Caudine Forks.
- In 315 BCE, the Phalanx System was changed to the Samnite Maniple System, to give greater flexibility.
- The War against the Samnites was then recommenced in 316 BCE resulting in victory over the Samnites.
Source
- Livy: ‘Ab urbe condita libri’, a complete history of Rome.
The Caudine Forks