Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/185

The Western Mediterranean World 125 interruptions for a generation. The Romans lost several battles, but finally crushed the Samnites (295 B.C.) in a fierce battle at Sentinum. This victory not only gave the Romans possession of central Italy, but it made them the leading power in the whole peninsula. 194. Rome Mistress of Central and Northern Italy. The Etruscans were unable to longer maintain themselves as a leading power. One by one their cities were taken by the Romans, or they entered into alliance with Rome. The intruding Gallic barbarians were beaten off, though the Gauls who had settled in the north of the Italian peninsula continued to hold the Po valley. The northern boundary of the Roman conquests was therefore along the Arnus River, south of the Apennines. The Romans were already supreme from the Arnus to the Greek cities of southern Italy. 195. The War with Pyrrhus (280-275 B.C.) and Fall of the Greeks in Italy. The remaining three great rivals in the western Mediterranean world were now the Romans, the Greek colonists, and the Carthaginians. Alarmed at the threatening expansion of Roman power the Greek colonies endeavored to unite, and sent an appeal for help to Pyrrhus, the vigorous and able king of Epirus, just across from Italy. Leading a powerful army, Pyrrhus was a highly dangerous foe. His purpose was to form a great nation of the western Greeks in Sicily and Italy. He completely defeated the Romans in two battles. But the Greeks disagreed among themselves, as they always did at critical times. Pyrrhus, thus poorly supported, found himself unable to inflict a decisive defeat on the Romans and returned before long to Epirus. One by one the helpless Greek cities of Italy then surrendered to the Roman army, for they had no choice but to accept alliance with the Romans. Thus ended all hope of a great Greek nation in the West. This long period of conquest and expansion extended over about two centuries and a quarter (500-275 B.C.). Thenceforward there were but two rivals in the western Mediterranean world Rome and Carthage.