To the Conquest of the World—East and West

SINCE the Second Punic War the relative insolation in which the two basins of the Mediterranean had lived for centuries was broken down. Spain, Africa, and Southern Gaul in the west, and Macedonia, the Greek States, and the Seleucid and Lagid kingdoms in the east, were henceforth caught in one current of political life, which became increasingly focussed about unified Italy. As a result of this new situation Roman conquest during the first half of the second century B.C. advanced simultaneously on the eastern and western fronts, but the two phases of its progress were not strictly parallel nor equally important. Down to 150 B.C. the eastern front occupied the foremost place and formed the centre of gravity of Roman policy. Only with the beginning of the Third Punic War and for some fifteen years thereafter did the western front take its place. And, secondly, the eastern front, being the most important, determined the general scheme of the development, events on the western front merely keeping step with its rhythm. The following table of synchronisms will illustrate this essential point:

East	West
200-197. Second Macedonian War.
	197-191. Roman offensive in Gallia Cisalpina.
	195-192. War in Spain.
191-188. Wars against Antiochus, the Ætolians, and the Gala- tians.
	185-173. Campaigns against the Ligures.
	187-179. War in Spain.
	178-177. War in Istria.
	177-176. War in Sardinia.
	174-173. War in Corsica.
171-167. Third Macedonian War.
	166-154. End of the Ligurian War.
	156-155. War in Dalmatia.
	154 and following years. End of the war in Spain.
149-148. Andriscos' revolt in Mace- donia.	150-146. Third Punic War. De- struction of Carthage.
147-146. Achaean War. Sack of Corinth.