ABSTRACT
In the fourth and third centuries BCE, Rome ceased to be one among many city-states within Central Italy and expanded spectacularly its area of direct and indirect domination to include territories with very diverse urban cultures, from the old city-states of Etruria and Latium to the polities of the Apennine uplands. In the aftermath of the First Punic War, the Roman imperium also incorporated territories outside peninsular Italy such as Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. In the last decades, the first two centuries of Roman expansion have been the subject of intense debate in the context of a more general discussion of Roman imperialism. The traditional idea that the Roman expansion brought about the deliberate introduction of a homogenous and well-defined socio-political and cultural model has been vigorously challenged, the result being an almost complete reversal of perspective. Emphasis on local agency and diversity has contributed to a more nuanced and balanced view of Roman expansion, but with the risk of losing sight of more general trends.
