ABSTRACT
With the successful war against Pyrrhos of Epeiros the Romans emerged from the position of a purely Italian power and began rapidly to find themselves playing a part in the greater affairs, at first of the western Mediterranean, then of the whole basin. Rome ceased to be Latin in mind, in religion, and in tastes, and became more obviously part of the Hellenistic world. The quantitative metres were fitted to Latin by introducing as great an accentual element as possible without becoming too monotonous. Livius won public recognition as a professional poet, and this showed itself in a manner characteristically Roman. Twice during his lifetime the Romans had need of a solemn hymn to be sung to win back the favour of the gods. Dionysios of Halikarnassos declares that the fourth king of Rome, Ancus Marcius, collected the laws of Numa, particularly those relating to religious matters, and posted them up, written on oak tablets, for all to see.
