Early Roman Republic, Roman Conquest of Italy (505-264 BC), Samnite and Latin Wars: Third Samnite War (298-290 BC)

The Samnites decided that they should seek allies in order to strengthen their position against Rome. Their first attempts were unsuccessful. The Picenes, when approached, chose to align themselves with Rome (strengthening her position in Central Italy); and when the Lucanians (instep) rejected the offer of alliance, the Samnites invaded their land in an attempt to bring them over by force. To the north, however, Rome’s military campaigns against Etruscans and Umbrians had made them logical allies for the Samnites. This new anti-Roman alliance, now that the Romans had become the greater threat to their independence, persuaded the previously much-feared Gauls of the Po Valley to join them.

In 298 BC Rome called for the Samnites to withdraw from Lucania, and when they refused Rome declared war on Samnium. The consul ⁰⁶Cornelius Scipio Barbatus (fl.298-c.280 BC) went north to take command of the army in Etruria, while his colleague Gnaeus ⁰³Fulvius Maximus Centumalus (c.80; fl.302-c.260 BC) went south to fight the Samnites.

The Etruscans attacked near Volterra. A day-long battle brought no victory but during the night the Etruscans withdrew to their fortified cities leaving their camp and equipment to the Romans. Encamping his army at the Etrurian border Barbatus led a lightly armed force in the devastation of the countryside. His epitaph claims that he also captured Taurasia and Cisauna in Samnium and subdued Lucania.

In 297 BC Rome sent two armies against Samnium led by the consuls Fabius Rullianus and ⁰²Decius Mus. Hoping to defeat each army separately the Samnite general Statius Gellius set an ambush in a valley near Tifernum. Rullianus discovered the trap and waited outside the valley. Statius, fearing the arrival of the other army if he delayed, came out of the valley to fight a conventional battle, line-to-line. The Samnites were getting the upper hand when a small force led by the legate Barbatus sent on a flanking march before the battle had begun, suddenly appeared to the Samnite rear. Believing that this heralded the arrival of the army of Decius Mus, the Samnite morale collapsed and they fled the battle. The badly shaken Romans were in no shape to pursue and so the Samnites were able to continue the war.

In 296 BC Samnites led by ⁰¹Egnatius (fl.298-295 BC) raided the ager Falernus but were driven back by the consul Volumnius (c.67; fl.c.307-c.273 BC). Coastal colonies, manned by Roman citizens (usually three hundred, exempted from service in the army but forbidden to leave their colonies) were planted at Minturnae and Sinuessa to guard the Appian Way.

In 295 BC the Romans sent their full army to Umbria to prevent the Samnites joining forces with the Gauls. They were too late and their advance guard under the legate Barbatus was defeated near Camerinum. ‘A few days later’ the Romans confronted a combined army of Samnites and Senonian Gauls near Sentinum: Fabius (5) faced the Samnites; ⁰²Decius Mus opposed the Gauls. Decius’ line buckled under an attack by the Gauls’ chariots. With his army collapsing it is said that like his father at the Battle of Vesuvius, Decius rode into the Gallic horde and died committing the act of devotio (offering one’s life for victory). This was enough to rally his men, and Fabius having driven off the Samnites on his half of the battlefield he was able to commit part of his force to attack the flank of the Gauls. The Samnite and Gaul losses are given as 25,000 killed, including Egnatius, and 8000 captured. 

In 294 BC the Romans granted forty years of peace to Volsinii, Arretium and Perusia. The Samnites, however, defeated the consul ⁰⁵Postumius Megellus near Luceria. The next year the consul Carvilius Maximus (fl.299-272 BC) captured Amiternum, the home of the Sabines, while his colleague ⁰⁴Papirius Cursor (fl.293-272 BC) won a great victory over the Samnites at Aquilonia on the Apulian frontier.

In 292 BC a truce was agreed with rebellious Falerii. In the next year the consul Postumius (5) stormed Venusia, which controlled the main route from Campania to Apulia, and settled a large Latin colony there. Peace with Samnites was established in 290 BC. Samnites again became the allies of the Romans and henceforth the upper and middle Volturnus replaced the Liris as the border between Rome and Samnium. In the same year the consul ⁰¹Curius Dentatus (fl.298-270 BC) marched through the territory of the still independent Sabines. The whole population was granted civitas sine suffragio, and soon afterwards received full franchise. Some of the land of the Praetuttii, eastern neighbours of Sabines, was annexed in order to extend Roman territory across Central Italy to the Adriatic. A Latin colony was established in Picenum at Hadria to guard the coast road along the Adriatic.