Source edition
Appianus. Appiani Historia romana, Volume 1. Mendelssohn, Ludwig, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1879.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a historical narrative depicting the fierce wars Rome fought against the Samnites, neighboring peoples, and King Pyrrhus of Epirus during its rise to hegemony over the Italian peninsula. The narrative begins with internal conflicts, including a mutiny among Roman soldiers stationed in Capua and the filial anecdote of Torquatus. The focus then shifts to the Samnite War, where the Roman army, trapped in the Caudine Forks, is forced by the enemy general Pontius to undergo the humiliating ordeal of passing under the yoke, plunging Rome into deep despair. As the conflict expands to southern Italy, hostilities break out with Tarentum over an insult to Roman envoys, leading the Tarentines to summon the formidable King Pyrrhus. Although Pyrrhus achieves military victories and attempts to negotiate peace, the Roman Senate resolutely rejects his terms and chooses to fight on. Ultimately, after a failed expedition to Sicily and receiving divine punishment for plundering a temple, Pyrrhus meets a tragic end, concluding this chronicle of Rome's arduous struggle for survival and dominance.