The Roman Republic’s opinions on their early foes

    by jackt-up

    8 Comments

    1. 1. The Samnites

      2. Pyrrhus of Epirus

      3. Hannibal Barca

      Gauls not included because they never existed, citizen.

    2. Antioch “the Great” was such a dumbass for not listening Hannibal and giving him pathetic Syrian fleet instead of actually letting him fight romans. Seleucids lost 2 battles and immediately turned into failed state, what a joke

    3. CosechaCrecido on

      Both Pyrrhus and Hannibal left deep fears in Roman society that inspired their necessity to ‘pacify’ the Hellenes and the complete destruction of Carthage.

      The Samnites though? Yeah better dead than to acknowledge them as equals was a standard practice until the social wars nearly erased all of their initial conquests.

    4. Apologise i thought the Romans respected pyrrhus because he treated his roman prisoners well and beat them in some battles.

    5. Wouldn’t the Pyrrhus quote be “A couple more wins and we’ll still have kicked your ass”?

    6. NeedsToShutUp on

      Ok the thing about Hannibal is not only was he a bogeyman,

      But there’s also a political bent to the whole thing. Scipio Africanus was of the family Cornelia, a long and proud house who existed for centuries after Scipio Africanus, being part of the Senator Class and having numerous consuls.

      So if Hannibal was the great terror, an amazing enemy that was to be feared and respected, then whomever beat him had to be even more amazing?

      So Scipio Africanus and his family had a serious interest in ensuring the Legend of Hannibal was spread wide and far, because it gave them political legitimacy. Especially when seeking support of the masses.

      Scipio’s grandsons, after all, were the Gracchi Brothers. But while they were killed, the people who gained power in the aftermath were more distant members of the family who could now more easily trade on the family name.

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