Mediterranean Trade as a Mechanism of Integration between . Romans and Italians

Abstract

The Romans often used maltreatment of allies for their own political gain: an attack on an ally was an attack on Rome, and had to be answered appropriately. This chapter reviews the motivations for Roman support of Italian allies with regard to overseas trade. Some scholars argue that the sufferings of the Italian merchants were not sufficient to call the Roman Senate into action; Polybius indeed states that Italian demands had long been ignored. The Senate is described as acting on the instigation of the Roman people, rather than that of the Italians. The increasing importance of all allies in Roman economic and foreign policy was conducive to integration in a general sense. Later, the allies became increasingly dissatisfied with the legal position as non-citizens in the Roman state, which eventually led to the demand for citizenship. Keywords:economic policy; foreign policy; Italian allies; Italians; Mediterranean trade; Polybius; Romans