- Rome placed loyal, Latin speaking citizens and colonies in strategic areas throughout Italy to promote a Roman way of living and thinking.

- Rome's rapid expansion brought it almost immediately into conflict with non-Italian powers.

- In the south, the main opponent was Carthage. In violation of the treaty of 306, which had placed Sicily under Carthaginian rule, Rome crossed the straits of Messana (between Italy and Sicily) embarking on war.

- Rome's wars with Carthage are known as the "Punic Wars"; the Romans called the Carthaginians Poeni [Phoenicians], from which derived the adjective "Punic."

- Polybius, who wrote his history in order to explain to other Greeks the reasons for Roman success, believed that after their victory over Hannibal the Romans conceived the aim of dominating all