From City-State to Mediterranean Power

This lesson explains how Rome moved from a small city-state in central Italy to the dominant power of the western Mediterranean. It focuses on the institutions, military practices, alliances, and strategic choices that made Roman expansion durable.

We will cover Rome’s early position in Latium, its conflicts with neighboring peoples, the creation of the Roman alliance system, and the Punic Wars against Carthage. The goal is to understand expansion as a practical political process, not simply a story of battlefield victories.