. The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools . n in the West against the forces which seemed aboutto overwhelm it. The training and experiences of the Roman armies easilygave them the victory over the southern Italians. In returnfor her aid Rome demanded that the Greek cities receiveRoman garrisons, and come under her protection as Croton, Rhegium, and Thurii accepted these condi-tions, but the great city of Tarentum did not wish to giveup its independence. Under its leadership, an alliance wasformed among the Greek cities against Rome, and Pyrrhusof Epirus,
. The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools . n in the West against the forces which seemed aboutto overwhelm it. The training and experiences of the Roman armies easilygave them the victory over the southern Italians. In returnfor her aid Rome demanded that the Greek cities receiveRoman garrisons, and come under her protection as Croton, Rhegium, and Thurii accepted these condi-tions, but the great city of Tarentum did not wish to giveup its independence. Under its leadership, an alliance wasformed among the Greek cities against Rome, and Pyrrhusof Epirus, a general who had had admirable training in mili-tary science in the continuous warfare among Alexanderssuccessors, was summoned to command the4 forces. 350. The War with Tarentum, 281 272 B. C—When hecame over from Epirus with his well-seasoned army and his THE SPREAD OF THE POWER OF ROME 277 twenty war elephants, Pyrrhus had other designs than thatof merely repelling the advance of Rome. He wished to doin the West what Alexander had done in the East, to unite. Italy at the Time of the Samnite Wars and the War With Pyrrhus. the Greeks and form an Hellenic empire. The empire heplanned to conquer was to include Lower Italy, Sicily, andthe territory of Carthage in northern Africa. He found the task of beating the Romans a far harder 278 THE sroKY OF ROME one than he had anticipated. His superior generalship, histrained soldiers, and his war elephants enabled him to defeatthom on the field oi battle as at Heraclea in 280 , andat Ast/uhim in 279 , when the Romans fought des-perately but vainly against the solid mass of the Mace-donian phalanx. Their horses as well as their soldiers wereterrified by the sight oi the war elephants, which they hadaever soon before. The stubborn bravery of the Romans,despite their defeat, is said to have excited the admirationof Pyrrhus himself. The story is told that he exclaimed,With such soldiers I would become mast or oi the world! Follow
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