Roman Involvement in Pompeii

Rome entered onto the Pompeiian scene following the end of the Second Samnite War (290 BCE).  The Romans landed their fleet at the mouth of the Sarno and sacked neighboring Salerno (Leppman, 19).  The Romans had to withdraw from the area, however, as the local populace rose up in arms against the Romans (19).

This brief, near encounter with the Romans marked the beginning of Pompeiiís relationship with Rome.  For almost two hundred years, however, the Roman rule of Pompeii was more a "matter of form than substance" (Leppman, 19).  Pompeii lay within an area controlled by Rome, but its inhabitants were virtually independent (21).  In fact, several coalitions were waged against overlords in Pompeii with no interference from the Roman government (21).  Even after the Pompeiians sided with the Carthaginians in 216 BCE, the Roman still allowed Pompeii to maintain its independence (21).

Although Pompeii was virtually independent, its future was already becoming intertwined with that of Rome.  The Roman defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War (218-201) and Romeís triumphant marches into Greece, Asia Minor, and Syria served to open a rich field of economic enterprise for the Pompeiians (Pompeii, 33).  These new trading markets, coupled with Pompeiiís incredible location for trading, transformed Pompeii from a small country town into a flourishing city within only 50 years (34).  Even in the midst of the ups and downs that Pompeii would have to endure, its "privileged economic condition" guaranteed Pompeiiís economic well being right up until its tragic end.

Romeís involvement with Pompeii would change with the advent of the Social War in 90 BCE.  The Pompeiians took up arms against Rome and demanded full citizenship and rights.  Rome responded with full force and Lucius Cornelius Sulla marched upon Pompeii (Leppman, 21).  The intensity of the conflict that ensued is evidenced by the damage wrought in the walls of Pompeii (Pompeii, 33).  By all accounts the Pompeiians fought valiantly and the conflict became a yearlong siege of the city.

In the end, Pompeii was only garrisoned (Leppman, 21).  A colony of Roman veterans was planted in Rome as a punishment for Pompeiiís role in the Social War (Carrington, 1).  Scholars have pointed out, however, that the Pompeiians ended up profiting in the whole ordeal, since Pompeii was quick to take advantage of the Roman destruction of neighboring Stabiae.  This conflict did, however, mark the end of Pompeiiís virtual independence, as Rome became much more active in Pompeii. This shift in power is borne out by the fact that ten years after the Social War, Rome renamed Pompeii Colonia Cornelia Venena Pompeianorum (Pompeii, 350).