Cataclysm 90 BC: The Forgotten War that Almost Destroyed Rome

by Philip Matyszak

All going well, in March 90 BC the Italian assault would come as a bolt from the blue and Rome would be on the ropes before the state even realized it was in danger. And if a sudden Italian attack immediately dropped Rome into deep military trouble, then it would be politically easier for Italian diplomats to peel away Rome’s allies by the same judicious mixture of bribes and threats that Rome usually used to keep them in line in the first place. So the last thing the Italians wanted was to declare war late in the campaigning season. That would cost them the advantage of surprise without any benefit to compensate. If hostilities broke out right after the death of Drusus and late in the year, then the Italians would have at best a month in which to campaign before the harvest was safely behind Roman city walls and out of the reach of foragers.