Editing Appian Way (section)

=== The Samnite Wars ===
[[File:RemainsViaAppia.jpg|thumb|upright|Near Rome]]
Romans had an affinity for the people of [[Campania]], who, like themselves, traced their backgrounds to the [[Etruscans]]. The [[Samnite Wars]] were instigated by the [[Samnites]] when Rome attempted to ally itself with the city of [[Santa Maria Capua Vetere|Capua]] in Campania. The [[Italic languages|Italic]] speakers in [[Latium]] had long ago been subdued and incorporated into the Roman state. They were responsible for changing Rome from a primarily Etruscan to a primarily Italic state.

Dense populations of sovereign Samnites remained in the mountains north of Capua, which is just north of the [[Greece|Greek]] city of [[Naples|Neapolis]]. Around 343 BC, Rome and Capua attempted to form an alliance. The Samnites reacted with military force.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fronda |first=Michael P. |date=2007 |title=Hegemony and Rivalry: The Revolt of Capua Revisited |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20304639 |journal=Phoenix |volume=61 |issue=1/2 |pages=83–108 |jstor=20304639 |issn=0031-8299}}</ref>