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Rh Placentia were founded, the latter of which did such essential service to Rome in the second Punic war by the resistance which it made to the army of Hasdrubal. A muster-roll was made in this war of the effective military force of the Romans themselves, and of those Italian states that were subject to them. The return showed a force of seven hundred thousand foot, and seventy thousand horse. Polybius, who mentions this muster, remarks ΈΦ ούς Άννίβας έλάττους έχων δισμυρίων, έπέβαλεν τήν Ίταλίαν.

218. Hannibal crosses the Alps and invades Italy.