Pax Romana
A brief history of modern Italy's failed African adventure.
Above, representatives from Italy's African colonies were brought to the Italian city of Santa Marinella to meet with Hitler during a state visit.
To the ancient Romans, the Mediterranean was mare nostrum, "our sea" -- a claim that not only pertained to its waters, but to much of the territory that bordered it. At its height, the Roman Empire spanned from Britain to Mesopotamia. But when the modern state was eventually founded in 1861 -- bringing together a number of independent monarchies and city-states on the Italian peninsula -- Italy was a shadow of its former self, more a collection of duchies and principalities than anything resembling a modern nation.
Eclipsed by more powerful, more established European neighbors, Italy came late to the colonialism game and was, to put it rather bluntly, left to pick up the scraps -- the yet-uncolonized areas of Africa, including the places now known as Libya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
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