As the title suggests, what is the earliest possible point that the Italian people could be unified under one nation?
Sicily isn't necessary, though it is preferable for Sicily to be included.Question: does this have to include Sicily, or not?
Earliest POD? I mean another user mentioned Rome, which does count in a sense.As the title suggests, what is the earliest possible point that the Italian people could be unified under one nation?
Ostrogothic Kingdom?
Since there are no restrictions...
272 BC, with the surrender of Tarentum.
or alternatively
88 BC, with the end of the Social War and the granting of Roman citizenship to all Italians.
or
42 BC, when Cisalpine Gaul was merged with Roman Italy.
Since the question wasn't when it actually happened, but how much earlier could we make it, perhaps one way to interpret the question is as whether the reforms resulting from the Social War (which I would myself accept as creating a united Italy) could possibly have been implemented earlier. Maybe if the first or second Punic war drags on even longer than historically and the Romans get desperate for more sources of loyal men?