Rise of the Samnites, or Rise of the Umbri

I've been reading a lot about the Osco-Umbrian languages of late, and I was wondering what kind of a PoD you guys think we would need to bring either the Samnites or the Umbrians to the top of the Italian political game rather than the Latins?


From what I've read about the two groups, neither of them seemed to be all that into the urban lifestyle at the time, and that may have been the edge that the Latins/Etruscans had. How might we change that?
 
Samnium, yes, Umbria no.

The Samnites could have won the Samnite Wars with a bit more luck and so could have attained hegemony instead of Rome. Umbria simply wasn't in the same league, literally or figuratively. I think that organisation was more of an issue than urbanism.

E.T. Salmon, Samnium and the Samnites.
Guy Bradley, Ancient Umbria.

Both are good books though Salmon is older. I actually reviewed Bradley years ago when I was a Ph.D. student.

I've been reading a lot about the Osco-Umbrian languages of late, and I was wondering what kind of a PoD you guys think we would need to bring either the Samnites or the Umbrians to the top of the Italian political game rather than the Latins?


From what I've read about the two groups, neither of them seemed to be all that into the urban lifestyle at the time, and that may have been the edge that the Latins/Etruscans had. How might we change that?
 
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