Battle of Lautulae The Battle of Lautulae was fought in 315 BC between the Romans ( led by dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus ) and the Samnites within the Second Samnite Wars , and was won by the Samnites . Preceding the Battle . In 315 BC , the Romans elected L . Papirius Cursor and Q . Publilius Philo as their consuls . These were the same consuls that were elected five years earlier to deal with the Caudine Crisis . This same year , L Papirius Cursor went to Apulia to attack the Samnites at Luceria and Q . Publilius Philo went to Campania to attack the Samnites at Saticula . Simultaneously , another Roman force , under Q . Fabius Rullianus , continued to press an attack on Satricum and on the Volscian rebels in the Liris valley . This was a logical progression of the policy of southward expansion ; however later it was revealed , this was a dangerous dispersal of Rome ' s military strength . In Apulia , Papirius Cursor laid siege to Samnite - controlled Luceria , and in the Liris valley Fabius Rullianus recovered Satricum . But , in Campania , something went wrong . It was documented that a Samnite force either defeated or eluded Publilius Philo and began to more toward Latium . Fabius Rullianus was the only commander close enough who could help defend Latium . He chose to cover the inland route while the Samnites came steadily on . When he reached the site of Fregellae , he was faced with the choice of either continuing onto Rome along the Trerus valley or traveling left , whereby splitting the Roman territory . He chose the latter course and this brought him against the forces of Quintus Aulius Cerretanus at Lautulae . During the Battle . The inexperienced Roman levies were no match for the hardy Samnites and were soundly defeated . The only Roman who chose not to flee was Quintus Aulius Cerretanus , who stayed to fight the Samnites and was killed . The Roman territory had been split . The southern portion of Rome was inhabited by citizens who were persuaded or coerced by the Samnites to renounce the allegiance to Rome . The northern half of Rome was inhabited by citizens with full rights . However they were being advanced upon by the Samnites . In the meantime , in Rome , Rullianus and the authorities were trying to protect from the various approaches in the city . They succeeded in doing so , but it weakened the Roman forces in the Liris Valley . There the Samnites stormed across the river and captured Sora . Then , the Samnites thwarted lines of communication between Roman forces within the city and those in Apulia . This is where the Samnite success had reached its peak . Aftermath . Because of the disaster of the previous battle ( Caudine Forks ) and the Battle of Lautulae , the Roman military began to reorganize and rethink their strategy . The Romans had a knack for learning from their enemies , such as the Greeks , Etruscans , and Carthaginians . For example , they learned how to fight with round shields from the Etruscans , and they learned how to manipulate siege craft from the Greeks . What they learned from the Samnites was how to fight in maniples armed with pilums ( javelins ) and scutums ( shields ) , and they later turned this against the Samnites and defeated them . Two differing stories of Latuluae . There are two versions of the battle . A Roman historian , Livy , wrote a main narrative of the Battle of Lautulae . This version is far more favorable to the Roman cause . In this narrative , he recounts that the battle was indecisive and had to be broken off because of the coming of the night . However , Livy recorded a second account where the Romans were defeated and the master of the horse was killed . However , the aftermath of the battle clearly shows that the Samnites inflicted a major defeat upon the Romans . This was shown through the widespread civil unrest and revolts among Rome ' s Volscian , Auruncan , and Campanian allies .