The Roman conquest of the Hernici, an ancient Italic people, took place during the 4th century BC. For most of the 5th century BC the Roman Republic had been allied with the other Latin states and the Hernici to successfully fend off the Aequi and the Volsci. In the early 4th century BC this alliance fell apart. A war fought between Rome and the Hernici in the years 366 - 358 BC ended in Roman victory and the submission of the Hernici. Rome also defeated a rebellion by some Hernician cities in 307 - 306 BC. The rebellious Hernici were incorporated directly into the Roman Republic while those who had stayed loyal retained their autonomy and nominal independence. In the course of the following century the Hernici became indistinguishable from their Latin and Roman neighbours and disappeared