Archaeologists Find Athenian Naval Base

[abaris]

Yes, but Banjo is correct about the mechanism of the change.  Before the 2d Punic War there were relatively few slaves in Italy, south of the Po.  This was Roman dominated territory and the military was drawn in classes based on citizen wealth.  Most were farmers and after planting and before harvest there was always plenty of men who wanted a little adventure and maybe a chance to pick up some loot with the army.

There's also a social element to it. The big landowners simply stole the land of the poor farmers serving in the military while they were away. That had two effects. One, a rising number of people being thrown into poverty and the wealthy class needing more and more cheap labor to toil their fields. It was one of the contributing factor for the rise of slavery.