Download The Origins of Rome

The Origins of
Rome
Italy
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Peninsula
Shaped like a boot
Heel points towards Greece
Toe points towards the island of
Sicily
Mountains of Italy
• Alps to the north
• Apennines – down center of Italy
Italian Terrain
• similar to that of Greece
• Apennines not as rugged as mountains in
Greece
• Settlers in Italy were not split into small
isolated groups (like Greece)
• Italy had better farmland than Greece .
• Mountains slopes leveled off to large
plains - ideal for growing crops
• Italy the capacity to grow more food/feed
more people
First People to Enter Italy
• People trickled over the Alps
sometime between 1500 and 1000
B.C.
• Attracted to the rich soil and good
climate
• First settlers to plains of Italy were
the Latins (spoke Latin)
• Built Rome on the plain of Latium in
central Italy
Tiber River
• Rome is found 15 miles up the Tiber
River
• A source of water / way to get to the
Mediterranean Sea
• Far enough from the sea to escape
raids from pirates and other enemies
of Rome
Seven Hills
• Rome was built on seven hills
• easier to defend the city against attack
• hills very steep and attackers would find it difficult to
mount a credible attack
• Aventinus (Aventine)
• Caelius (Caelian)
• Capitolium (Capitoline)
• Esquiliae (Esquiline)
• Palantium (Palantine)
• Quirinalis (Quirinal)
• Viminalis (Viminal)
Legends of Rome
Part One
• Traditional story of twin brothers - Romulus
and Remus - founded Rome
• Abandoned as babies near the Tiber River
• Rescued by a wolf
• Raised by a shepherd
• Brothers quarreled over a wall and Romulus
killed Remus
• Romulus - the first king of Rome (which he
named for himself)
The Aeneid/Another legend
• Epic by Roman poet Virgil
• Story of Trojan hero Aeneas
• About his adventures after the Trojan
War
• He lands at mouth of Tiber River
• Warfare and marriage to King’s
daughter, united Trojans and Latins
• Called “Father of the Romans”
The Real Story..
• Historians are not sure how Rome began
• The Latins lived in the area where eventually
was
• Banded together for protection
• the community became known as Rome.
Greek Colonies
• Many Greeks lived in southern Italy and
Sicily between 750 and 550 B.C.
(colonies)
Greeks taught Romans:
• How to grow olives and grapes
• Adopted Greek alphabet
• Modeled Greek architecture, sculpture
and literature
Etruscans
• North of Rome was Etruria
• This region was inhabited by the
Etruscans
• After 650 B.C. they moved south and
took control of Rome and most of
Latium
Etruscans change Rome
• Taught Romans to wear Togas
• Etruscan army served as a model for the
Roman army (great pride in military)
• Skilled metal workers/slaves did heavy work
• Changed Rome from village to a city