Download The Geography of Rome

ROME,ITALY
GEOGRAPHY

The Geography of Rome is characterized by the
Seven Hills and The Tiber River.

Rome city is situated on the eastern banks of river
Tiber. Rome lies to the west of the Apennine
Mountains. Being close to the Tyrrhenian Sea,
Rome experiences a Mediterranean climate.
Rome is popularly called 'the city of seven hills'.In
ancient Rome each of the seven hills had separate
walled cities.
This river Tiber, 405 km long,has played a
significant role in shaping Rome's history and
culture.
ROME CLIMATE

The climate very broadly is of the
'Mediterranean' variety. The summer
months are warm to mild, and the winters
are cold. The rainfall occurs during the
winter months between October to January.
The summer season lasts from June to
September. Rome’s climate is conducive to
travelling throughout the year.
HISTORY

According to legend, Ancient Rome was founded
by the two brothers, and semi-gods, Romulus and
Remus, on 21 April 753. The legend claims that,
in an argument over who would rule the city (or, in
another version, where the city would be located)
Romulus killed Remus and named the city after
himself. This story of the founding of Rome is the
best known but it is not the only one. Other
legends claim the city was named after a
woman,Roma, who traveled with Aeneas and the
other survivors from Troy after the city fell. Aeneas
of Troy is featured in this legend and also,
famously, in Virgil's Aeneid, as a founder of Rome.
EARLY ROME

Originally a small town on the banks of the Tiber
River, Rome grew in size and strength, early on,
through trade. The location of the city provided
merchants with an easily navigable waterway on
which to traffic their goods. Greek culture
and civilization, which came to Rome via Greek
colonies to the south, provided the early Romans
with a model on which to build their own culture.
From the Greeks they borrowed literacy
and religion as well as the fundamentals of
architecture. The Etruscans, to the north, provided
a model for trade and urban luxury.Etruria was
also well situated for trade.

WAR & EXPANSION
Though Rome owed its
prosperity to trade in the early
years, it was war which would
make the city a powerful force
in the ancient world.As the
Republic of Rome grew in
power and prestige, the city of
Rome began to suffer from the
effects of corruption, greed
and the over-reliance on
foreign slave labor.The
wealthy elite of the city were
called the Patricians and the
working lower class, the
Plebeians.
THE REPUBLIC
Rome found itself divided across class lines. The ruling
class called themselves Optimates (the best men),
while the lower classes, or those who sympathized
with them, were known as the Populares (the
people). In general, the Optimates held with
traditional political and social values which favored
the power of the Senate of Rome and the prestige
and superiority of the ruling class. The Populares
favored reform and democratization of the Roman
Republic.

Marcus Licinius Crassus and his political
rival, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the
Great) joined with another, younger, politician,
Gaius Julius Caesar, to form what modern
historians call the First Triumvirate of Rome.
JULIUS CEASAR

Both Pompey and Caesar were
great generals who, through
their respective conquests,
made Rome wealthy. In 53 BC
Crassus was killed in war.With
Crassus gone, the First
Triumvirate disintegrated and
Pompey and Caesar declared
war on each other. Ceasar
crossed the Rubicon River with
his army in 49 BC and entered
Rome and defeated Pompey.
TOWARDS EMPIRE

Julius Caesar was now the most powerful man in
Rome. He effectively ended the period of the
Republic by having the Senate proclaim him
dictator. His popularity among the people was
enormous and his efforts to create a strong and
stable central government meant increased
prosperity for the city of Rome. He was
assassinated by a group of Roman Senators in 44
BC. The conspirators, Brutus and Cassius among
them, seemed to fear that Caesar was becoming
too powerful and that he might eventually abolish
the Senate.

Octavian, Antony and Lepidus formed the Second
Triumvirate of Rome.
ROMAN EMPIRE
ROMAN -SIGHTS

COLOSSEUM

ROMAN & IMPERIAL FORUMS

ST.PETER’S BASILICA

TREVI FOUNTAIN

THE PANTHEON

SPANISH STEPS

CASTEL SANT’ ANGELO

PIAZZA NAVONA
COLOSSEUM

The Colosseum (built 70
AD - 80 AD) is an
elliptical amphitheatre
and the largest ever built
in the Roman
Empire.With a seating
capacity estimated at
50,000 to 70,000, the
Colosseum was used for
gladiatorial contests and
public spectacles.
Today, the Colosseum is
the symbol of Rome
worldwide.
ROMAN & IMPERIAL
FORUMS

Located between the
Coloseum & Vittorio
Emanuele II
monument in Piazza
Venezia, the forums
were the heart of the
late Roman Republic
and of the Roman
Empire.The Roman
Forum was the central
area around which
ancient Rome
developed.
ST.PETER’S BASILICA

Saint Peter's Basilica is
the largest building in
Christendom and is one
of the holiest sites of
Christianity in the
Catholic tradition. It is
190m long, the aisles are
58m wide,the dome is
about 136m high as far
as the cross. It can host
20,000. Directly to the
east of the church is the
impressive St Peter's
Square (Papal blessings
take place every Sunday
at noon, except in
summer).
TREVI FOUNTAIN

The Trevi Fountain, is
the largest of the
Baroque fountains of
Rome — standing
25.9m high and 19.8m
wide. The fountain
was designed by
Nicola Salvi, and
finished by Giuseppe
Pannini, following
Salvi's death in 1751.A
traditional legend holds
that if visitors throw a
coin into the fountain,
they are ensured a
return to Rome.
THE PANTHEON

The Pantheon, was
built by the Romans in
125 AD as a pagan
temple. It is the bestpreserved and most
beautifully
proportioned of
Rome’s ancient
monuments.

Among those buried at
The Pantheon are the
painters Raphael and
Annibale Caracci, and
the architect
Baldassare Peruzzi.
SPANISH STEPS

The Spanish Steps
(aka: Scalinata della
Trinitΰ dei Monti) is a
monumental stairway
of 138 steps on a
steep slope. Note: You
are not allowed to
consume food on the
steps!

Also in Piazza di
Spagna, is the house
where the English poet
John Keats lived and
died in 1821.
THANK
YOU
Nick Serdaridis, Class B4