Roman Geography
- rome was built on 7 rolling hills around the tiber river near the center of the Italian peninsula
- it is the midway point between the Alps and Italy's southern tip.
First romans
- from 1000 to 500 BC three groups inhabited the region and fought for control of it
- they were the latins greeks and Etruscans
- the latins built the original settlement at Rome. it was a cluster of wooden huts on top of one of the seven hills
Greek influence
- Between 750 and 600 BC the Greeks wstablished colonies along the southern part of Italy and Sicily
- the cities became very prosperous and commercially active
- they brought all of italy including rome into closer contact with greek civilization
Etruscans
- they were native to northern italy
- they were skilled metal workers and engineers
- they were very influential in the development of Roman civilization
- Romans adopted their alphabet
- also they adopted some of their architecture especially the arch
Republic- is a form of gov. in which the power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders
- In rome citizenship with voting rights was granted only to free born adult male landowners
Patricians and Plebeians
- In the early republic different groups of Romans struggled for power
Patricians- The wealthy landowners who held most of the power
Plebeians- the common person but could still vote usually famers and merchants
- Patricians inherited their power and social status and claimed that they had the right to rule due to their ancestry
- they barred the Plebeian from holding high offices in the government
In time the leaders of rome allowed the Plebeians to form their own assembly and elect their own representative to protect their rights from the Partician officials they called this their Tribunes.
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