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 BC and 600 BC, the Greeks established 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
and they adopted some of their architecture, especially the arch
Republic
- Republic is a form of government 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 were the wealthy landowners who held most of the power
- Plebeians were the common person, but could still vote - usually farmers and merchants
- The Patricians inherited their power and social status and claimed that they had the right to rule due to their ancestry
- They barred the Plebeians 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
Army
- Along with their government, the Romans also took great pride in their military as well
- All men who owned land were required to serve in the army
- Some of the high public office positions required 10 year of military service
Legions
- The Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions
- Legions were made up of 5,000 foot soldiers
- A group of cavalry would support each legion
- The military organization and fighting skill of the Roman army were key factors in Rome's rise to greatness
- Broken up into smaller groups called 'centuries' that were made up of 80 people
Expansion
- By fourth century BC, the Romans dominated central Italy
- They had defeated the Etruscans to the north and the Greek city-states to the south
Treatment
- Latins on the Tiber became full citizens
- In territory farther from Rome, the conquered people were citizens as well but didn't have voting power
- The remaining people became "allies" of Rome
Roman Republic
- Shortly after their victories in the punic wars, the quick and rapid expansion began to hurt the empire
- The land was going to large estate and the small farmers were not making any money and were out of jobs
- One of the reasons leading to a civil war
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