Romulus and Remus
They were twin sons of a princess named Rhea and of the war god, Mars. Other gods and goddesses were out to get their family so Rhea sent them down a river. They were fed by a she-wolf and then a shepherd and his wife adopted them. Later on, they decided they wanted to be kings so they decided to built a city on the shore of Tiber. They both wanted to be the only king so they fought. Romulus picked up a rock, killed his brother, and made himself king. That's how Rome started.
Roman Republic vs US Government
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch - 8 judges who served for a year and were chosen by the
Legal Code
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
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