Tuesday, October 2nd

[4thJacob]

Rome

-Rome was built on 7 hills around the Tiber river, near the center of the Italian peninsula-midway point between Alps and Italy's southern tip

-From 1000-500 BC, 3 groups inhabited this region and fought for control: Latins, Greeks, and Etruscans
-Latins built original settlement of Rome--cluster of wooden huts on top of one of the hills

-Between 750-600 BC, Greeks established colonies along the southern part of Italy/Sicily
-the cities prospered and became commercially active-brought all of Italy into closer contact with Greek civilization

Etruscans
-native to Northern Italy
-skilled metal workers and engineers
-very influential in dev of Roman civilization
-also adopted some of their architecture, including the arch

-republic= gov't where power rests with people who vote for leaders
-In Rome, citizenship and voting rights were granted only to free-born adult male landowners

Patricians- wealthy landowners who held most of the power
Plebeians- common man, could still vote--usually farmers and merchants

-Patricians inherited power and social status, claimed they had the right to rule because of ancestry
-didn't allow Plebeians to hold power in gov't offices
-In time, Plebeians were allowed to have an assembly and elect their own representative to protect their rights from the Patricians officials--called tribunes