Roman geography
- rome was built on 7 rolling hills around the tiber river near the center of italian peninsula
- midway point of alpas and italy southern tip
First romans
- 100o to 500 bc 3 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. cluster of wooden huts on top of one of the seven hills
Greek influence
- the greeks established colonies along the southern part of Italy and Sicily
- cities became very prosperous and commercially active
- they brought all of Italy, including Rome, into closer contact with greek civilization
Etruscans
- native to northern Italy
- skilled metal workers and engineers
- very influential in the development of Roman civilization
- Romans adopted their alphabet
- adopted some of their architecture, especially the arch
Republic- 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
- 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 farmers and merchants
- Patricians inherited their power and social status and claimed that they had the right to rule die to their ancestry
- barred the pleveians from holding high offices in the government
- leaders of Rome allowed the plebeians to form their own assebly adn elect their own representative to protect their rights form the patrician officials, they called this their tribunes
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