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 1,000 BC 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. 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 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, espcially 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: the wealthy landowners who held most of the power.
-Plebeians: 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 from their own assembly and elect their own representative to protected their rights from the Patrician officials, they called this their tribunes.
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