Rome: The Beginning

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Rome The Beginning

• SS.A.2.4.5 SS.B.2.4.1-5

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Italy The Roman World
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Italian Geography

• Apennine mountains form a ridge from north to
  south, forming spine of Italy
• Fertile farm lands in Po River Valley, Campania,
  and Plain of Latium
• Italy is a peninsula Adriatic Sea (east), Ionian
  Sea (southeast), Mediterranean Sea (southwest),
  Tyrrhenian Sea (west)
• Alps Mountains to the north (highest range in
  Europe)

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Impact Of Geography On Rome

• Italy vs. Greece Apennines not as tall as Greek
  mountains, did not isolate communities and
  farming much better in Italy than in Greece.
• Latiumperfect place for a city
• Rome located 18 miles inland, on the Tiber River
  (easy access to seatrade inlandprotected from
  pirates)
• Rome built on 7 hillseasy to protect
• Italys position at center of Med. Sea, makes it
  important crossroads for trade, easy to build
  empire around Mediterranean Sea

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Apennine Mountains
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Peoples of Italy

• 1500-1000 B.C. Groups of Indo-European peoples
  move into Italy from north, east
• Three main groups of Indo-Europeans
• Latins
• Etruscans
• Greeks

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The Latins

• Arrived in Italy from the northeast (1500)
• Farmers and herders
• Settled atop the seven hills around the Tiber
  River in central Italy
• LanguageLatin (Indo-European)
• Eventually call themselves Romans, after the city
  they create on the Tiber River

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The Etruscans

• Indo-European people who settle north of the
  Plain of Latium (north of Rome)
• Most influenced the Romans by conquering the
  Latins
• Etruscans change Rome from small town to big city
  through large building projects
• Things Romans take from Etruscans dress (toga,
  short cloak) and military structure

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Etruscan Art
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The Greeks

• Between 750-550 B.C. many Greeks left their
  homelands, and came to colonize Italy for its
  fertile farmlands (growing olives and grapes)
• Originally settling on the island of Sicily,
  these Greeks slowly moved up the coasts of the
  Italian mainland
• Greek contributions alphabet, religion, artistic
  and cultural models through their architecture,
  sculpture and literature

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Greek to Latin Alphabet