How did the geography of Rome help in its earliest establishment?

 Romulus and Remus were:  semi-divine, born of Mars and a woman,  threatened as babies  placed in basket on river  rescued by a she wolf  raised by a shepherd,  built city on land of rescue  Romulus jumped a wall on Palatine hill and killed Remus with a brick,  Romulus named the city after himself, Rome.

 Another story is The Aeneid, by Virgil,featuring Aeneas, (a-KNEE-us) a survivor of Troy in the myth, The Illiad,  Aeneas built the city and his sons were Romulus and Remus  The historical truth: seven villages of Latins which were separated by swamp, were attacked by the Sabines and the Etruscans, then unified

 Responsible for beginning Rome’s development  Established the 100 patres, founding the patrician class and senate  Made Capitoline Hill an asylum for fugitives w/o women

 Leader of the Sabines lived at same time as Romulus  Enlarged the city  Started several religious cults  Borrowing from conquered cultures

 Founded religious temples and offices  Vestal Virgins  Pontifus maximus, chief priest of Rome  (one leader for government and religion)  Possibly a Sabine leader as well

 Established Rome’s Senate house the Curia Hostilia  Senate ideas from Greece  Conquered Alba Longa a city founded by Aeneas’ son  Vicious warrior, word hostile traced back to how he treated people

 Enlarged Rome’s territorial control by capturing Etruscan land to the North  (Roman expansion)  Captured port of Ostia

 Also known as Tarquin the Elder, came to Rome from Etruria, bringing Etruscan customs, culture and builders w/ them  (Think of the “Roman sponge”)  Built earliest public works, temples on Capitoline hill, a public sewer, fought wars with neighboring cities  Arrogant made enemies of the royal clans

 A slave in the Tarquin household, became king when a Tarquin was murdered  Remembered as mild and kind, instituted the census and the assembly  Built a wall around Rome still called the Servian wall

 Known as Tarquin the Proud.  Led to a rebellion against the Tarquins led by Brutus.  Brutus became one of 1 st consuls; he killed his own sons for trying to returns the Tarquins to Power

 The Senate was made up of 300 upper-class men called patricians and common citizens called plebeians  Only patricians could hold office, led by 2 consuls.  The senate advised consuls who then ruled, consuls had veto power which means “I forbid.”

 Dictators could be appointed in an emergency, most famous Cincinnatus who left plowing his fields to lead the army and returned to his mule in one day.  Longest rule by a dictator was Sulla who ruled and took the power away from the Senate and Patricians for two years.  The last Dictator was Julius Caesar.