The Founding of Rome

 ID TERMS : REPUBLIC, LEGION, ARCH, AQUADUCT  Explain how the geographic features of an area impacted the founding of Rome.  Analyze the perspective of a member of a community conquered by Rome.  Discuss the policies Rome put in place to make sure the conquered people remained peaceful.

 Italy is centrally located in Europe.  People can easily travel to it from Africa, Asia and Europe.  Italy is rugged, but the mountain passes linked the area together.  Italy also has a mild climate and fertile farmland.

 The Romans settled on the Italian Peninsula.  Italy looks like a boot.  The heel points to Greece, the toe points to Sicily and the top, the Alps are like the boot’s shoelace.  Volcanoes are also found on the boot.  Rome was founded about 15 miles upriver (Tiber) from the Mediterranean Sea.  Rome’s location made it safe from pirates and its seven hills made it easy to defend against enemies.

 There are many legends about the founding of Rome.  The Aeneid is a legend about a Trojan prince, Aeneas and his travels which eventually lead him to found Rome.  Another legend tells about the twins, Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf.  They fight and Romulus wins. That’s why the city is called Rome and not Rem.

 Groups move into the area of LATIUM and they are going to impact the Romans living there.  The Greeks settled in farms and eventually passed on Greek things to the Romans like grape farming, building styles and the alphabet.  The Etruscans eventually conquered Rome and influenced their clothing styles, art and even the future Roman Army.

 The Romans benefited from Etruscan rule, but the Romans grew wary of their rule.  The Romans overthrew the last Etruscan king and established a REPUBLIC (form of government where the people elect their leaders)  Rome then set about to control the surrounding countryside.  For 200 years, Rome fought many wars against her neighbors.

 The Romans developed new battle strategies.  They created the system of organizing troops into LEGIONS.  LEGIONS were mobile and they could move quickly along the battlefield.  Roman soldiers were well armed. They carried a sword called the Gladius and a spear called a Pilum

 The Romans ruled effectively.  After they conquered a region, they built permanent military outposts to protect it.  The Romans also treated the conquered people fairly.  If you treat people well, they would be loyal.  Eventually, the conquered people could become citizens and be able to fully participate in the Roman Republic.  Others became allies of Rome, which meant they paid taxes and supplied troops to Rome. Allies were free to manage their local affairs.