The Growth of Rome From a humble settlement to a world power.

The site of the city Rome was built on a strategic location The river Tiber provided easy access to the sea The seven hills provided natural defenses The fertile soil could support a substantial population The site was probably inhabited before 753, the traditional date of the foundation of the city in Roman legends.

Foundation Myths Amulius, Rhea Silvia + Mars = Romulus and Remus

Aeneas

The conquest of Latium

The sources The She-Wolf myth is probably the older one The Trojan myth becomes more significant in the Augustan age, as it links Rome to an epic past In reality the beginnings of Rome were humble (the hut of Romulus). The first histories of Rome were written in Greek in the 3 rd c. BC Dionysius of Halicarnassus Roman Antiquities His sources for the early years seem to be family and state archives and traditional legends and stories. He spent 22 years in Rome

Livy Ab Urbe Condita (From the Foundation of the City) Enhances and augments the history of Dionysius, and brings it down to his own time. Rome in the early years establishes itself through both, ruthless military campaigns and skillful diplomacy One by one the surrounding peoples, the Latins, the Volscians, the Aequi, the Sabines, the Etruscans, and the Samnites become allies, friends or subjects of Rome.

Rome and her allies

Ancient Italy