1. Geography of Ancient Rome

2. Alps Apennine Mountains
What are the mountain ranges of Italy, and what benefits did they provide the Ancient Romans?
Apennine Mountains
Alps

3. What are the mountain ranges of Italy, and what benefits did they provide the Ancient Romans?
The mountain ranges of Italy are the Alps and the Apennine. These mountain ranges provided several benefits to the Ancient Romans. First, they provided protection from invaders by land or by sea. Second, they offered natural resources, such as minerals and water. The minerals can be used to make tools, weapons and art. Third, the snow that melts from the mountains to form rivers, then becomes water to be used to as…..?

4. What main advantage did the Italian peninsula offer for establishing an empire?
There were several main advantages the Italian peninsula offered for establishing an empire. First, the central location of the peninsula in the Mediterranean allowed the Romans easy access to the entire region. Ships and travelers could easily get anywhere in the Mediterranean region. In terms of trade and expansion this central location was ideal for moving resources and armies. Second, the seas opened trade to the Romans into many new areas. Other civilizations did not have that, such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. Third, being close to the sea provided a way for the military to go and conquer other lands. It was easy for the military forces of Rome to move to other areas in the Mediterranean region.

6. Why were settlements built along rivers?
Settlements were built along river because they provided fresh water for people, plants, and animals. The rivers also provided a means of transportation which made trade easier. Finally the rivers such as the Tiber provided silt for making the soil around the rivers fertile for growing good crops.

7. Why was the location of Rome so ideal?
The location of Rome was ideal for several reasons. Rome’s location on the Tiber River provided a means for trade and transportation. The river was also a source of fresh water. The land around Rome had rich volcanic soil that was fertile and good for growing crops. Rome was located far enough inland to provide protection from enemy invasion, yet it had access to the sea that made it good for trade and a military center.

8. What different types of farms flourished on the Italian peninsula?
There were several different types of farms on the Italian peninsula. Romans had farms for growing wheat, olives and grapes. They also had ranches for raising cattle, pigs, goats and sheep.

9. How as life different for those who owned large farming estates and those who actually worked the land.
Life was different in several ways for those who owned large farming estates and those who actually worked the land. Working the fertile farmland outside the city was endless work. It was hard labor and was performed by slaves or the poor. In contrast, the estate owners worked in the cities and came to the country to relax, not to work.