World History I Ch. 11, Lesson 1 The Founding of Rome World History I Ch. 11, Lesson 1

Geography of Italy Italy is a peninsula located in southern Europe. Italy had a good amount of farmland. Rome is located about 15 miles inland along the Tiber River. Sea access made travel and trade easy. Rome’s location along 7 steep hills made it easy to defend.

People began permanently settling Italy between 2000 and 1000 BC. Greeks (south), Latins (central), and Etruscans (north) lived in various parts of Italy. Greeks introduced grape and olive farming to the region. Romans adopted the Greek alphabet. Early Rome was influenced mostly by the Etruscans. They oversaw the growth of Rome from a village to a city. Etruscan dress, religion, and military organization were also adopted by the Romans.

Critical Thinking Analyzing – What does the image suggest about how the Etruscans lived?

The Roman Republic In 509 BC, the Romans overthrew the Etruscan king and established a republic. Republic – a form of government in which citizens elect their leaders. Over the next several hundred years, Rome conquered almost all of Italy. Rome organized their soldiers into groups of about 6,000 men called legions. They were divided into smaller groups, allowing them to move quickly around the battlefield.

Who Ruled Rome? Romans were effective rulers. After conquering a region, they built military outposts to protect it and roads to travel quickly. Rome allowed many people they conquered to have Roman citizenship. Other conquered people became allies of Rome, who paid taxes but were free to manage their own local affairs. The conquered people felt they were a part of Rome’s success. As a result, the republic grew stronger and more unified.

Early Roman Government Early Rome was divided into two groups of people, or orders. The patricians were wealthy landowners who would become Rome’s ruling class. The plebeians were the larger group made up of less wealthy landowners, craftspeople, merchants and farmers. Both groups voted, but only patricians could hold most offices. Consuls (ran government and led army) and praetors (in charge of law) were the officers of the Republic.