Gladiators

The Colosseum

The Roman Legion

The Roman Forum

Julius Caesar

The Geography of Ancient Rome

The Italian peninsula juts out into the Mediterranean like a kicking boot. At the toe of the boot is the island of Sicily.

At the northern border of present-day Italy stand the craggy Alps. The Alps wall off the Italian peninsula from the rest of Europe.

The Apennine Mountains form a giant “backbone” through the Italian peninsula. Their towering height make it difficult to travel across the peninsula.

Mt. Vesuvius

Italian Hill Town

The Latium Plain is located on the west coast of central Italy. Remains of ancient communities have been found on this plain. The Tiber River runs through this plain that Rome would eventually rise upon.

Today, Rome is a large modern city beside the Tiber River.

Why did Rome grow where it did? 1. 7 hills helped protect the city from attack. 2. The Tiber River made a fine “highway” to transport goods from Rome to the Mediterranean Sea. 3. The Latium Plain was very fertile as a result of volcanic ash.

Latium farmers grew a variety of crops.

Greek colonists sailed west and settled among several groups of people who spoke different languages. Both groups made a living from the land.

The Trojan prince Aeneas sailed to Italy following the Trojan war, and was the first in a long line of kings

Romulus and Remus were descendants of Aeneas. Legend states that Romulus and Remus were thrown into the Tiber River for fear they would try to claim the throne. They survived, and according to legend, were raised by a wolf. A shepherd discovered them and raised them.

The She-wolf nursing the twins Romulus and Remus

The two brothers founded a new city and fought over the naming of the city. Romulus killed Remus, and thus named the city after himself.

The Etruscans The Etruscans may have come from Asia Minor. Their civilization was based on a group of well-planned, fortified cities ruled by kings that flourished between 800BC and 400BC. Before the founding of Rome, the Etruscans had settled on the Tiber River, and conquered much of the peninsula.

Etrurian armies were made up of well-trained and disciplined soldiers. The Romans would adopt the Etrurian fighting techniques, weapons, and armor design

The Etruscans were a religious people who offered libations to the gods. They were also highly superstitious, seeking good or evil omens in everday happenings

The Etruscans treated their dead with reverence burying them in elaborate coffins of terracotta

The Etruscans built elaborate tombs and believed that a person’s spirit would live on.

Tombs were filled with weapons, pots, and jewelry. Scenes of daily life were painted on the walls.

The Etruscans developed the arch, which was later used by the Romans in such structures as the Coliseum and the aqueduct.

Etruscans adopted the Greek alphabet. The Etruscan alphabet is the basis for the Roman Alphabet

Etruscan women were considered equal to men. Noble women wore elegant hair styles, rich clothing and much jewelry.

The Etruscans were skilled metal and terracotta workers and traded with Greece and the Middle East. They became extremely powerful.

The Etruscans were known for their masterful work in jewelry.

The last Etruscan king was overthrown by nobles in 509BC. A new government was created.

The Romans created a republic in 509 BC in which elected officials ran the city. They protected against anyone staying in power for too long by limiting terms to one year.

Wealthy and powerful Romans held all the power, and other people had little say in how the republic was run.

During difficult wars, the Romans chose dictators, rulers with almost absolute power, to lead the city. They could stay in power only six months, to avoid abusing their power.

One of Rome’s famous dictators was Cincinnatus. He quickly defeated his enemies, and returned to farming long before his six-month term was up.

Patricians: powerful nobles who held all political power Plebians: Common people who wanted more say in the government