Name:_____________________

Geography and the Rise of Rome

Directions: Read the passage, try taking notes throughout, and answer the
questions at the end of each section (remember to use complete sentences).

FromasmalltownontheTiberRiver,Romegrewintoa

mightypower.Romesgeographyitscentrallocationand
goodclimatewereimportantfactorsinitssuccessand
growth.Thecitysriseasamilitarypowerbeganwhenthe
RomanswenttowarandconqueredneighboringItalian
tribes.

TheGeographyofItaly

Romeeventuallybecamethecenterofoneofthegreatest
civilizationsoftheancientworld.Infact,thepeopleofRome
conqueredmanyterritoriesyouwouldbefamiliarwith
includingGreece,Egypt,andAsiaMinor(Turkey).

Italy,whereRomewasbuiltisapeninsulainsouthern
Europe.Ifyoulookatthemap(onnextpage),youcansee
thatItalylookslikeahighheeledbootstickingoutintothe
MediterraneanSea.

PhysicalFeatures

LookatthemapagaintofindItalystwomajormountain
ranges.InthenortharetheAlps,Europeshighest
mountains.Anotherrange,theApennines(Apuhnynz),
runsthelengthoftheItalianPeninsula.Thisruggedland
madeithardforancientpeopletocrossfromonesideofthe
peninsulatotheother.Inaddition,someofItalys
mountains,suchasMountVesuvius,arevolcanic.Their
eruptionscoulddevastateRomantowns.NotmuchofItalyis
flat.Mostofthelandthatisntmountainousiscoveredwith
hills.Throughouthistory,peoplehavebuiltcitiesonthese
hillsfordefense.Asaresult,manyoftheancientcitiesof
ItalyincludingRomesatatophills.Romewasbuilton

sevenhills.

SeveralriversflowoutofItalysmountains.Becausethese
riverswereasourceoffreshwater,peoplealsobuilttheir
citiesnearthem.Forexample,RomeliesontheTiberRiver.

Climate

MostofItaly,includingtheareaaroundRome,haswarm,
drysummersandmildrainywinters.Thisclimateissimilar
tothatofsouthernCalifornia.Italysmildclimateallows
peopletogrowawidevarietyofcrops.Grains,citrusfruits,
grapesandolivesallgrowwellthere.Aplentifulfoodsupply
wasonekeyfactorinRomesearlygrowth.

QUESTIONS:


1. Whatisapeninsula?
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2. WhatdoestheshapeofItalyresemble?
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3. WhatarethetwomajormountainrangesofItaly?

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4. Whywoulditbedifficultforancientpeopletotravel
throughItaly?

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5. HowdidItalysclimatehelpancientpeopleprosper?

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RomesLegendaryOrigins

Romesearlyhistoryiswrappedinmystery.Nowritten
recordsexist,andwehavelittleevidenceofthecitys
earliestdays.Allwehavefoundareancientruinsthat
suggestpeoplelivedintheareaofRomeasearlyasthe
800sBCE.
However,
weknowverylittleabouthowthey
lived.

WoulditsurpriseyoutothinkthattheancientRomanswere
ascuriousabouttheirearlyhistoryaswearetoday?Romes
leaderswantedtheircitytohaveagloriouspastthatwould

maketheRomanpeopleproud.Imaginingthatgloriouspast,
theytoldlegends,orstoriesaboutgreatheroesandkings
whobuiltthecity.

Aeneas

TheRomansbelievedtheirhistorycouldbetracedbacktoa
greatTrojanheronamedAeneas.WhentheGreeks
destroyedTroyintheTrojanWar,Aeneasfledwithhis
followers.Afteralonganddangerousjourney,hereached
Italy.Thestoryofhistripistoldinthe
Aeneid,
anepicpoem
writtenbyapoetnamedVirgilaround20BCE.

Accordingtothestory,whenAeneasreachedItaly,hefound
severalgroupsofpeoplelivingthere.Heformedanalliance
withoneofthesegroups,apeoplecalledtheLatins.
TogethertheyfoughttheotherpeopleofItaly.After
defeatingtheseopponents,Aeneasmarriedthedaughterof
theLatinking.Aeneas,hisson,andtheirdescendants
becameprominentrulersinItaly.

RomulusandRemus

AmongthedescendantsofAeneaswerethefoundersof
Rome.AccordingtoRomanlegends,thesefounderswere
twinbrothersnamedRomulusandRemus.Inthestory,
theseboysledexcitinglives.Whentheywerebabies,they
wereputinabasketandthrownintotheTiberriver.They
didntdrown,though,becauseawolfrescuedthem.The
wolf(Lupa)caredfortheboysformanyyears.Eventually,a
shepherdfoundtheboysandadoptedthem.

Aftertheygrewup,RomulusandRemusdecidedtobuilda
citytomarkthespotwherethewolfhadrescuedthem.
Whiletheywereplanningthecity,Remusmockedoneofhis
brothersideas.Inafitofanger,RomuluskilledRemus.He
thenbuiltthecity,andnameditRomeafterhimself.

RomesEarlyKings

Accordingtoancienthistorians,Romuluswasthefirstking
ofRome,takingthethronein753BCE.Modernhistorians
believethatRomecouldhavebeenfoundedwithin50years
beforeorafterthatdate.


Romanrecordslistsevenkingswhoruledthecity.Notallof
themwereRoman.RomeslastthreekingswereEtruscans,
membersofapeoplewholivednorthofRome.The
Etruscans,whohadbeeninfluencedbyGreekcoloniesin
Italy,livedinItalybeforeRomewasfounded.

TheEtruscankingsmadegreatcontributionstoRoman
society.TheybuilthugetemplesandRomesfirstsewer.
ManyhistoriansthinkthattheRomanslearnedtheir
alphabetandnumbersfromtheEtruscans.

ThelastRomankingwassaidtohavebeenacruelman
whohadmanypeoplekilled,includinghisownadvisors.
Finally,agroupofnoblesroseupagainsthim.Accordingto
tradition,hewasoverthrownin509BCE.Thenobles,who
nolongerwantedkings,createdanewgovernment,the
Republic.

Createatimelineusingthedatesmentionedinthe
RomesLegendaryOrigins
sectionof
thereading.