EQ: How did Rome change from being a Kingdom, Republic, and then an Empire?
HOW DID GEOGRAPHY PLAY A ROLE IN ROMES ORIGINS?
Italy is a long narrow peninsula, shaped much like a boot. Parts of the boot point toward Greece and another part points toward Sicily. Alps are mountains that that separate Italy from European lands.Italy's landscape is is similar to Greece, however Italy had better farm land. It's mountain slopes level off to large plains that are best for growing crops. With being able to produce more food Italy was also able to support more people.
WHERE WAS ROME LOCATED?
Rome focused on finding a place that was able to produce them with food, water, and a way to travel easy. Rome was chosen to be placed 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, close to the Tiber River. This particular river provided the Romans with a source of water and a way to the rest of the Mediterranean Sea. Also, Rome was able to escape pirate raids by being far enough from the sea. The Romans built their city on 7 hills, making it easier to defend themselves against attackers. Since it was so easy to cross the Tiber River, Rome became a place for people to travel north and south and for merchant ships to sail into the western Mediterranean.
HOW DID ROME BEGIN?
There are many legends explaining how Rome formed. The most told story is that two brothers, Romulus and Remus decided to build a city in 753BCE after being abandoned and rescued by a she-wolf. Remus then made fun of his brother's wall that he was building and in return Romulus lashed out and killed his brother. Romulus named the Rome after himself and when on to be king. Although this story may be fun to tell, historians still aren't sure how Rome really came to be the place it is. They have a theory that Latins lived there as early as 1000BCE and then somewhere between 800BCE and 700BCE decided to come together for their protection. This is what is now known as Rome.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE EARLY INFLUENCES TO ROME?
Many groups banned together with the Romans just after 800BCE. Two groups in particular, known as Greeks and the Etruscans, played a big role in the shaping of Rome's civilization. Romans learned many things from the Greeks, such as how to grow grapes and olives. They used the Greek alphabet and would soon be adopting their architecture, sculpture, and literature. The Etruscan's came earlier and influenced Rome the most in the early stages. The Etruscans eventually took over Rome once they moved South. They became very rich from mining and trading. They also forced slaves to do the heavier work in order to make their own lives much easier. The Etruscans were able to change Rome from a village of huts with straw roofs into a city of wood and beautiful buildings. They ruled Rome for over 100 years and in the process Rome became more powerful and wealthy. Tarquins, the ruling family, grew to be more cruel with each passing day. In 50BCE the Romans finally decided to rebell. They defeated the Tarquins and started a republic and over the next 200 years they fought war after war against the latin's, the Etruscans, and the Greeks. They finally defeated all 3 groups of people and were able to conquer most of Italy.
WHY WAS ROME SO STRONG?
In the Rome republic's early days every male who owned land was forced to serve in the army. What made Romans such excellent soldiers was the harsh discipline they had to endure. In order to make their fighting even better they decided to form into smaller groups called legions. Each had about 6,000 men and was divided even more into groups of about 60 to 120 soldiers. Every Roman soldier was armed with a gladius, or a short sword, and a pilum. Each group also carried around a standard, which is a tall pole with a symbol. This helped soldiers see where their other group members are and they were able to locate them above the crowd.
WHY WERE ROMAN RULERS SHREWD?
In addition to being great fighters, Romans also were smart planners and they showed this by building roads between towns in order for their troops to travel quicker to their territory. Romans decided on creating the Roman Confederation. Anyone who chose to be a citizen was able to vote and serve in the government and they were also treated equally as any other citizen. There was also an option for people who decided that they didn't want to be a citizen of Rome, they were able to become allies. Allies were free to do as they pleased on one condition; they had to pay taxes. With these new rules Rome's republic grew stronger and more trustworthy. And if anyone obliged then the Romans knew just how to take care of it and they put a stop to it right away.