Question

Medal and fan,
Describe the location of Rome in relation to the Tiber River, Mediterranean Sea, and the Alps.

Answer 1

A theory holds that Rome was first settled by Indo-Europeans migrating south over the alps.
The Seven Hills of Rome
The Seven Hills of Rome


The hills of Rome supported Wheat cultivation as well as the cultivation of Olive trees, fruit trees, and vineyards.

In order to combat the Malaria problems of the nearby swamps, the Romans were forced to drain and pave the wetlands near Rome. From early in Roman history, the Romans learned the importance of engineering, a trait that would later be a cornerstone of their Imperial power.

lessonplan.jpgGood handout on the early peoples of Rome; touches on the Romulus and Remus myth but focuses on archaeological information for early Rome.:
reading-FoundingofRome.pdfreading-FoundingofRome.pdf
DetailsDownload179 KB


Greek and Etruscan Influence:

Due to their location in Italy, Rome was influenced both by the Italian Etruscan Kings as well as in their contact with the extensive Greek settlements to the south and east.

In the early years of the Republic, the Romans used Greek-style Phalanx Warfare, but were forced to abandon it after finding that the Phalanx was too inflexible when fighting on rough terrain against flexible and disorganized "barbarian opponents". Therefore, after a few major defeats of the spear-wielding Phalanx, the Romans developed Manipular battle line which relied far more heavily on legions of swordsmen but still had trace elements of Greek organization.

The Roman Manipular battle line through its superior flexibility would eventually defeat the Greek and Macedonian Phalanx, allowing the Romans to conquer Greece itself.

external image 493px-Etruscan_civilization_map.png

(Above: Note that before Rome rebelled against its Etruscan King, it was a territory of greater Etruria)

Terrain and Water ways (compared with Greece):

Without the rugged mountain ranges of Greece to hold them back, Rome's flatlands were far more extensive and agriculturally productive, allowing it to support a large population. Some of these agricultural centers were the Po River valley in the north, the Plain of Latium on which Rome was located, and Campania to the south of Latium.

Located eighteen miles inland on the Tiber River, Rome had access to the sea yet was far enough inland to be safe from pirates. Built on seven hills, it was easily defended. Because the Tiber could be readily forded, Rome, located near the mouth of the Tiber, became a natural crossing point for north-south traffic in western Italy. The Italian peninsula juts into the Mediterranean, making Italy an important crossroads between the western and eastern ends of the sea.


Dominating the Western Mediterranean:
external image First_Punic_War_264_BC.png

Despite some early trade with the Greek colonies in Italy, Rome was far from being a preeminent trading power. As Rome grew as an Empire, however, it came into conflict with the trading giant of the Western Mediterranean, the Republican Empire of Carthage (See Map).

Punic Wars- After Rome colonized Southern Italy, Rome set its sights on Sicily, an agriculturally rich island separated by a small channel from the southern tip of Italy. However, the Carthaginian Empire already claimed the island.

The two inevitably came into conflict. It was in this conflict that Rome was required to build a sizable navy to compete with Carthage and began to emerge as a major power not only in the Italian peninsula, but also in the broader Mediterranean Sea. Prior to the Punic Wars, Rome had never seen conflict away from the mainland and hence had to build its naval power from scratch. This article details the Roman Navy's rise to dominance.

When Rome finally conquered and colonized Carthage's capital (Located in modern-day Tunisia), it eliminated a powerful trading Empire, but gained it's territories and became the successor to its trading legacy. The Punic Wars and the conquests of Sicily and Carthage were of enormous importance to the expansion of Roman trade, Naval and Economic power. With the destruction of Carthage, Rome became the preeminent Empire in the Western Mediterranean.

Multimedia.pngClick Here for a video which details the brutal Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome and watch the moment that the famous Carthaginian general, Hannibal, nearly destroyed the fledgling Roman Republic.

Rome's dominance against Carthage in the Punic wars demonstrated the power of Rome's system of alliances. Rome's Italian "allied nations" bore a large brunt of the fighting against Carthage and contributed greatly to the Roman victory.

As Rome's power grew, it became a center of trade. Roman military conquest brought wealth and plunder to the capital from all the corners of the Mediterranean, which attracted merchants and artisans to the city.

Multimedia.pngmap-ancient-rome-2.jpgClick here for an excellent interactive map from Stanford University that shows Roman trade routes and allows the user to calculate travel times and distances based on a variety of factors.

Roman Roads
external image RomanRoad.jpg

As the popular saying goes, "All roads lead to Rome" - and of course they did; as Rome's economy grew it needed better roads over which to transport goods and people, especially to its central city. The importance of roads to the empire cannot be understated. Roads helped Rome quickly move troops and supplies throughout its territory, facilitate trade, and interconnect its conquered provinces, bringing them into the broader Roman whole.

At one point in its history, Rome had 50,000 miles of roads. This system allowed Romans to easily access the far reaches of their Empire, from Spain to Greece.

Aqueducts

Aqueducts built by the Romans were one of the most impressive feats of ancient civilization.
The accessibility of water that aqueducts provided altered Roman society and allowed for expansion. The geography facilitated the construction of aqueducts because of the many bodies of water that were located at high altitude from which these structures originated before running into cities.
The higher the altitude of the original body of water the greater the water pressure flowing through the aqueduct. The aqueducts were able to transport water from surrounding areas into Rome and other cities of the Roman Empire.
Most importantly it allowed clean drinking water for a population that was growing rapidly. The abundance of water transported by the aqueducts helped create a Rome that was infatuated with water.
The aqueducts supplied water to the public baths that many Roman people used. The Romans also constructed a sewer system including the Cloaca Maxima that helped to drain water from Rome into the Tiber River, hence avoiding much of the waste-born disease that plagued the cities of antiquity.
The aqueducts were a commodity that many of Roman colonies wanted access to and thus were often more prone to accept Roman domination because of this technological upgrade. Therefore aqueducts helped aid the expansion of Roman power along with shaping Roman society.

Multimedia.pngPicture of a Roman Aqueduct and a diagram of how it works
Multimedia.pngVideo on The Roman Aqueducts

How Geography helped Contain Roman Military Ambition

ancientmap.gif
Eventual height of the Roman Empire

Rome continued its conquests until further expansion became too difficult. The Saharan desert kept Rome from expanding too far into Africa, while the thick forests and intimidating Germanic tribes stifled Roman progress into Northern Central Europe.

When Emperor Augustus attempted to conquer Germania, three entire legions of Romans were massacred in the Battle of Teutoberg Forest by tribesman who, while not privy to advanced Roman technology, could claim a significant home field advantage based on their familiarity with the cold, dark forests which were so unlike the grassier, more temperate climate from which the Roman soldiers hailed.

Likewise, conquering Persia to the East proved difficult. A combination of difficult supply lines, deserts, and powerful eastern enemies prevented Rome's eastward expansion. When Marcus Crassus attempted an invasion into Persia, he and his seven legions were butchered in the battle of Carrhae. , one of the worst defeats in Roman military history.

Rome also couldn't expand into the Sahara or into Germany or Scotland because while densely populated urban centers such as Greece were profitable provinces, conquering sparsely populated regions was an expensive endeavor with a far less lucrative end-goal.

Sources:
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch15.htm
http://resourcesforhistory.com/map.htm
http://www.icsd.k12.ny.us/legacy/highschool/socstud/global2_review/ancient_rome.htm
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/romulus_and_remus.htm
http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-roads.php
http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-aqueducts.php


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