The roman republic

Andres Siguenza

Geography and Rise of Rome
The Geography of Italy
Rome became one of the greatest centers of civilizations in the ancient world. Italy, where Rome was built, is a peninsula in southern Europe.
Physical Features
In the north of Italy the Alps, the highest mountains in Europe, are located. Another mountain range, the Apennines runs the length of the Italian Peninsula.These many mountains made it very difficult for people to travel from one side of the peninsula to the other.
Much of the Italian land was mountainous. The land that was not was surrounded by hills. Many cities were established here for defense and in areas near rivers. For example: Rome was established on the Tiber River.
Climate
Italy had a warm climate, with dry summers and mild,rainy winters. Italy’s climate allowed people to grow a variety of crops.
Rome’s Legendary Origins.
Today, historians don’t have so much information about Rome’s early history. They only have found buildings and know that ancient Rome’s leaders were also curious about what was their ancient past. Imagining a glorious past they told legends about great heroes and kings who built the city.Aeneas
Romans believed that their story was traced back to a man called Aeneas, a great hero from the Trojan War. The legend says that when the Greeks defeated the Trojans, Aeneas escaped and reached Italy. This story is called the Aeneid. While been in Italy he formed an alliance with several groups of people (the Latins) and together they fought against others. After defeating the opponents,he married the daughter of the Latin king. Aeneas, his son, and his descendants became rulers of Italy.
Romulus and Remus
Among the descendants were Romulus and Remus. They were twin brothers. When they were babies, they were thrown in the Tiber River. However, they didn’t drown. The legend says that a wolf rescued them and took good care of them for a long time. After many years, a manfound them and decided to adopt them. When Remus and Romulus grew, they decided to build a city in the spot where the wolf recued them. One day Remus mocked one of Romulus’s ideas. With many anger, Romulus killed his own brother, and named the city Rome, after himself.
Rome’s Early Kings
It is said that Romulus became the first king of Rome. Roman records list seven early kings who ruled thecity. However, most of them were not Romans. They were Etruscans, people who lived north of Rome. However, they made great contributions. Some of them were that they built great temples and Rome’s first sewer. Many historians think that Romans learned the alphabet and numbers from the Etruscans.
The last Roman king was a very cruel man, that killed many people, even his advisors! Finally somenobles rebelled against him and together they established a new form of government.

The Early Republic
The government that the Romans created in 509 BC was a republic, which is when people elect officials to govern them. This prevented wealthy people to become too powerful in the government. But Rome was not a democracy. Many wealthy people became officials, became too powerful and poorpeople had little say in the government.
Challenges from Outside
Shortly after the Romans had created the republic, they began fighting against other people in the region. The Romans won most of the wars, but when they lost, this destroyed many lives and increased poverty, so sometimes, during difficult times, the Romans elected dictators to lead the city. To keep them from absolute power,the dictator must only stay in power for six months.
One of Rome’s famous dictators was a farmer called Cincinnatus. He was chosen to help defend the city against a powerful army. Cincinnatus defeated them, and before his six months had finished, he returned to his farm. The victory of Cincinnatus didn’t end Romans trouble. They continued to fight against other people.
Challenges with Rome...