• Greeks traders sailed up the Italian
Peninsula around 900 B.C.
• 750 B.C. to 500 B.C. Greeks set up farming communities in southern Italy and Sicily
• Planted olive trees and grapevines
• Introduced their alphabet to Italians

• Rome—Centrally located in the
Mediterranean Basin and distant from eastern Mediterranean powers
• Italian Peninsula
• Alps—Protection
• Mediterranean Sea—Protection, seaborne commerce

• Italy’s central location in Mediterranean Sea
• Italy’s rich soil and mild, moist climate
• Silt blocked mouths of river and created swamps- Italians suffered epidemics of malaria and other diseases carried by mosquitoes
• Italians traded w/ themselves- Alps blocked

Italian Alps
Italian
Swamp
Mediterranean Sea

• Between 900 B.C. and 500 B.C. the
Etruscans ruled northern Italy from the plains of Etruria
• Did not speak Indo-European languagealphabet from Greeks
• Etruscan Art- expressive, needs no translation

Etruscan
Civilization
500 B.C.

Etruscan Wall Paintings and Sculpture

• Wealthy overlords
• Aristocratic priests
• Slave labor
• Wealthy overlords enslaved people to provide them w/ luxury and aristocratic priests sacrificed prisoners to appease Gods
• Repeated revolts- The Latins/lower class freed from Etruscan rule

Etruscan Alphabet
Etruscan
Overlord
Etruscan Aristocracy

• Legend of Romulus and Remus: Twins left to be raised by wolves- each wanted to create own city- Romulus killed Remus in a fit of rage- Romulus built Rome
• Truth of Rome: Between 800 B.C. and
700 B.C.- Latins in villages on 7 hills joined and formed one community-
Community became Rome

Romulus kills Remus
Famous sculpture of
Romulus and Remus

• 620 B.C.- Etruscan gain control of Rome
• Tarquins- Etruscan Family- ruled over Romans
– Built w/ brick and roof houses with tile
– Drained marshy lowlands and laid out city streets
– Created Forum- center of city- seat of Roman
Government
– Built temples, taught religious rituals, elevated
Rome to one of most wealthy in Italy

Etruscan House in Rome
Etruscan Temple

• Came into power in 534 B.C.
• Cruelties angered the Romans and in 509
B.C. , they drove Tarquins out
• Etruscan artisans stayed in Rome helping the city continue to prosper

• Patricians—Powerful nobility (few in number)
– Declared Rome a Republic where people elect leaders
• Plebeians—Majority of population
– Wealthy non-aristocratic people, merchants, shopkeepers, farmers and laborers
• Plebeians and Patricians had rights- vote, paying taxes, serving in military
• Plebeians could NOT hold public office like Patricians
• Slaves—Not based on race

Roman Plebeians
Roman Patricians
Roman
Slaves

• Patrician and plebeian men
• Selected foreigners
• Rights and responsibilities of citizenship
(taxes, military service)

• Patricians organized Rome’s Government into Executive and Legislative Branches
Roman
Senate

• Consisted of the Assembly of Centuries and the
Senate- both under Patrician rule
• Assembly of Centuries- elected officials of executive branch
• Senate- 300 Patrician men-served for life- had a lot of power
• Senate advised consuls, debated foreign policy, proposed laws, approved contracts (roads, temples, and defenses)

• Headed by consuls- patrician officials elected for one-year terms
• Consult one another before acting
• Veto (“I Forbid”) the other’s decision
• Oversaw executive officials- praetors/judges, censors/keepers of tax and population records
• Only Dictator could overthrow consuls- only in time of crisis

Roman Consuls

• Most admired dictator
• Powerful rival threatened Rome- Senate sent messengers for Cincinnatus
• Named Dictator for emergency
• Led forces into battle, defeated the enemy and resigned as dictator
• Returned to his farm 16 days after taking command

Cincinnatus

• Plebeians resented lack of power
• Patricians could NOT maintain republic w/out Plebeians
• 494 B.C.- Plebeians refused to fight in
Roman Empire unless Patricians gave into
Plebeian demands

• With no military- Patricians agreed to reforms
• Recognized Plebeians’ chosen representatives called the tribunes
• Patricians recognized Assembly of Tribesbody of plebeians who elected tribuneseventually won right to make laws
• Improved in social standing
• Plebeian struggles slowly moved Rome closer to Democracy

Plebeians slow transformation of Rome to a Democracy

• Most significant Plebeian victory
• Written law code
• 451 B.C.- Patricians engraved laws on 12 bronze tablets set in the Forum
• Basis for all future Roman Law
• Established principle that all free citizens had right to law’s protection

Twelve Tables
Roman Forum:
Then and Now

• Basic unit of Roman society- large and close
– Unmarried children, married sons and their families, dependent relatives and household slaves
• Father absolute head- conducted religious ceremonies, controlled property and supervised education of sons
– Had power to sell family members into slavery or even kill them
– Deep sense of responsibility for welfare of family

Roman Family

• Few legal rights- but more freedom than
Greek women
– Acted as hostesses, did marketing and ran households, occasionally acquired property and business
• Wealthy women studied Greek and lowerclass did household tasks

Poor Roman Woman
Rich Roman Woman

• Parents taught children reading , writing, and moral standards
• Mothers taught daughters how to run households
• Rich or poor- Romans had same valuesthrift, discipline, self-sacrifice, and devotion to family and republic
• Later- became traditional Roman values

Roman Children Learning
Roman Children in Military