NAME DATE Geography and History Activity
CLASS netw rks
Rome: Republic to Empire
Lesson 1 The Founding of Rome
Understanding Location: Early Rome
The combination of physical features, climate, and location
made Rome an ideal place for civilization to develop. Roman
civilization first began along the Tiber River, in central Italy,
about 15 miles (24 km) upriver from the Mediterranean Sea.
The sunny, warm climate and good farmland made this area
an attractive place to settle. In addition, Rome’s central
location provided better protection than coastal settlements
but still made it easy to travel to and from other places. As a
result, people were readily able to exchange goods and ideas.
As you read in your textbook, the first Romans were probably
Latins who grew crops and tended animals in the hills around
Rome. Several other civilizations surrounded this early
community. To the south, the Greeks lived in farming villages
where they grew olives and grapes. To the north, the
Etruscans lived in Etruria. Eventually, the Etruscans moved
south and took control of Rome. The Greeks and Etruscans
both had a great deal of influence over Roman civilization.
Other people, the Carthaginians, lived just across the
Mediterranean Sea in northern Africa. Carthage eventually
became one of Rome’s biggest rivals. Because of the nearness
of these civilizations to Rome, they greatly affected Rome’s
development and history.
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.
NAME DATE CLASS Geography and History Activity Cont.
netw rks
Rome: Republic to Empire
Italy 500 B.C.
AL
Po R
PS
.
T ib
A.
Corsica
B.
Sardinia
Carthage
AFRICA
Tyrrhenian
Sea
dit
err
D.
IA
Me
A. C
AM
N
PA
C.
Rome N E
S
I
LATIUM
S
NN
E
A PE
er R .
N
W
tic
ria a
Ad Se
ETRURIA
D.
an
ea
Sicily
nS
ea
D.
Ionian
Sea
Strait of
Messina
0
100 miles
100 km
0
Azimuthal Equidistant projection
Directions Study
the map and use information from your
DOPW
(Discovering our Past
- World)
textbook to answer the following questions.
RESG
Chapter 11
Map Title: Italy, 500 BC
File Name: C08-03A-NGS-824133_A-RESG.ai
Map Size: 25p6 x 26p0
Understanding the Concept
Date/Proof:
Jan 27,Using
2011 - First
1.
Labeling theProof
letters on the map as a guide, label
the location of the Etruscans, Greeks, Latins, and
Carthaginians in c. 500 B.C.
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Several different civilizations influenced Rome’s history.
NAME DATE CLASS netw rks
Geography and History Activity Cont.
Rome: Republic to Empire
2. Locating Create a table that shows the following aspects
of Roman civilization. Identify which aspects came from the
Greeks and which came from the Etruscans.
• alphabet
• architecture
• art
• city planning
• literature
• olive and grape farming
• religion
Greeks
Etruscans
3. Explaining Why was Rome’s location desirable? Applying the Concept
4. Speculating If Rome had been located directly on the
Mediterranean coast, instead of up the Tiber River, how
might that location have changed its history? 5. Making Connections Fill in the cause and effect chart
below to identify the geographical features where you live
and how they have affected your city or town’s history.
Effect
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Cause