The Early Influences of Rome

The Roman Republic began in 509 B.C.E. with the overthrow of the Etruscan monarchy. In 27 B.C.E the Roman Empire began with Octavian Caesar becoming the emperor, this ended almost 500 years of republican self-government. There is much debate over why Rome became so powerful so quickly. Many think it had to do with Rome’s military strength. Others think that it was because Rome knew of and controlled most of the trade routes. Still others believed it had to do with the technology that was advanced during the Roman Republic. All of these factors played significant roles, but which one played the most important role?

Some policies and institutions of the Roman Republic were useful to help them succeed in conquering first Italy and then the Mediterranean world. Before of the institution of the republic, the romans were a monarchy since their beginning and they were basically a pastoral people. Rome suffer several changes and improvements under the control of the Etruscan kings. The Etruscan were civilization settled north of Rome in Etruria, and they once had control over almost all the Italic peninsula. The Etruscans influences in Rome were profound, they transformed Rome from a pastoral community to a city (91). The Etruscan built the street and roads that help the development of temples, markets, shops, streets, and houses. They basically brought urbanization to Rome. It is fairly to say that the Rome republic was a fusion between the elements of the Etruscan civilization and the Rome elements. The combination of the different political institutions and policies made the Romans succeed in their conquest territories.

The leaders of the Roman Republic developed laws to create order after centuries of chaos. These laws were so advanced for their time sometimes to this day we see and practice them in everyday life. An example of this is Table IX which basically states that if a judge is bribed or cheats the system he or she shall be punished (Station 1, Doc 1). Also to this day, our governments have striking resemblance; we are viewed as a Republic democracy and this was considered the same for Rome.

To say that all the technology and culture that came to Rome through the Etruscans was Etruscan in origin would be false. The Etruscans were renowned for their naval prowess, and in their day were the masters of the Mediterranean, to the extent that the sea to the west of Etruria is known even to this day as the Tyrrhenian Sea, after the Greek name for the Etruscans, Tyrrhenoi . The Etruscans traded with the Greeks, as well as many other civilisations around the Mediterranean. This lent them a lot of political leverage, but it also meant that the Etruscans were themselves strongly influenced by a multitude of cultures, especially the Greeks. However, the Etruscans did not just spread their influence across the seas; they also expanded across much of Italy, all the way to the Po Valley in the north, near the modern day border of Switzerland. Along the way, the Etruscans assimilated the local peoples, and spread their culture across most of northern Italy. Among the cultures the Etruscans came into contact with were the Romans, who sat quite literally on the southern border of Etruria; the Tiber River, which runs through the heart of Rome, is generally considered to

Here are some more details the Etruscan rule helped influence on ancient Roman culture, the Romans inherited many of their cultural and artistic traditions, from the spectacle of gladiatorial combat to hydraulic engineering, temple design, and religious ritual, too much more great and amazing things! Hundreds of years after the Etruscans had been conquered by the Romans and entered into their empire, the Romans still used a Etruscan priesthood in Rome, which they thought was necessary to use when they were under attack from invading barbarians. Later when Rome would go to conquered most of the

“Jus belli, ut qui vicissent, iis quos vicissent, quemadmodum vellent, imperarant.” -Julius Caesar. Once translated into English, this quote makes a significantly more sense. “It is the right of war for conquerors to treat those whom they have conquered according to their pleasure.” This is a big part of how Rome became the absolute monster of an empire it was. They had the weapons and equipment. Rome had the geography, the transport, communication, knowledge, and most importantly, the people, all working in their favor. This paper will take a look at how Rome became the most powerful empire of all time, and what caused its downfall.

The beginnings of early Rome, as laid out by Titus Livius in The Founding of the City, can be seen as a complex network of foundations that eventually led to the great strength and prosperity of the city. A foundation in the context of Roman history is an event that profoundly affects the course of political, societal, or cultural transformation. Although the first true founding occurred in 753 BC when Romulus killed Remus to claim power as a monarch, it is evident that there were other events that contributed to the development of Rome. The peaceful transition of the monarchy from Romulus to Numa chronicled by Livy in Book I.17.19-30 exemplifies the first sharing of power between the Senate and the people of Rome that would serve as a foundation for Rome’s realignment into a republic nearly 200 years later.

The location of Rome was favored by the settlers. It was about 20 miles inland on the Tribe River. Rome also had a route to the sea but it was farther away and not safe from the Pirates. The land was on 7 huge hills and they could cross the river easily. Indo-European people moved into Italy during the period from 1500 BC to 1000 BC. We don't know much about them but they did live in villages. They The Italian Peninsula is an important crossroads between the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea due to the way the land juts into the sea. After the Romans had established their Mediterranean empire, governing it was made easier because of Italy’s central location.

The civilization of Rome is one that is remembered today as “the most powerful world state in ancient history” (Fiero 139). From their superior culture to an army of 300,000 men who behaved as if “they had been born with weapons in their hands”, the Roman culture was unparalleled (Fiero 139). The location of Rome on the Italian peninsula put them in a prime location to encounter rich cultures such as the Greeks. Roman culture would not have been the same if it had not been for the Greeks, because they incorporated multiple aspects of the culture into their everyday life. The Romans were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, theology, literature, art, and architecture.

In 753 B.C.E the most dynamic city known to the world, Rome was established by their first king, Romulus. They’ve conquered through countries to broaden their culture, architecture and literature. Throughout this, Rome became perceived to the Greek influenced. After exceeding greater than 500 years, the Roman Empire survived from 27BC-476AD. The causes of the decline of Rome have been consistently been a subject of discussion and debate. The Roman military has performed an astonishing contribution towards the success and destruction of the Roman Empire. Its significance towards the Ancient Rome led this nation conquering multiple countries such as England, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Africa and the middle east. Throughout this conquer, the Roman Empire became adequate to obtain more power and become recognized by historians as a remarkably efficient combat.

For centuries, many historians have asked how the Roman culture influenced us. In order to understand this complex hypothesis, one must take a deeper look into Roman society. Two things that molded the Romans way of live were their gods and their government. Like most ancient societies, the Roman culture was

Imagine… you are a working citizen in Rome, neither wealthy nor poor… you make just enough money to get by, you are an average citizen in a vast land of honor. In Rome, they had simular food to present day, traded for commodities, and even were almost as advanced as we are in the medical region today.

Throughout history in general there are many similarities and difference between time periods, cultures, and religious beliefs. In the cultures of the Etruscan’s and the Roman’s there are some similarities and difference that make each one unique from one another. One thing that can be said about both of these cultures is that they were greatly influenced by the Greeks which makes most of their work seem familiar to one another.

They began to form a new Rome by fusing the Etruscan people with the natives throughout the country. "Rome became recognizable a city; it also acquired some of the features which characterized Greek city-states and distinguished them from other less-civilized communities, in particular a well-defined legendary past, a carefully formulated religion and a disciplined citizen army" (Ogilvie 33). The Etruscans slowly and gradually with success formed many of the key foundations of the Rome that you hear about today. The city turned from a city of mud dwellings to buildings being made of products such as brick, clay, and stucco. The city had aligned streets, although not calculated using math due to the severe differences in its landscape. Public Buildings were built for the purposes of markets and meeting areas. The Etruscans slowly built Rome into a metropolis in the sense of the world today.

Ancient Rome’s culture has existed throughout the almost 1200- year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome adapted most of their culture from their neighbors the Greeks and Etruscans. Ancient Rome culture has been affecting our modern world from colosseums and satre, for entertainment, to the name of Roman gods, for constellations. In Ancient Rome their entertainment included gladiator fighting and Roman Theater. Ancient Rome’s arts were greatly influenced on the art Ancient Greece. Sculpture played an important role on Roman daily life; they would symbol honor, power, and wealth. Homes of the Roman people were often filled with paintings called (frescos) which were directly painted on walls. Most of Ancient Rome’s culture and Arts has affected our modern world and daily life.