Rome

    Today in class we started talking about Rome. First, we talked about the people who settled Rome. The Etruscans came from the north- central part of the peninsula. They were metalworkers, artists, and architects. There were two foundation myths. First, Virgil's Aeneid where Aeneid escapes Troy. The other myth was twin brother's Romulus and Remus who were abandoned and raised by she-wolf's. As they grew, they wanted to decide which hill to start Rome on. Romulus wanted Palatine and Remus wanted Aventine. The Greeks had many colonies around the Mediterranean. Romans borrowed many ideas from the Greeks such as religious beliefs, the alphabet, their art, and military techniques. The Latins were descendants of Indo- Europeans and settled on the banks of the Tiber River. They were at a spot where trading ships could come, but not get through the Tiber. It was a commercial port, but they were almost safe from attacks. Tarquin the Proud's grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima which drained water from a marshy are into the Tiber River.