2. 1. Read, The Origins of Rome, Where Was Rome
Located? And How did Rome Begin? pages 263 –
264
2. Study the Map, Italy, page 263
3. Answer the, Using Geography Skills, questions
4. Answer the Reading Check, Question, page 265
How did geography help the Romans prosper?
5. Turn in, you have 10 minutes

3. The Origins of Rome
The civilization of Rome
developed on the Italian
peninsula, a long, boot-
shaped piece of land in
Europe, surrounded on
three sides by water.
To the north of Italy lies the
rest of northern Europe. To
the south, east, and west
lay the seas.

4. The Origins of Rome
On this small peninsula
are two major mountain
ranges: the lofty Alps,
which extend from west
to east along Italy’s
northern border; and
the Apennines, which
stretch like a backbone
down the length of Italy.
Their peaks and hillsides
cover most of the
peninsula.

5. The Origins of Rome
The small amount of
Italy that is not
mountainous is made up
of high, rocky coastland
or level plains.
Several rivers, including
the Po and the Tiber,
flow through these
areas to the sea.

6. The Origins of
Rome
Find the city of
Rome on the map
on the opposite
page.
You can see that it
is located about
midway down the
peninsula, on the
Tiber River and
close to the sea.

7. The Origins of Rome
This was a good place to
found a city. Its hillside
location made it easy to
defend. It sat at the very
point at which crossing
the Tiber was easiest.
Rome also lay on the
route from the
Apennine Mountains to
the sea.

8. The Origins of Rome
As you will learn in this
unit, several different
cultures converged in
Rome.
The Greeks, for
example, settled
nearby, on other parts
of the peninsula.

9. The Roman
Empire
As the map
shows, Rome
gradually grew
from a city into
an empire that
extended into
Europe and
parts of Africa
and Asia

10. The Roman
Empire
Today, the legacy
of ancient Rome
lives on in the
contributions it
has made to
western
civilization—for
example, in the
modern culture
of Western
Europe and
North America.

11. The Roman
Empire
In this unit, you
will learn how
Rome grew into
an empire. You
will also learn
about Rome’s
lasting influence
on the world
today.

13. 8. Consider the location of the Italian peninsula.
How might this location have helped the Romans
control trade in the Mediterranean region?
8. The Italian peninsula was centrally located in
the Mediterranean region, which made it easier
for the Romans to trade with other countries,
as well as to transport armies and supplies.

14. 9. The altitude of the Alps would have made it
difficult for people to interact with cultures in
northern Europe.
The Apennines would have made it difficult for people
on Italy’s east coast to interact with those on the west
coast.
It is likely that the mountainous geography isolated
individual communities in ancient Italy, allowing little
contact with other Romans or other cultures. This would
change as Roman technological advances made travel
easier.

15. 10. The Romans would have been more likely
to choose a water route to Spain.
A water route would have been much shorter,
and stops to restock supplies could have been
made at Sardinia and other islands along the
way.

16. What evidence can you find to support the argument
that this geographical drawback was eventually
overcome?
11. The evidence lies in the expansion of the Roman
Empire itself, eventually extending as far north as
Britain, as far east as Spain, south to Africa, and west
to Syria. It is unlikely that the Romans could have
succeeded without sea travel.