It is widely known that Rome was one of the greatest ancient civilizations on the Mediterranean. However, one might ask how it got there. What set the small settlements in Rome apart from the others? What put Rome in particular in a place where it could succeed as much as it did? The answer, among other things, is geography. Its place in the Mediterranean sea, its rich volcanic soil, and its protective mountains all gave it an extreme advantage when it started to expand. For that reason, one can conclude that Rome’s geography contributed to its rise to power. First, the Alps and Apennine mountains gave Rome seclusion from land attacks. The Alps provided a deadly fence between the rest of what is today Europe and the Italian peninsula, as
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Rome resides in the middle of the Italian peninsula, which in turn resides in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, the ideal place for trading in the ancient world. This let Rome forcefully wedge itself into trade routes going through the western Mediterranean, and later, the whole sea. Thus, trade could provide all of the goods that the agriculture couldn’t. Not only that, but the diversity in trade from all over the Mediterranean world brought new and extensive cultures to Rome. Because Rome established so many trade routes, other civilizations became dependant on Rome to buy their goods. That was obviously good for Roman conquering, because they already had other civilizations at their fingertips. Also, later Romans used trade routes as military routes, which helped Rome obtain more land. In conclusion, Rome’s geography made it uniquely capable of conquering the Mediterranean world. Its mountains allowed it protection, its soil allowed it agriculture, and its location allowed it to flourish outside of the city. Rome got to its peak because, combined with a capability to succeed, it had an extreme advantage with its location. Who knows, maybe if Rome hadn’t been where it was, Carthage would still exist and the United States would be a
Rome resides in the middle of the Italian peninsula, which in turn resides in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, the ideal place for trading in the ancient world. This let Rome forcefully wedge itself into trade routes going through the western Mediterranean, and later, the whole sea. Thus, trade could provide all of the goods that the agriculture couldn’t. Not only that, but the diversity in trade from all over the Mediterranean world brought new and extensive cultures to Rome. Because Rome established so many trade routes, other civilizations became dependant on Rome to buy their goods. That was obviously good for Roman conquering, because they already had other civilizations at their fingertips. Also, later Romans used trade routes as military routes, which helped Rome obtain more land. In conclusion, Rome’s geography made it uniquely capable of conquering the Mediterranean world. Its mountains allowed it protection, its soil allowed it agriculture, and its location allowed it to flourish outside of the city. Rome got to its peak because, combined with a capability to succeed, it had an extreme advantage with its location. Who knows, maybe if Rome hadn’t been where it was, Carthage would still exist and the United States would be a