Ancient Rome grew, in the eighth century B.C., from a small town into one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. On the Tiber River in central Italy it grew until it comprised of a large portion of today’s Europe including Britain, parts of Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean islands. The Romans are the reason why the Romance languages are so widespread such as Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese which are all derived from Latin, and created the modern calendar and Western alphabet. They also are the reason Christianity has become one of the world’s most popular religions. The City of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by legend has it, Romulus and Remus, Mars’ twin sons and the god of war. The brothers grew up and defeated the
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What is special about Rome is that in comparison to other Italian cities, it was built on relatively low ground rather than on typical high grounds of other regions. The Pantheon marks the lowest point in the city being 13 metres above sea level, the highest being Monte Mario hill at 120 metres above sea level. Rome’s location has less in common with Ancient Pompeii and more in common with Ancient Etruscan cities that like Rome, relied on their access to the sea for trade. Rome’s proximity to the water is what explains the low height above sea level. Of importance is the Tiber river and its meandering bends that consisted of many marshes and wet lands. The marshes caused the first inhabitants to gather on the steep hillsides that had been affected by erosion. The area has volcanic origins that made the soil naturally rich in many minerals and water springs. The hills in Rome were made up largely by tufa rock that looks like a spongey rock. These stones were widely used for Ancient Roman buildings and construction projects, the most obvious to build foundations. Even the earliest walls of the city up to modern day constructions are made of this rock. This rock was most often found in the north side of the city (Milani-Santarpia
What is special about Rome is that in comparison to other Italian cities, it was built on relatively low ground rather than on typical high grounds of other regions. The Pantheon marks the lowest point in the city being 13 metres above sea level, the highest being Monte Mario hill at 120 metres above sea level. Rome’s location has less in common with Ancient Pompeii and more in common with Ancient Etruscan cities that like Rome, relied on their access to the sea for trade. Rome’s proximity to the water is what explains the low height above sea level. Of importance is the Tiber river and its meandering bends that consisted of many marshes and wet lands. The marshes caused the first inhabitants to gather on the steep hillsides that had been affected by erosion. The area has volcanic origins that made the soil naturally rich in many minerals and water springs. The hills in Rome were made up largely by tufa rock that looks like a spongey rock. These stones were widely used for Ancient Roman buildings and construction projects, the most obvious to build foundations. Even the earliest walls of the city up to modern day constructions are made of this rock. This rock was most often found in the north side of the city (Milani-Santarpia