The natural landscape of Rome

Overview of Rome

• Rome is the main object of interest for this lesson.

• It has a long history, famously stated that "Rome was not built in a day."

• The city officially began with centralized political power in the mid-8th century BC.

• Located in a favorable natural landscape along the western coast of Italy, in the Mediterranean basin.

Geographic Context

• The region includes modern Tuscany, Latium, and Campania.

• Ancient Latium was inhabited by the Latin people, with Rome as a Latin city.

• Described as a floodplain along the River Tiber, bordered by the Tyrrhenian coast and the Alban Hills.

Earliest Inhabitants

• First inhabitants: Siculi, later displaced by the Aborigines.

• Aborigines traveled down the Tiber and into the Alban Hills.

• Roman tradition says they were divided into 30 districts;

• Notable settlements include Alba Longa, a key site near the Alban Lake.

Settlement Patterns

• The area saw the presence of various populations known as "popoli," including Latinenses, Velienses, and Queer Queteulani.

• Archaeological evidence suggests habitation in small villages dating back to the Bronze Age (11th century BC).

• Settlement patterns indicate a community along the river due to its strategic location for crossing and communication.

Archaeological Evidence

• Various archaeological finds from the Bronze Age can be found near the Capitoline Hill, indicating early settlements.

• Key sites included Saturnia (on the left bank) and Llanos (on the right bank of the Tiber).

• By the late Bronze to early Iron Age, the inhabited area expanded, and the burial sites started to move outside the living areas.

The Founding of Rome

• According to myth, Rome was founded by Romulus in a pastoral area near Alba Longa.

• In reality, there were earlier settlements like Septimontium, which existed prior to what we recognize as Rome.

• Settlement transitioned from dispersed villages to a more centralized urban structure during the Iron Age.

Expansion and Urbanization

• By the 9th century BC, two significant settlement nuclei evolved across the Seven Hills of Rome.

• The area spanned 200 hectares across important hills (Palatine, Quirinal, Aventine) but the Aventine was not fully incorporated until later.

• Evidence of political governance and organized cult spaces emerged by the mid-8th century BC.

Structure of Early and Later Rome

• The 6th century BC saw the growth of a more fortified city with a sacred boundary known as the pomerium, outlined in red on maps.

• By the end of the 1st century BC, under Augustus, the city expanded significantly both in population (over 1,000,000) and structure.

• Divided into 14 regions, Rome became a true metropolis, representing pinnacle urban life of its time.

Decline of Rome

• By the 3rd century AD, economic and demographic crises struck, prompting the construction of new defensive walls as fear of invasion grew.

• The green area in maps represents land enclosed by these later imperial walls, with the abandoned white areas marking less defensible regions.

• The city saw a drastic decline in population between the 5th and 6th centuries AD.

Conclusion

• The evolution of Rome reflects complex layers of historical, political, and cultural development.

• Understanding these transformations helps appreciate the rich history and landscape of ancient Rome.