05/13/2016
Rome originally was a small town on the banks of the Tiber River, Rome grew in size and strength, early on, through trade. The location of the city provided merchants with an easily navigable waterway on which to traffic their goods.Greek culture and civilization, which came to Rome from Greek colonies to the south, provided the early Romans with way to build their own culture. From the Greeks they borrowed literacy and religion as well as the fundamentals of architecture. The Etruscans, to the north, provided a place for trade. Etruria was also well set for trade and the early Romans learned the skills of trade from by the Etruscans who were in the area around Rome. Early on, the Romans showed a talent for borrowing and improving upon the skills and concepts of other cultures. The Kingdom of Rome grew rapidly from a trading town to a prosperous city between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. The ruling class in Rome called themselves Optimates or “the best men” while the lower classes, were known as the Populares or “the people”. In general, the Optimates held with traditional political and social values which favored the power of the Senate of Rome and the superiority of the ruling class. The Populares, favored reform and democratic side of the Roman Republic.
Early forms of the Roman religion believed that spirits were in everything around them, even people included. The first citizens of Rome also believed they were watched over by the spirits of their ancestors before them. Because of the Greek colonies, the Romans adopted many of the Greek gods as their own. Religion and myth merged and became one. Under Greek influence, the Roman gods became more human, with characteristics of jealousy, love, hate, etc. In Rome individual expression of belief was unimportant, strict disciple to a rigid set of rituals was far more significant, therefore
