According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who were sons of Mars, the God of War, and were raised by a she-wolf. The actually city itself was built on a seried of hills located next to Tiber River, making it a great location for for growing food, while being an easily defensible location.
Officially the city of Rome was founded by a group of people known as the Latins, which is also the name of the language that they spoke, around 1500 B.C. The Latins were herders and farmers, and turned from a small village into a large city while being ruled by the Etruscans, another group of people who settled in Italy, just north of where Rome was founded, and the Latins adopted alot of the Etruscan culture, including wearing togas and short cloaks. The Latins overthrew the last Etruscan king in 509 B.C., and went on to establish a Republic, which is a form of government where the leaders of the country are voted into power by the citizens of the country. This would be the first step the Romans would take to becoming one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. |