Western Civilization

peoples had also settled in Italy, the two most nota-

ble being the Greeks and the Etruscans (i-TRUSS-

kunz). The Greeks arrived on the Italian peninsula in

large numbers during the age of Greek colonization

(750–550B.C.E.; see Chapter 3). Initially, the Greeks

settled in southern Italy and gradually migrated

around the coast and up the peninsula as far as Brin-

disi. They also occupied the eastern two-thirds of

Sicily. Ultimately, the Greeks had considerable influ-

ence on Rome, at first indirectly through the Etrus-

cans, and then, after the Romans conquered southern

Italy and Sicily, through direct contact with the

Romans. They cultivated olives and grapes, passed on

their alphabetic system of writing, and provided

artistic and cultural models through their sculpture,

architecture, and literature. Indeed, many historians

view Roman culture as a continuation of Greek

culture.

The Etruscans

The initial development of Rome was influenced most

by the Etruscans, who had settled north of Rome in

Etruria. The origins of the Etruscans are not clear, but

many historians believe that recent DNA analysis has

confirmed the theory of the ancient Greek historian

Herodotus (see Chapter 3) that the Etruscans emi-

grated from the region of Lydia (now western Turkey).

After 650B.C.E., the Etruscans expanded in Italy and

became the dominant cultural and economic force in a

number of areas. To the north, they moved into north-

central Italy, including the Po Valley. To the south,

according to Roman tradition and archaeological evi-

dence, they controlled Rome and possibly all of Latium.

From Latium they moved south and came into direct

conflict with Greek colonists in southern Italy. In the

sixth centuryB.C.E., the Etruscans were at the height of

Adriatic

Sea

Tyrrhenian

Sea

Ionian

Sea

Mediterranean

Sea

Corsica

Sardinia

Sicily

Rome

Veii

Tarentum

Messana

Naples

Cumae

Brindisi

Thurii

Syracuse

Carthage

(^) Po (^)
(^) R.
A
lp
s
(^) Ap
en
ni
ne
(^)
M
ts.
ETRURIA
GAUL
ILLYRIA
LATIUM
MAGNA
GRAECIA
(GREATER
GREECE)
Capua
(^) SA
MN
ITES
(^) SA
BI
NE
S
(^) C
AM
PA
NIA
Tiber
R.
Rubicon
R.
0 100 200 Miles
0 100 200 300 Kilometers
MAP 5.1Ancient Italy.Ancient
Italy was home to several
peoples. Both the Etruscans in
the north and the Greeks in the
south had a major influence on
the development of Rome.
Q Once Rome had
conquered the Etruscans,
Sabines, Samnites, and
other local groups, what
aspects of the Italian
peninsula helped make it
defensible against outside
enemies?
96 Chapter 5 The Roman Republic
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