Monday December 5, 2011

1. Monday December 5, 2011

2. Starter: Using Geography Skills 1. Read, The Origins of Rome, Where Was Rome Located? And How did Rome Begin? pages 263 – 264 2. Study the Map, Italy, page 263 3. Answer the, Using Geography Skills, questions 4. Answer the Reading Check, Question, page 265 How did geography help the Romans prosper? 5. Turn in, you have 10 minutes

3. The Origins of Rome The civilization of Rome developed on the Italian peninsula, a long, boot-shaped piece of land in Europe, surrounded on three sides by water. To the north of Italy lies the rest of northern Europe. To the south, east, and west lay the seas.

4. The Origins of Rome On this small peninsula are two major mountain ranges: the lofty Alps, which extend from west to east along Italy’s northern border; and the Apennines, which stretch like a backbone down the length of Italy. Their peaks and hillsides cover most of the peninsula.

5. The Origins of Rome The small amount of Italy that is not mountainous is made up of high, rocky coastland or level plains. Several rivers, including the Po and the Tiber, flow through these areas to the sea.

6. The Origins of Rome Find the city of Rome on the map on the opposite page. You can see that it is located about midway down the peninsula, on the Tiber River and close to the sea.

7. The Origins of Rome This was a good place to found a city. Its hillside location made it easy to defend. It sat at the very point at which crossing the Tiber was easiest. Rome also lay on the route from the Apennine Mountains to the sea.

8. The Origins of Rome As you will learn in this unit, several different cultures converged in Rome. The Greeks, for example, settled nearby, on other parts of the peninsula.

9. The Roman Empire As the map shows, Rome gradually grew from a city into an empire that extended into Europe and parts of Africa and Asia

10. The Roman Empire Today, the legacy of ancient Rome lives on in the contributions it has made to western civilization—for example, in the modern culture of Western Europe and North America.

11. The Roman Empire In this unit, you will learn how Rome grew into an empire. You will also learn about Rome’s lasting influence on the world today.

13. 8. Consider the location of the Italian peninsula. How might this location have helped the Romans control trade in the Mediterranean region? 8. The Italian peninsula was centrally located in the Mediterranean region, which made it easier for the Romans to trade with other countries, as well as to transport armies and supplies.

14. 9. How might the mountain ranges of Italy have affected people’s lives in ancienttimes? 9. The altitude of the Alps would have made it difficult for people to interact with cultures in northern Europe. The Apennines would have made it difficult for people on Italy’s east coast to interact with those on the west coast. It is likely that the mountainous geography isolated individual communities in ancient Italy, allowing little contact with other Romans or other cultures. This would change as Roman technological advances made travel easier.

15. 10. Were the Romans more likely to choose a land or a water route to Spain? Explain your answer. 10. The Romans would have been more likely to choose a water route to Spain. A water route would have been much shorter, and stops to restock supplies could have been made at Sardinia and other islands along the way.

16. 11. At one time, the Romans avoided sea travel because the Italian peninsula had few good harbors. What evidence can you find to support the argument that this geographical drawback was eventually overcome? 11. The evidence lies in the expansion of the Roman Empire itself, eventually extending as far north as Britain, as far east as Spain, south to Africa, and west to Syria. It is unlikely that the Romans could have succeeded without sea travel.