Geography The physical makeup of the Italian peninsula is much different from that of the Greek peninsula. As a result, geography influenced the lives of the Ancient Romans in a much different way than it did the Ancient Greeks. Two important geographical factors of the Italian peninsula stand out: Like the Greek peninsula the Italian peninsula has hills and mountains running through it but these hills and mountains were not nearly as rugged and difficult to pass as those of Greece. In addition the rivers that run through the Italian peninsula are relatively shallow and thus easy to cross. Due to these two factors the early settlers of the Peninsula turned inward, over land, for trade instead of to the sea like the Greeks. As a result most of the peoples of the Peninsula mixed together and there were no separate Italian city-states but a unified Roman Empire. Thus eventually all the peoples shared a common culture and government. In addition to the geography promoting a common culture and unity, the position of the Italian Peninsula jutting out into the middle of the Mediterranean sea made Rome vulnerable to attack but it also eventually allowed Rome to control all of the land that the Mediterranean touched and thus build a huge empire. At its height, the empire stretched from Great Britain in the north and Spain in the west, to North Africa in the south, and to present-day Iraq in the west.

 

Government: The Roman Republic Like the Greeks the Romans had a system of government where all citizens could participate in the government. However in Rome the citizens' participation was indirect and thus their government is called an indirect democracy or a republic.  Sometime around 450 BC, the Twelve Tables were engraved, listed all of the laws of the Roman republic.  This greatly helped the lower classes (plebians) to receive fairer treatment under the law.  The Roman republic has served as a model for many current-day governments, like our own.  Below is a chart that explains how a republic works and what role the citizens play.