Rome was founded in 753 BCE on one of the seven hills along the Tiber River. The river helped Rome flourish. It provided a 10 km travel route to the sea and because the river was so shallow near Rome, it allowed the merchants to travel across the river freely. Rome's location on the banks of the Tiber River meant that people could travel easily to and from the sea. People traded along the river and with sea-going traders from other parts of the Mediterranean.
The river also made it difficult for attackers to travel to Rome from the sea and the steep hills upon which Rome was built served as natural protection against attacks by land. The hills made it hard for invaders to approach the city unseen. The hillsides could be seen from the city, and the hilltops served as lookout points
The land here is also flat and fertile, unlike the land in other parts of Italy. The climate is warm, with plentiful rainfall. It is ideal for farming. However, as the population of Rome grew, it became difficult to feed everyone, as there wasn't enough level farmland nearby. And when the hillsides were cleared for farming, the topsoil and nutrients washed away. Fortunately Rome's military victories brought her more land, which could be farmed to feed Rome's citizens.
Rome's location was important not just for its natural advantages. It also placed the Romans between two ancient civilizations: the Etruscan civilization to the north and the Greek civilization to the south and southeast. The Romans saw the value of taking the best ideas from these and other peoples and adapting them to their own use.
The Etruscans were the wealthy trading people who had cleared the forests and begun farming in the area north of Rome. The Romans copied and developed their great engineering and artistic skills. In very early times the Etruscans had ruled the Romans. They taught the Romans their techniques for making everything from wine and olive oil to ships and aqueducts. The Roman people despised their Etruscan rulers, however, for being cruel and greedy. They finally overthrew these rulers in 509 BCE.
The Etruscans were farmers, traders, and warriors. They were also fine engineers who built aqueducts and harbours, and constructed walled cities. They also drained the marshes around Rome, making settlement there possible in the first place. To do this the Etruscans dug an enormous ditch called the Cloaca Maxima, or the Great Sewer. The Romans learned these skills from the Etruscans and put them to good use as their own empire expanded.
The Romans also learned from the Greeks, who had many settlements south of Rome on the Italian peninsula. The Romans used many Greek innovations, including Greek art and architecture, and even the Greek alphabet. They admired the Greeks' love of knowledge and excellence, and often brought Greeks to Rome to work as teachers. Most important, the Romans modelled their system of government and law on the democratic ideas of the Greeks.
The Greeks, who had settled in colonies along the southern coast of Italy as early as the 8th century, also brought their culture with them. As Roman civilization expanded, much of the Greek culture was absorbed by the Roman invaders. From the Greeks the Romans learnt fundamental skills such as reading, writing, and religion.