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Roman Geography
Roman Geography
Geographic elements:
•peninsula
•Mediterranean location
•geographic layout of
peninsula
•mountains
•land use of peninsula
•population layout
•climate
•rivers
•volcanoes
Central Mediterranean:
• location, location, location:
1. central position was extremely helpful in
dominating the whole Mediterranean area
a. trade
b. military
The West:
Plains:
large fertile plains which extend all the way to the
sea
Facing West
•geographically Rome and Italy faced west
•early interest in Spain, Gaul, Northern Africa and
Britain
The North:
The Alps:
•Italian peninsula protected by the mountains
•barrier wall against the barbarians of central Europe
• Gauls
• Hannibal/Second Punic War
The East
Apennine Mountains:
•along the eastern coast, running from north to
south
•make the eastern part of Italy almost
inaccessible
•divided many peoples of Italy into two
classes:
1. poor, mountain tribes
2. wealthy plainsmen
The Coast:
•2,000 miles of coastland
•few deep bays and good harbors
1. generally on the south or western coasts
Central Italy:
Resources:
•peninsula and its nearby islands contained a wealth
of natural resources
•iron, copper, tin, gold, and silver
•building materials were available
•variety of stone and timber
The Nearby Islands:
•Sicily:
•stepping stone to Africa
The Nearby Islands:
Sardinia and Corsica:
•followed Rome's footsteps culturally
Etruscans:
culture:
mysticism
sculpture
social organization
sporting events
architecture
engineering
government
metalworking
Greece:
culture:
pottery
science
theatre
writing
coinage
monumental building
mythology
philosophy
The Climate:
•climate is diverse
•ranges from frigid alpine regions in the north to
semitropical in the south
•climate can be characterized as Mediterranean
•hot, dry summers
•cool rainy winters (cold and snowy in the Alps)
Roman Geography
Rivers:
Po
Tiber
Rubicon
Rhine
Danube
Volcanoes:
-Mount Vesuvius
-Mount Etna
Geography and Roman Culture
Geographic Element:
• mountains: Alps, Apenines----natural barriers, protect
from invasion, defense but did not isolate
• rivers/valleys: Po, Tiber-----trade from the sea to
inland areas, military transport/supply, river valley
advantages/disadvantages, agricultural production of
food surplus
• ocean/sea: Mediterranean, Adriatic-----fishing, trade,
military transport
Geography and Roman Culture
Geographic Element:
• central Mediterranean location: 50 miles from
Greece, 2 miles from Sicily, Sicily 100 miles from
Africa, short ship voyage to Spain and France
• peninsula: Combined the advantages of the plains
and the seas
• volcanic soil/plains: Volcanic soil produced variety of
foods, plains produced food surplus
Geography and Roman Culture
Geographic Element:
• climate: Mediterranean, farming—grapes, olives,
grains such as wheat
• natural resources: Metal ores, building materials—
stone, timber
Geography and Roman Culture
Impact:
Early Roman Culture:
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