Ancient Italy and the rise of Rome

Italy is a boot-shaped peninsula stretching into the middle of the Mediterranean, cut lengthwise by the Apennine mountains. Its climate is mild and its soil fertile, so farming, vineyards and olive groves developed. At the start of the 1st millennium BCE Latins, Etruscans and other tribes lived here. The Etruscans of the north-west formed a union of twelve city-states, mined iron and copper and traded by sea; the Romans learned much from them, including some rituals and building methods. There are various guesses about the origin of the name “Italy”. Rome arose around seven hills by the Tiber river; by tradition it was founded by Romulus in 753 BCE. According to legend, Romulus and his twin Remus were nursed by a she-wolf, which is why the She-wolf became the symbol of Rome. The legend is not a historical document, while archaeology shows the city grew gradually. By tradition Rome was first ruled by kings; the last, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled after popular anger, and the republic was proclaimed in 509 BCE.