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: