Rome's history starts with the birth of Romulus and Remus, twins born of a Greek god and a human woman. The twins founded Rome in 753BC, Romulus built his settlement on the Palatine Hill, while Remus choose the Aventine. Jealous of his brother's work, Remus ridiculed it by jumping over Romulous' unfinished wall. In a rage Romulous killed his brother and vowed, "so will die whoever else shall leap over my walls."

Rome was very fortunate to have their location; it was much more yielding than that of there neighbors the Greeks. First of all, the Apennine Mountains, which break off from the Alps, provided ample protection from northern invasions. The land proved to be very fertile and full of valuable resources. Another positive aspect was the mountainous regions were not so spread apart as to prevent political unity. The Tiber River provided Rome with a water supply and at the same time, the seven hills provided protection from the flooding of the river.

The Etruscans were indigenous to Italy, so many of there customs were carried on to Roman culture. Th

This was even more of a problem because of the fact that only landowners should only serve in the army. Tiberius Gracchus saw that this was a problem and proposed that the public land be given to the poor in small lots. His reform ran into trouble for a number of reasons. His reform bill angered many wealthy aristocrats who had annexed the land for themselves. He introduced his bill in the concilium plebis without consulting the senate. He also appropriated the funds to finance his reforms, another slap in the face of the senate. Many powerful Romans became suspicious of Tiberous' growing influence, some even feared that he aimed for tyranny. As a result, a large body of senators killed Tiberous in cold blood.

Two courses of action were open for returning legionaries, either rebuild as their forefathers had, or they could sell their holdings. The wars had made some men very rich and these men wanted to invest their wealth in land. They bought up small farms to create huge estates, which are called latifundia.

This left most veterans looking for work. Veterans began to migrate to Rome in search of employment. Although some found work, most were left unemployed. This was because of the abundance of slave labor. Even when work was available, slave labor kept wages low. Slums became to pop up all over Rome and homelessness became a problem.

As Roman life went on, so did the acquisition of new territories. Caesar was battling the Gauls to the north and Crassus, the Parthians in Mesopotamia. The problem arose when Crassus died, leaving the true political power divided between Pompey and Caesar. Caesar, seeing an opening, withdrew his troops and headed back for Rome. After crossing the Rubicon River, Caesar finally defeated Pompey in 45BC.

Rome is a republic, which is a forma of democracy characterized by elected officials representing the public. The early republic relied on social divisions to shape politics. The political power rested in the hands of the patrician, or upper class, wealthy landowners. They monopolized the affairs of the state, military leadership, and the knowledge of law and legal procedures. The plebeians, or lower class, add little, even none of the political advantages of the patricians.

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Approximate Word count = 2256
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)