Archaeological Evidence

It is necessary to understand where Rome is situated in Central Italy to understand the background of the city. Rome is in a fertile area on the River Tiber and (as shown on the map on the left) on the border between the three countries that were situated in the middle of Italy in the 8th century BC. It would have been regarded as an important outpost by all three nations and a good site for trading.

The Latium people appear to be the first who got a foothold in Rome by building a settlement on the Palatine Hill. This settlement would have been a small village of straw huts consisting of farmers and shepherds. Over time they started to farm the flat land towards the Aventine and Caelian hills and at some stage a small defensive wall was built around the Palatine hill which has recently been rediscovered.

At some stage a Sabine settlement was founded on the Quirinal hill which quickly grew to be a similar size to the Latin settlement on the Palantine. 

Eventually the two hill towns started to compete for the fertile lands by the Tiber and after a number of wars. If the two town s were situated further apart it would have been possible for the two towns to remain separate but due to their close proximity to each other they were forced to be at constant war or to form an understanding. Eventually they chose to form an alliance and effectively became one city.

After the two tribes were united a citadel was built on the Capitoline hill and the space between the two towns was used as a common market place (forum) and a meeting place for the people (comitum) and a temple was built to Janus to watch over the two towns.

At some later stage a third settlement was made on the Caelian hill. This was probably a group of Latins who had been conquered although it is possible that they may have been Etruscans. Though the origin is uncertain they were soon involved in the Roman city and it was soon a single city state with common social, political, and religious institutions. Rome was now strong and able to compete successfully with its neighbours.