Western Civ blog 48

Today on our online western civ class we had to take notes on the first eight slides of the study guide. Etruscans settled in Rome. They came from north-central part of the peninsula. They were metalworkers, artists, architects. The Greeks also settled in Rome. Greeks had many colonies around the Mediterranean Sea. Romans borrowed ideas from them, such as religious beliefs, alphabet, much of their art, and military techniques and weaponry. But the Latins were the first to settle in Rome. They were descendants of Indo-Europeans. They settled on the banks of the Tiber. Latins situated so trading ships, but not war fleets, could navigate as far as Rome, but no further than that. A commercial port, but not susceptible to attack. And the built on seven hills. The Tiber river was very important because many streams flowed into it. There was a marshy area called the Forum. It was between Palatine and Capitoline Hills.Tarquin the Proud’s grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima, which was the largest ancient drain. It channeled water into the Tiber. Urban legend says Washington DC was built on a swamp, but only about 2% was actually swampland. However, Constitution Avenue is located on what used to be called Tiber Creek. Lucius Tarquinias Superbus was the seventh and final king of Rome. He was known as Tarquin the Proud, sometimes referred to as Tarquin the Arrogant. He was a true tyrant, in the old and modern sense of the word.