Geography, Part 1 - The City of Rome

Next up, the recruiter wants to check Decimus' understanding of the world. Decimus will need to demonstrate his knowledge of Roman geography.

Your challenge is to review the important geographical features of Rome, Italy and throughout the Mediterranean world. Being the son of a wealthy merchant, Decimus would be very familiar with trade routes throughout the Roman world.

Pay close attention to the bold words below.

Roma

Tradition says that the city of Rome was founded in 753 BCE by Romulus on the Palatine Hill. Rome is composed of seven hills to the east of the Tiberis river and the Campus Martius, a low-lying plain used for military training.

Historical Note: whether Romulus was a real historical figure or not is debatable, but the Romans believed he was a descendant of the Trojan hero, Aeneas. This conveniently linked the Roman people to the goddess Venus, who was Aeneas' mother in the mythical history of the Trojan War. Later in Roman history, Gaius Julius Caesar, the (in)famous Roman dictator, claimed to be descended from Aeneas and so claimed that his family was connected directly to the gods.

The seven hills of Rome:

Aventine Hill
Caelian Hill
Capitoline Hill
Esquiline Hill
Palatine Hill
Quirinal Hill
Viminal Hill

Additional Notes on the Hills:

In mythology, Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf (lupa) on the Palatine Hill, which is why Romulus wished to build the city center there. It was the location of imperial palaces.
The Capitoline Hill served as a citadel for the earliest Romans. It was also home to the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus.
Remus, twin brother to Romulus, wished to build the main city center on the Aventine Hill.

A map showing ancient Italy.

Italia

For a larger version of the map, please click the link Ancient Italy Map.

The peninsula of Italy is surrounded by several seas: the Tyrrhenum Mare, the Internum Mare (the Mediterranean Sea), the Hadriaticum Mare and to the north, the mountain range, the Alpes Montes. The Appenninus Mons, an additional mountain range, serves as the backbone of Italy running the length of the peninsula.

Roma, located in the region called Latium along the western coast of Italy, was the capital city. To the north of Roma, is the region called Etruria. This region was originally inhabited by the ancient Etruscans. The coastal city, Ostia, was Rome's major seaport. To the south of Rome is the region called Campania. Campania was originally settled by the ancient Greeks and was valued by the Romans for its fertile countryside. Campania is home to the cities Pompeii and Herculaneum. Vesuvius Mons, a mountain that the Romans did not know to be a volcano until its eruption in 79 CE, is also found in Campania. Ancient travelers wishing to sail east would depart from Brundisium, a port city located along the Hadriaticum Mare in southern Italy.

Three islands can also be found near Italia. Carthage surrendered both Corsica and Sardinia to Roman control after the First Punic War. Sicilia is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicilia was Rome's first province outside the Italian peninsula. The active volcano, Aetna Mons, is located on the island.

Italia Geography Practice