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The Geography of Ancient Italy
Italy was the most important land in the western Mediterranean area. It is
very important to appreciate the the geography of this area for an appropriate
understanding of its history and to know for certain that it was destined to be
the home of a great civilization, just as Jerusalem, was destined to be the home
of a great king.
The North
On the north , Italy is, for the most part, protected by the tremendous
mountains known as the Alps, which acted as a barrier wall against the barbarians of
central Europe.
The West
In the western portion of Italy are large fertile plains which extend all the
way to the Sea.
The East
Along the eastern coast and running from north to south are the Apennine
mountains, which make the eastern part of Italy almost innaccessible. These
mountains divided the many peoples of Italy, not into many city-states as in Greece,
but into two classes: the poor, mountain tribes, and the wealthy plainsmen.
The Coast
Throughout Italy's 2000 miles of coastland, there are actually very few deep
bays and good harbors. If any decent ones did exist they were generally on the
south or western coasts.
Facing West
Geographically Italy and Rome faced west. This may be why the Romans turned an
early gaze upon Spain, Gaul, and Britain. Italy's central position was
extremely helpful in dominating the whole Mediterranean area once they had become
united as a single state.
The Nearby Islands
The island of Sicily was more or less a stepping stone to Africa and also
served to bring Rome into contact with the Orient.
Two other close islands, Sardinia and Corsica, have always followed Italy's
footsteps culturally, maybe because their rugged mountains limited economic
growth.
Central Italy and Its Resources
Italy and its nearby islands contained a wealth of natural resources such as
iron, copper, tin, gold, and silver. Building materials, including a variety of
stones and timber, were available.
The Climate
The climate, like other Mediterranean lands, had a nice mild temperature,
without extreme heat or cold weather for the most part.
All in all, Italy was endowed naturally with many of the essential ingredients
required for the development of a single civilization, and at an early age it
became a beautiful attraction to hordes of wanderers.
The History of Rome - Part One 743 - 136 B.C. © Bible History Online (http://www.bible-history.com) |