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Latin League
The Italian people, in the early centuries of the first millennium BC, found
themselves surrounded by various new invaders. At first the Italians occupied
the center of the peninsula, but later they separated into two main divisions.
The so-called "highlanders" took the central and eastern portions. The Latins, or "lowlanders," dwelt in the west. Because of their relations with the
Etruscans, the Latins became more thoroughly civilized than the highlanders. It
wasn't long before their settlements grew into cities, and these became
city-states. Although these city-states were independent, they were bound together by the
necessity of defending themselves against the Etruscans and other enemies.
Early in the first millennium BC the Latins formed what was known as the Latin
League.
The History of Rome - Part One 743 - 136 B.C. © Bible History Online (http://www.bible-history.com) |