The Romans early establishment of empire over etruscans and Greeks

The history of the most powerful empery in the ancient world springs from a small village in central Italy . This unpretentious settlement would turn into a small metropolis , conquer and control ever growing territory until it transforms into a powerful Empire . It is apparent that the history of mighty Roman Empire had been scrupulously recorded by the contemporary historians however the history of a small village which has yet to evolve to the city which would rule the world , through time had dissolved into thin air . Even the reputable ancient Roman historians

such as Livy , Polybius , Diodorus wrote about the origin of Rome basing their narration only on legends . One of the most prominent Rome 's historians , Titus Livy , wrote the extended history of Roman affairs from the earliest times , which combines some facts and exuberant fictional s . The history of Rome , in the true sense of the word , receives little evidence from prehistoric archaeology , in fact , it is mainly based on legend but archeology reveals much as to the growth of civilization in Italy and the settlement in the peninsula of that `Italic ' race of which the Romans in due time became the ruling nation The legends , at the same time , provide evidence of what the Romans at various times thought about their own origins and how they liked to see themselves . That is why to gain at least an approximate picture of the Rome origin one may only resort to comparison between the legends written by the ancient historians and archaeological data

The archaeological evidence now available shows that one or more villages were established on the hills of Rome , including the Palatine from the end of the Bronze Age , c .1000 BC . These communities were similar to other hilltop settlements that have been identified throughout Latium Vetus , whose cemeteries provide evidence of a distinct form of material culture known as the cultura laziale (Cornell 1985-86 . In the earliest phases , 10th and 9th centuries BC , the settlements were small , isolated villages consisting of a few huts During the 8th and 7th centuries they grew in size and sophistication with the development of external trade , including contacts with the Greek world , specialized craft production , and the emergence of a wealthy aristocracy . At Rome the Palatine settlement expanded by 700 to include the forum valley and possibly the Quirinal hill , and the main cemetery moved from the forum to the Esquiline hill . Towards the end of the 7th century the forum was laid out as a public meeting place , and monumental buildings made their first appearance . At this point Rome was transformed into an organized city-state (Cornell , 1985-86

Being a frontier town on an important river crossing , Rome seems to have had a mixed population , including Sabines , Greeks and large numbers of Etruscans . Two of the kings were traditionally of Etruscan origin , but this does not mean that Rome was conquered by the Etruscans or that it became in any other sense an `Etruscan city . Although heavily influenced by contacts...