This is the History of the World Podcast with me Chris Hasler

And you're listening to volume three, the classical world

episode 49

The Battle of the Milvian Bridge. So, The citizens of Rome overthrew their Etruscan monarchy late in the 6th century

B.C. and then they would proceed to document the origin of their great city by claiming it to be founded by Romulus during the 8th century B.C.

But we can feel confident that a settlement existed here from before this time and

certainly we believe it could have been continuously occupied since the second

millennium B.C.CE. We can even suggest settlement among the seven

hills of Rome many thousands of years before classical Rome but it might not have been continuous.

If we consider that the hills of Rome would have provided a good defensible position on the

Tyber River, then we can have a good

understanding about why this was an attractive location for a settlement.

Cultural influences would have come from multiple sources with the

italic Latins having settled the area around Rome in the centuries preceding

its suggestive foundation, coupled with the migration

of the Etruscan's southwards into the area and the scattered appearances of Greek migrants in and around the lands of the Turinian

Sea.

With the emergence of interpretable script we can obtain more clues about the nature of Rome as it broke away from the shackles of Etruscan

dominance and started to carve out its own identity. Firstly by gaining influence over

the neighbouring Latin settlements

before pushing back against the Etruscan's

although its road to becoming the dominant city that we know it to have become

...