According to legend, the city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, both sons of the god of Mars and a Latin princess. In reality it was men not immortals who built the city, and chose the spot largely for both its strategic location and fertile soil.
Rome was built on seven rolling hills, near the center of the Italian peninsula. Rome was also near the midpoint of the Mediterranean Sea.
From 1000 to 500 B.C., the Latins, the Greeks, and the Etruscans battled for control of Rome. Although the Latins built the original settlement of Rome, only having clusters if wooden huts over the seven hills of Palatine Hill.
Roman Plains (Today)
Due to Rome having large plains, the majority of people were farmers. Also with the close reach of the Mediterranean Sea, people would use it as an advantage for fishing.
Somewhere between 750 and 600 B.C., the Greeks created colonies along southern Italy and Sicily, the cities became very commercially active, bringing Rome closer in contact with Greek.
Due to Rome's location, it gave them the easy access to the riches of the land ringing the Mediterranean Sea. Roman merchants moved by land and sea, allowing them to have the ability to easily trade with other cities. Rome would trade their wine and olive oil for materials such as raw materials, a variety of foods, and manufactured goods from other lands.
During Ancient times Rome was the first city to have a population of over one million, later decreasing during the fall of the Roman Empire during the fifth century.