What advantage did Rome's location beside the Tiber River provide?

Answer 1

It lied next to the only Ford on the river ,just south of the Tiberine Island, which made the city the main north-south communication point in the area. It was further downstream of her big rival, the Etruscan city of Veii, which gave her better control of the river and its navigation. There were several hills. Settlements on hill were favoured because hills are easier to defend. The city was the result of the union between several settlements on the hills. This topography helped to accommodate a large population in a defensible area as the city grew. It had good access to drinking water. It had easy access to rocks that could be used as building materials. It had a valley between the some of the hills that came to be used as a city centre.

Answer 2

What was most useful in the early days of Rome was that she lied by the only ford on the river Tiber. Since this river run from the Apennines Mountains to the sea, this location made early Rome the main north-south communication point in the region, which was useful for trade. When Rome became more engaged in sea trade, the Tiber provided a navigable link with the sea. The third king of Rome (Ancus Marcius), built a port on the river (Portus Tiberinus) in the 5th century BC. The Romans built a port at Ostia, on the coast, by the mouth of the river (Ostia in Latin means mouth) probably in the 3rd century BC. Large ships which sailed across the Mediterranean unloaded their goods here. The goods were then loaded on smaller ships which reached Rome by sailing up the Tiber. This was vital to secure the massive amount of imports which Rome needed to supply his large population.

Answer 3

In the early days of Rome the advantages of her location were that she was in a hilly area (the Seven Hills of Rome). People liked to live on hills because they were easier to defend from raids; the local volcanic rocks provided good building material. The city was on the only ford on the river Tiber which crossed the region in an east-west direction from the mountain chain of the Apennines to the coast, which made the Rome main north-south communication point in the region. The river Tiber provided a navigable route to the coast, which was 16 miles to the west. Rome's closeness to the Apennine Mountains made it easier to bring water for these mountains by building aqueducts when with her population growth the demand for water exceeded the local supply. The disadvantage was that Rome was surrounded by several peoples who often attacked her and she often had to defend herself on more than one front.

When Rome expanded into central and southern Italy and became the major military power in the Mediterranean, Italy's position was advantageous. Italy lies in between the eastern and western basins of the Mediterranean, which made it easier to fight in both of these basins and to control both. During the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) between Rome and Carthage, her big rival in the western Mediterranean, Rome was also able to fight a war in Greece (in the eastern Mediterranean) at the same time. In the Third Punic War, Rome destroyed Carthage, which was in Tunisia. In the same year (146 BC) she also annexed mainland Greece.

Answer 4

ancient Rome's location on the Tiber was good because it guarded an easy crossing which gave the Romans access to other parts of Italy. Also, they were safe from pirate attacks because their seaport was 15 miles away at Ostia. If a band of pirates would be so foolish to come up the Tiber, the Romans would be waiting for them. This security gave trade goods easy, safe access to the city.