Who were the people of ancient Rome?

Answer 1

The people of ancient Rome were a mixture of Latins and Etruscans. You could loosely say that they were the ancestors of modern Italians.

It is highly likely that there were some Etruscans who lived in early Rome. This would not surprising as they were next door neighbours and Rome traded with them. However, the notion that there was a large Etruscan population or that Rome came under Etruscan domination for a period of time is a myth created by historians in the 60s and 70s devoid of any evidence and which is getting more and more discredited.

The Romans themselves saw themselves as originating from a fusion between Latins and Sabines which followed the abduction of the Sabine women. Legend has it that the Romans kidnapped some Sabine women to marry them to Romans as they were short of women. The Sabine king, Titus Tatius, then attacked Rome, but made peace, settled with his Sabines on the Quirinal Hill and the Viminal Hill and became co-king with Romulus for five years. Several patrician clans claimed Sabine origins. Rome is said to have had two Sabine kings (besides Titus Tatius).

The Romans cannot be said to be the ancestors of modern Italians as there were more than 20 Italic peoples in pre-Roman Italy and the Latins were only a small people. The Romans did, however, Latinise most of the Italics after they took over Italy.

Answer 2

Well.... they were roman and not so ancient at the time...