Identifier: storyofancientna00west (find matches)
Title: The story of the ancient nations : a text-book for high schools
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Westermann, William Linn, 1873-1954
Subjects: History, Ancient
Publisher: New York : London : D. Appleton and Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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do not form an insurmountable barriereither against trade with the north, or against the marchof armies from or to the north. The Apennines do not cut Italy into isolated districts,as Greece was divided, for there are no spurs running fromeast to west. In consequence there was a much greaterpossibility of a political union in the Italian peninsula thanin Greece. The peninsula itself is a geographical unit, itsunity depending upon land routes rather than upon shipsand the sea. 315. The Italian Tribes.—At the time of the Greek coni-zation along the shores of southern Italy, when first we getan insight into the life of the peninsula, there were threedistinct races inhabiting it, the Etruscans, the Greeks ofsouthern Italy, and the Italian tribes. Among the manyItalian tribes, the Latins, dwelling about the Tiber River,proved themselves the most important in the ancient historyof Italy. We shall see how they gradually drew into theirown organization the Umbrians who inhabited the central
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Early Italy and its Important Peoples. ITALY: ITS PEOPLE AND EARLY HISTORY 249 part of the peninsula, and the tribes of the southern-centraland southern parts, of whom the Samnites, inhabiting themountainous regions of central Italy, formed the strongestelement. 316. Why the Latins Became Leaders in Italy. TheLatin tribes lived in close contact with the highly developedlife of the Etruscans to the north, while to the south, alongthe western coast of Italy, wen; the Greek colonies and theircivilized city life. The territory inhabited by the Latintribes extended along the south bank of the Tiber Riverfrom the mountains to the sea. The fad that the Tiberwas navigable for miles caused them to turn early to sea-faring and trade, through which they gained the advantagesof higher civilization more quickly than the other Italiantribes. Because Latium is a single plain the union of itscities was much more natural and easy to accomplish thanit would have been in a more mountainous and brokenreg

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