Italy préromaine

The territory corresponding aujord' today to Italy was populated in a continuous way lasting the Préhistoire and the Protohistoire, since the Paléolithique inferior to the foundation of the Roman Monarchie.

Prehistory

The first clear indices of human presence in Italy date from the Paléolithique inferior, there is approximately 500 000 years.

With the wire of the millenia, the alternation of moderate periods and periods glacial caused important climate changes and geographical. During the cold periods, the isle of Elba and the Sicily were in particular connected to the Péninsule. The sea was indeed on a level lower than it is not currently and thus much more in withdrawal; the Adriatic Sea was almost entirely exondée. The climate was wetter.

The presence of the Homme of Néandertal is attested with the Paléolithique means, there is approximately 50 000 years, in particular by the fossil of the Cave Guattari on the Mount Circé. The lithic Industrie Moustérien is not also present in many sites such as the Breuil cave, the cave of Fumane, San Bernardino or the Mochi shelter.

The Homo sapiens arrives on the Italian territory at the Paléolithique superior: the Aurignacien is documented in particular in Fumane there is approximately 34 000 years. At the end of the Paleolithic one, the sea level assembles and recovers the vastness of the plains. The climate changes, the vegetation and the animal species too.

Protohistoire

Attested in Ligurie, in the alpine valleys the such Valley Camonica where are found rupestral thousands of graffiti , in all the peninsula and the islands as in Sardinia at the time of the Nuraghe S.

In north, the plain of Po and Piedmont which constitute the Gaulle cisalpine, in which, well before the penetration Celte, exists an advanced pre-indoeuropéenne civilization with the mouth of the river: culture of the Terramare. The Culture of Villanova succeeded to him, while beginning again many features which will be thus diffused in central Italy where will be born first great civilization from the Western Mediterranean, that of the Étrusques, thanks to contributions external integrated vraisemblsablement without too much of clashes.

At the dawn of historical times, the Italian peninsula breaks up as follows: In north, Celtic of the Gaulle cisalpine, whose Marches southern are conquered, rather peacefully, by the radiation of Etruscan civilization and the dynamism of its expansion which extends until the south from the the Tiber, in Campanie. The limits of Italy, in the north of the peninsula, indeed, were changeantes: many people disputed the territory of it: people Italiotes, Ligure, Etruscan then Celtic and Romains. In the south, Campania with the Sicily, the Large Greece.

Latino-falisque establishment

The first establishments in the zone of the Latium by born populations Indo-European, the Latin , go back to the age of iron, a colonization started by the arrival in their areas of origin of populations Illyrien born.

In the beginning, Latin occupied only one small zone, known as “ latius vetus ” and in the surroundings many tribes lived, of which most influential was the Étrusques. The first campings were installed on the hill of the Palatin towards X E but extended quickly in the close zones. The initial choice was probably dictated by the possibility of crossing with ford of the the Tiber but, thereafter, it appeared invaluable because of its good situation on trade route of the time.

When the “historical” phase of the people installed in the peninsula started, whereas the Falisque S occupied the valley of the the Tiber between the Cimini mounts and Sabatini, Latin occupied only one small zone, called “ latius vetus ”, which went from Right Bank of the final part of the course of the Tiber, of the Monts Albains to the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Their territory was bordering on that under influence of varied other populations, most important being certainly the Étrusques whose zone of influence started immediately on septentrional bank of Tibre.
The Volsques, of origin Osque, occupied the southernmost part of Latium and the Lepini mounts; the Aurunces the Tyrrhenian coast with horse on the current limit enters Latium and the Campanie; in north, on the the Apennines, the Sabins were; in the east the Aequiens. In the valley of Trero, the Hernicien S controlled trade route towards the Campania, and between Ardea and Anzio were insatallés the Rutules.
The island tibérine which constituted the most practical ford to cross the river, had become the point of intersection of two important commercial axes: one, connecting the coast inside the Sabine, was used for the trade of the salt which represented in Antiquity a fundamental food for the human life and the other, connecting the Étrurie to the Campanie of the Greek cities, was used for the commercial exchanges between these two populations. To control the island meant to control the traffics which forwarded there and it is most probably from there that the importance comes from Rome at its beginnings.

Italy préromaine

Prehistory

Protohistoire

Latino-falisque establishment

Étrurie

Greek establishment

Celtic invasions