338 ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE 



Rome, were the Sabines, south and south-east of these 

 were the Latins and the Volscians, while between the 

 Latins and the Umbrians were the ^quians. 



The origin of Rome is still unknown, as is the history 

 of its early kings. Situated on the Tiber, which was 

 the south Etrurian boundary, it was probably erected 

 as a bulwark of the Latins to defend them from the 

 Etrurians. It was built on a hill known as the 

 Palatine, where was a settlement of the Latin tribe 

 called Ramnes or Romans. Another settlement, on the 

 Capitoline hill, was made by the Sabines, and a league 

 was established between the two ; so that they formed 

 one city with two sets of inhabitants the Sabines 

 becoming reckoned as citizens of the first settlement and 

 therefore " Romans " also. Their kings were not 

 hereditary, and the last of them, the Tarquins, have 

 been thought to have been of Etruscan origin. They 

 much adorned Rome, and made it the most powerful of 

 the Latin cities. The monarchical constitution is not 

 precisely known, but the people consisted of two classes 

 the patricians, or nobles, and the plebeians, or common 

 people. The former were probably descendants of the 

 oldest inhabitants, and the latter of men admitted later 

 to the city's privileges. From these classes there arose 

 (i) a noble assembly or senate, and (2) a popular 

 assembly. The plebeians were full Roman citizens, but 

 there was a gradually increasing mass of slaves who had 

 no rights whatever ; so that the plebeians formed a sort 

 of secondary aristocracy of the whole population of the 

 city. About 510 B.C. the monarchy was put an end to 

 through the king Lucius Tarquinius called Superbus, 

 or proud being, with his family, expelled from Rome. 

 A highly aristocratic republic was then established, with 

 the senate and popular assembly as before, but also with 



