The favourable location of ancient Rome was of great importance and influenced the fact that in the future a small resort would rule over the entire Mediterranean area.
Ancient Rome was located on the tops of seven hills: Aventine, Palatine, Quirinal, Wiminał, Celius, Eskwilin, and Capitol. It guaranteed safety. Moreover, Rome controlled the Island in the Tiber, which allowed him to broker the trade of other peoples who were crossing the river in this place. In this way, the Romans established trade contacts in the nearby area, collected customs duties and supported their own finances.
At the mouth of the Tiber was the port of Ostia, located about 20 km from Rome. In this way, the small centre could establish contacts with more distant peoples and conduct maritime trade. The ships that landed in Ostia paid customs duties and paid other costs, which additionally fed the treasury of Rome.
It is also worth highlighting the location of Rome on the map of the Mediterranean area. The Apennine Peninsula is heavily in the Mediterranean, which also forced merchants travelling on the east-west road to reach the shores of Ostia. Fertile Sicily, famous for its abundant crops, also had a big impact on this. Merchants travelling to Sicily, going further west, arrived at Ostia.
Rome was located in a very strategic position relative to the entire region. The city was based on seven hills – which gave defensive values - and by the river, which guaranteed a direct connection to the sea and brokering maritime trade. The location of Rome was already appreciated in antiquity. Titus Livius summed up the location of Rome:
Not without good reason did gods and men choose this spot as the site of a City, with its bracing hills, its commodious river, by means of which the produce of inland countries may be brought down and over-sea supplies obtained; a sea near enough for all useful purposes, but not so near as to be exposed to danger from foreign fleets; a district in the very centre of Italy —in a word, a position singularly adapted by nature for the expansion of a city.
– Titus Livy, Ab urbe condita, 5.54
