Hello all! Here is a video about the Aqueducts of Segovia that I visited this summer. Do you live here or have you visited them? Send me a video of your experience and I can possibly it upload to my YouTube channel. What's it like to actually live in Segovia and see this monumental structure every day?

       Migrations from Indo-Europeans probably occurred in the 2000s BCE, but historians are not exactly sure who they were or where they migrated from. The earliest records of Italian history date back to 5th century BCE with the Greek colonies on the Italian Mainland and Sicily (i.e. Paestum). The Greek colonies were part of “Magna Graecia,” as Greece was entering their golden classical age. Historians surmise that the Etruscans, a central Italian tribe that profoundly influenced the Romans, came to Italy from Asia Minor before 800 BCE. Etruria consisted of city states such as Arretium and Tarquinii; the modern name “Tuscany” is named after the advanced Etruscans! Other tribes in Italy at this time included Latium (which was a famous landmark in the Aeneid by Virgil), Samnium (whom the early Romans fought a series of Samnite Wars with), and the Sabine people (whom the early Romans abducted to repopulate the growing settlement of Rome). The Etruscans were wealthy because of the abundant metal ores and consequently could afford to import Greek vases in the Archaic and Classical styles from famous artists such as Exekias. They also were intensely interested in the afterlife and built elaborate, underground rock cut tombs.

       

       The founding of Rome, which I’m sure many of you know, is surrounded by the Romulus and Remus legend. Rome was allegedly founded in 753 BCE by Romulus, a man who killed his brother, Remus (hence the name ROMe). The two boys were cast into the Tiber River as infants by their evil uncle (sounds familiar?) and were found by a She-wolf, who suckled/took care of them. A shepherd eventually found the boys, and they grew to establish two settlements. The other story the Romans liked to tell was that they were descendents of Aeneas, a Trojan war hero who was the son of Venus and Anchises. The city of Rome grew steadily, and it was optimally placed next to the Tiber River, which fostered trade. Rome had seven kings, but the last, Tarquinius Superbus, was ousted by the Roman people because of his despotism; thus, the Roman Republic began (509-27 BCE). The republic was based on the idea of the citizen and him being able to play an active role in government. Women and slaves, however, could not vote; only the rich, male elite could afford the prestigious ranking. The republic was ruled by a Senate, a group of usually old, rich men who passed laws regarding the health and safety of Rome. The Senate annually elected two men from their ranks to be the consuls, executive leaders similar to America’s presidents. The Roman people in the republic were split into the two groups: the rich, old family Patricians and the poorer Plebeians. Intermarriage between them was forbidden. The Twelve Tables of Rome (5th century BCE) were created during the Republic, and the notorious Punic Wars (the most famous being the Second Punic War with Hannibal) resulted in the utter destruction of the powerful sea port, Carthage. Enter Julius Caesar, who radically changed the concept of the Republic and paved the way for the Empire of Rome. Caesar, who wrote the Gallic Wars, infamously crossed the Rubicon and started a conflict with the Roman Senate and Pompey, one of the leading generals of the day (who was eventually beheaded in Egypt---ouch!). Caesar became a dictator, but was killed on the Ides of March in 44 BCE by the perfidious Senate. Nevertheless, Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, took the position of Emperor or Princeps (First among equals) as Augustus. The Western Roman Empire lasted from 27 BCE to 476 BCE, and included many different emperors, periods of chaos and calm, and military revolts as well. Diocletian briefly revived the struggling empire in the 4th century CE with the tetrarchy, but the encroaching Barbarians (i.e. the Goth, Franks, Vandals) eventually broke the Western Empire. Constantine and Theodosius, the emperors who converted to Christianity, forever changed the world with the destruction of ancient pagan gods. The eastern Empire morphed in the Byzantine Empire (330-1453 CE) with its capital as Constantinople (As to why Constantinople got the works, that nobody’s business but the Turks!)

       
       Italy, since it was excluded from the Eastern wealth and luxury, fell into the Middle Ages (“Dark Ages”). Italy was broken up into Papal States, and was heavily influenced by the power of Catholic Church in Rome. The Lombard’s (a barbarian tribe) took control of Italy, but they were eventually defeated by Pepin and Charlemagne. Charlemagne went on to create the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted from 962 to 1806 CE. After the Carolingian Empire was established, a series of weak, rich leaders came to rule Italy (888-962), such as Guy of Spoleto. The Arabs had seized Sicily and the Magyars were ravaging the peasantry of North Italy. In 962, Otto, a king from Germany, relived Italy of its attackers and was named the first official Holy Roman Emperor by the Papacy.



       The next period of Italian history is characterized by the rise of cities states such as Venice, Genoa, Milan, and Mantua. These cities grew rich through trading with Muslim empires and were reluctant to follow the rules of the semi-useless Holy Roman Empire. Venice in particular was noted for its increasing naval power and contact with the rest of the world, while the majority of Italy was still in the clutches of despots, the papacy, and foreign powers (i.e. Spain and France fighting over Sicily). Despite the political instability, the Renaissance and later the Baroque flourished in Florence and Rome. The Renaissance, which was centered in Florence, was financed for the most part by the powerful Medici banking family. Innovations, such as the development of perspective and the rediscovering of classical ideals made Florence a cultural powerhouse. The Baroque, which occurred in the 1600s and was established in Rome, attracted artists such as Bernini and Rubens. A series of conflicts continued to occur despite the artistic rebirth, such as the Italian Wars (1519), the War of Spanish Succession, the takeover of Naples, Sicily, and Milan by Spanish Bourbons (1748), and the decline of the powerful trading empires such as Venice and Genoa (trade shifted away from the Mediterranean).

      
        Napoleon unwittingly invaded Italy (1796-97) and tried to unite the county (i.e. ruling the “Kingdom of Italy”). Austrian influence grew after the Congress of Vienna (which limited Napoleon’s power) as well as nationalism. The Italians wanted to unite, but there were three groups of unifiers: those who wanted an outright republic, those who wanted to be ruled by the Catholic Church, and those who wanted the House of Savoy (an Italian region) to act as the unifiers. The Savoy region united Italy and Emmanuel II became the first King of a united Italy (1861). From 1861 to 1922, Italy was governed by the Sardinian Constitution and experienced a period of expansion, emigration, population growth, and powerful/influential leaders (i.e. Francesco Crispi). World War I broke out in 1914, and Italy revoked its Triple Alliance membership with Germany and Austria and ended up fighting with the Allied Powers. The next period was characterized by the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini. Basically, the man was a militaristic, imperialist dictator who ruled with a strong hand and even conquered Ethiopia. The outbreak of WW II had many underlying and complex implications with Italy, so I am going to keep it brief and simple. Italy attacked Great Britain and France, but eventually surrendered to the Allies after the effective rebellion against Mussolini. Badoglio was the elected leader after him, but his unpopular leadership led to the appointment of De Gasperi. WW II left Italy ravaged, in debt, and broken up politically, but today it has a nonpartisan government.

Sources: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/italy-history.html
http://www.infoplease.com/country/italy.html?pageno=2
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/history