It's probably worth noting that Rome was located at a profound "pinch point," a singular easy crossing of the Tiber, in a country with a lot of mountain obstacl

It's probably worth noting that Rome was located at a profound "pinch point," a singular easy crossing of the Tiber, in a country with a lot of mountain obstacles. This inevitably made it a trading power right from the start. Something that could have reduced corruption a bit by encouraging exports (if "How Asia Works" is right.) Straddling a great river also made it far more defensible, since besieging Rome was very difficult indeed. You'd have to travel a long way upstream to get an army across.