The early inhabitants of Latium, an area in present-day Italy, were the Latins, an Italic tribe who began to emerge around the 10th century BC. The Latins are accredited with the creation of the Latin language, an influential precursor to the Romance languages. They were primarily agrarian people, establishing their settlements on the fertile plains of Latium. They established a number of significant cities including Alba Longa and Rome, the latter of which would go on to establish an empire that dominated the Mediterranean world. Ancient records, including those of Livy, a historian of ancient Rome, suggest that the Latins migrated to the region from the North.
The early Latin society was a loose confederation of various tribal groups, each headed by a chief or a king. Among the many tribes, the one that held sway over the region was the tribe that controlled Alba Longa until its control was seized by the nascent Roman Kingdom. In terms of religion, early Latins practiced animism with influences from the neighboring tribes such as Etruscans and Greeks being evident. These early inhabitants of Latium would gradually amalgamate over the subsequent centuries, laying the foundation for the Roman civilization.
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