Between the mid seventh and early fifth centuries BC, Romans created the vast central plain that would become the Forum Romanum. They founded the first roads, drainage systems, and most enduring temples in their city’s history. They also altered Rome’s very geography and began employing enduring tectonics, effectively setting the foundations and the standard for the city’s subsequent building programs. My project will be to complete my dissertation, in which I assemble archeological and literary evidence for this topographical transformation and consider why at this time Romans wanted and were able to so transform their city.