The classical civilization of Rome developed from a greek colony established in the sixth century BCE. While Roman cultured owed much to its Hellenic roots, it also borrowed heavily from the Etruscan tribes which already existed in the area at the founding of Rome and with whom the early Roman settlers intermixed heavily. Early Rome was a tribal and aristocratic society, and the early republican forms were adopted to formalize and give religious significance to the sharing of power among representatives of the various tribes.