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Ancient Rome was a city-state with many cultural influences. The original settlers were Indo-European Latins who were closely related to other people in the region, namely the Sabines, Oscans, and Umbrians. The Romans believed that they were descended from the ancient Trojans and although that is a difficult claim to prove, there is no doubt that they were influenced by the Greeks in terms of writing, philosophy, government, and many other cultural aspects. The Greeks also inhabited the coastal areas of southern Italy and Sicily. To the north of Rome was another ethnic group known as the Etruscans who also had a profound influence on Roman culture and history.