The peoples of ancient central Italy were known as the Latin people, and their language came before Rome was anything more than a tiny city. Romans were a group of Latin people, who came to dominate central Italy and take over the Mediterranean; lesser known Latin groups include the Sabines and the Etruscans, and other small cities and tribes. They all spoke Latin (except the Etruscans, who spoke Etruscan) and had a similar culture and religious pantheon.