001- In the Beginning

The History of Rome

This episode explores the dual nature of Rome's origins, contrasting the legendary tales of Aeneas and Romulus with archaeological findings.

Key takeaways

• Aeneas, a Trojan prince, fled the sack of Troy to eventually settle in the territory of Latinus.
• The abandonment of Queen Dido by Aeneas is mythologically linked to the enmity of the Punic Wars.

Main topics

• Trojan War aftermath
• Aeneas and Dido

Notable quotes

The founding of Rome is an event wrapped in myth.

Conclusion

While the specific details of Rome's birth are legendary, the underlyi

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:02) Hello, and welcome to the History of Rome. The founding of Rome is an event wrapped in myth. Lacking a credible historical record, it is impossible to know exactly what led to the establishment of the Eternal City. But we do know the legend the Romans told themselves, and have some idea of the population migrations that took place in central Italy at the time, so we can piece together a general timeline of events. There may be truth wrapped up in the official legend, and there may not. but it is a good story and an important one to know for students of ancient history. It is the story of a refugee Trojan prince and how his great-great, great-great, great-great, great-great, great-great, great-great grandsons would be wet-nursed by a she-wolf and later found the greatest city of the ancient world. Speaker 1 (0:53) The story of Rome begins with the end of the Trojan War. After Troy was finally sacked by the Greeks, Aeneas, chief lieutenant of Hector, managed to escape with a few followers. They boarded ships and set out into the Mediterranean to find a new home. Their odyssey took them from Asia Minor to the north coast of Africa, where Aeneas managed to sow the seeds of the three Punic Wars by seducing the Carthaginian queen Dido and then abandoning her. Virgil writes that in the final moments before she committed suicide, Dido cursed the descendants of both to eternal enmity. Speaker 1 (1:48) After securing an archenemy for Rome, Aeneas sailed to the west coast of Italy, where he and his followers hoped to make a settlement. Arriving in the territory of Laurentum, the Trojans were immediately met by armed locals who tried to drive them off. But their king, Latinus, decided to make peace rather than war with the foreigners, and offered his daughter Lavinia to Aeneas, solidifying an alliance. This marriage came as quite a shock to Ternus, prince of the Rituli, a nearby tribe, because Lavinia had already been pledged to him. Angered by this slap in the face, he led an attack on the combined Trojan and Latin forces. The Rituli were defeated, but king Latinus was killed in the fighting. leaving Aeneas in control of both the Trojans and the Latins, who were rapidly intermarrying into a single people. Vanquished, Ternus and the Rotuli turned north to the rich and powerful Etruscans for help. The Etruscans were more than willing to lend a hand against the growing menace of the Trojan-infused Latins, and attacked. But Aeneas, in his final act, led the Latins to victory, establishing the Tiber River as the boundary between the Latins and the Etruscans. We should pause the legend here before we get too far and give an account of the political landscape of pre-Roman Italy, as historians and archaeologists understand it today. Who were the