religious people, whose sense of identity as

romans came primarily from their accomplishments

in war and their respect of their ancestors. By

examining Livy’s The Early History of Rome, we can

identify these traits through roman patterns of

behavior and the foundation myths that their

The romans repeatedly display not only an

overdeveloped personal sense of pride, but an

exceptional pride in their nation - taking

precedence over even family loyalty. The first

example of this Roman pride is seen in the very

first foundation myth of Rome, the tale of Romulus

and Remus. The second of the two versions of this

story tells how after the auspices have indicated

Romulus as the rightful leader of this new nation,

“Remus, by way of jeering at his brother, jumped

over the half-built walls of the new settlement,

whereupon Romulus killed him in a fit of rage,

adding the threat, ‘So perish whoever else shall

overleap my battlements( P.40 Livy) .’” Not only

do we see a foreshadowing of Rome’s violent nature

in this tale, but it seems to indicate a strong

belief in the superiority of this ( barely

Some topics in this essay:
Romulus Remus, Rome Albans, P120 Livy, P40 Livy, Mucius Scaevola, History Rome, P38 Livy, , romulus remus, national pride, livy ”, pride nation, roman pride, roman society, p40 livy, foundation myth, aspect roman, respect ancestors,