Rome Before Rome
The Legends That Shaped the Romans
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An in-depth exploration of the myths and legends of early Rome, highlighting the enigmatic origins of the Romans and how the first seeds of this vast empire were sown.
"I sing of arms and the man" wrote Vergil at the start of the Aeneid, one of Rome's most iconic origin stories as it explores the tumultuous journey of Aeneas from Trojan prince to Roman hero. But did Aeneas actually flee from Troy? How did this story affect the Romans' perspective of themselves? And did they believe it? In Rome Before Rome, Philip Matyszak explores the myths and legends, heroes and villains that shaped the Roman sense of self.
There are few books which explain how these different legends fit into Rome's overall narrative—and none which explore the range of myths Matyszak describes. Some of the legends are well known, from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of the Sabines; others are more obscure, suchas the story of the Latin king Picus, who was turned into a woodpecker. Whether renowned or unfamiliar, all are significant in their own way and have had a profound impact on centuries of Romans. Even today these myths continue to reverberate throughout western culture in films, TV shows, and plays. Matyszak dissects these myths, investigating the historical texts of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Plutarch, and Livy as well as Vergil's epic poem the Aeneid and Ovid's Metamorphoses. Rome Before Rome continually reveals the ways in which Rome's mythological past may not be as illustrious as traditionally chronicled.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Matyszak (A Walk Through Ancient Rome) provides an appealing and deft compendium of fables, legends, and tall tales that ancient Romans believed about their own civilization. Some of what Matyszak conveys is well known, though surprising in its details, like the story of Romulus and Remus. As Matyszak notes, it was Romulus's spotting of 12 flying vultures that determined the gods favored his proposed location for a city over that of his twin brother Remus. Throughout, Matyszak aims to show how Rome's legends not only served as metaphors or lessons but yielded real historical consequences, as when Caesar came to power based on a legend that he was descended from a Trojan hero. Later, Brutus killed Caesar because of a different legend that his own ancestor had once rescued Rome from a tyrant. "Not only can we not understand Romans without understanding their legends," Matyszak writes, "but we cannot understand Western culture either." Full of intrigue, romance, and human struggle, and marvelously illustrated in a two-tone black and ochre palette, this is a delight.
