History of Rome

This volume contains Livy’s account of Rome’s earliest history in Books 1–5 of Ab Urbe Condita. It begins with foundation legend, Trojan ancestry, Romulus, the kings of Rome and the expulsion of monarchy, then follows the early Republic through social conflict, war with neighbouring peoples and the Gallic sack of Rome. The narrative blends legend, moral example, family memory and republican politics, showing how later Romans imagined the origins of their city and institutions.