Subjects:
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
existant ) nation, one that necessitates a
. . .
It cost him his hand, hence the name Scaevola-
translating as the Left-Handed Man, but his
efforts brought peace to the struggle. The victor returned to rome
carrying the ‘triple spoils’ and,”slung across [
his ] shoulders was a cloak, and [ his sister ]
recognized it as the cloak she had made with her
own hand for her lover. It was recognized that the honor
was for the family and for the family, though
Caius would be remembered, the gaine family pride
of the Mucius family only contributed to their own
pride in their country. ” Again we see the word “rage”
used to describe this similarly extreme exhibition
of extreme national pride. ”
More than any one other aspect of Roman behavior,
I feel that recognition and respect of the ways of
their ancestors as the ways of ‘True’ Romans was
the most primary source from which Romans defined
there identity.
There is plenty of evidence that Rome was always
a highly religious nation. From even as early as
the founding of the nation we see their dependance
on auguries of the gods to make important
decisions - namely the choice between Romulus and
Remus as their leader. Livy seems to
emphasize the absence of any kind of formal
schooling ( which would have been greek ) in the
adolescence of both Romulus and Remus ( P.
Back in the foundation myth of Romulus and Remus,
we see another aspect of Roman pride. Livy
tells of the recognition of this Roman hero:
“Cauis Muscius was rewarded by the Senate with a
grant of land west of the river; it was known
subsequently as the Muscian Meadows ( P. This contest left Rome
victorious and five people dead - only one roman
brother stood living.
Roman society encouraged being proud and
respectful of the honors of the city and its
citizens. The victory had been
decided, not by a full scale war, but by a contest
between three men from each country ( two sets of
three brothers ).
This kind of loyalty to country, as displayed by
the Rome’s founder, certainly sets a precendent
for later roman citizens. The sight overcame her :
she loosened her hair and, in a voice choked with
tears, called her dead lovers name.
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