The Roman people were a overly proud and highly
             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
             national pride of greater magnitude than the even
             the strength of the loyalty between brothers.
             This kind of loyalty to country, as displayed by
             the Rome's founder, certainly sets a precendent
             for later roman citizens. Not surprisingly then,
             we see this same kind of pride with similar
             consequences later on following a battle between
             Rome and the Albans. 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 contest left Rome
             victorious and five people dead - only one roman
             brother stood living. The victor returned to rome
             carrying ...