Roman Legend and History

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the history of the Roman Empire that is filled with legends and myths regarding Rome's most famous and infamous personalities and events. The paper explains that some of these legends are nothing but pure fantasy, while others, as many mythologists point out, have some basis in fact. Thus, the paper compares and contrasts specific individuals and events in order to separate fact from fiction and understand what is legend and what is true history. The paper explores the legends of Romulus and Remus, Aeneas, Emperor Nero and Byblos and Baalbek. The paper concludes that perhaps true history cannot be ascertained, since legends may be closer to the truth than what has come down to us in the form of so-called historical accuracy.

Outline:
Introduction
Romulus and Remus
The Founding of Rome and Aenus
Legends of Emperor Nero
Byblos and Baalbek
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"One of the greatest Roman legends allegedly began seven hundred and fifty-three years before the birth of Christ, to be exact, on the 21st of April. This day continues to be celebrated as the birthday of the city of Rome and the citizens of this once mighty city "date the beginning of the history of the world from that day, at least until the advent of Christianity created another legend" (Defrasne, 1965, 67). Many scholars agree that the ancient Romans, due to their passion to personalize everything connected with the city of Rome and its history, surmised that it had been founded by someone with a name similar to Romus and as early as the 5th century B.C.E. the city was already ascribed to a dark figure named Romulus."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Canary, Robert. (2002). "Classical Myths and Legends: Roman Deities and Epic."Internet. Accessed March 21, 2006. http://uwp.edu/~canary/eng246/romans.html.
• Defrasne, Jean. (1965). Myths and legends: Stories from Roman History. Cleveland, OH: Holly Book Company.
• Montanelli, Indro. (1959). Romans Without Laurels. New York: Pantheon Books.
• Pais, Ettore. (1974). Ancient Legends of Roman History. New York: Ayer Book Company.

More papers on Roman Legend and History:

• Descriptive Essay # 5206 : "Stonehenge"
• Argumentative Essay # 25506 : "The English Arthurian Tradition"
• Book Review # 122526 : "Virgil's "The Aeneid"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: