Mythes romains

Writers such as Livy, Virgil and Ovid recount these myths as if it were a question of the real history of the birth and the first days of Rome. The tales connected with the names of Aeneas, Romulus and Remus and the “seven kings” tirelessly speak of how the City and its people, in accordance with a higher calling, were chosen by the gods to become the masters of the entire world. Certain myths also provided examples of behaviour inspired by virtue and concern for the public interest. Others in fact aimed to reaffirm the image of the great families of Rome and to show that they were worthy of exerting power. The author recounts some of these legendary stories, with a healthy dose of irony, as in his eyes they come across as propaganda.