1. Social Studies for 9th EBG
Teacher: Mauricio Torres
LEGENDARY ORIGINS

2. ORIGINS
• Background
• Aeneas
• Romulus and Remus
• Rome´s Early Kings

3. BACKGROUND
Early mystery
• Even thought Roman history is
heavily documented, its origins are
covered by a shroud of mystery.
• Only old ruins from the 800s BC have
been found, suggest that people lived
there.
• But even ancient Romans were
curious about their own history.
– Therefore, its leaders created legends,
maybe based on true events, that spoke
of a glorious past.
Rome at its peak

4. AENEAS
Aeneas was a Trojan hero:
• According to an epic poem called the
Aeneid, when the Greeks destroyed
Troy, Aeneas fled with his followers.
After a long journey, they reached
Italy.
• Soon afterwards he formed an
alliance with a group called the
Latins. Together they fought against
others.
• Aeneas’ descendants ruled Italy for
some time.
Aeneas fighting in Italy

5. ROMULUS & REMUS
According to legend, they were
the founders of Rome.
• They were twin brothers who
descended from Aeneas.
• When they were babies, they
were thrown inside a basket into
the Tiber.
• They were rescued by a wolf, who
cared for the boys for many years.
They were eventually found by a
shepherd.
Sculpture of Romulus & Remus

6. ROMULUS & REMUS
Founding of Rome
• When they grew up, the brothers
decided to build a city to mark the
spot where they were found by
the wolf.
• While planning, Remus mocked
Remulus. In a fit of anger he killed
his brother, and named the city
after himself.
Rome

7. ROME’S EARLY KINGS
Romulus
• According to historians, Romulus
was the first Roman king. This
was around 753 BC.
• According to roman records,
seven kings in all ruled the city.
– The last three of them, were
Etruscans.
– The Etruscans were a group of people
that lived in Italy and were very
influenced by the Greeks.
Research tip:
• Read at home what you can about
the Etruscans. Very little is known
about them. Why is that?
• This may be on the test!

8. ETRUSCAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Kings
• They built huge temples. Tarquinus, one
of them, built the first sewer system in
Rome! He also built a temple for Jupiter
and held the first games at what would
late be known as the Circus Maximus.
• According to historians, the Romans
inherited their numbers and alphabet
from the Etruscans.
• But not all kings were good. The last one,
turned out to be ruthless and an evil
tyrant.
– He was overthrown in 509 BC by some
nobles and a new way of government was
developed.
King Tarquinus

9. ASK YOURSELF
• Recall:
– What epic poem tells the story of Aeneas?
• Explain:
– What was remarkable about the childhood of Romulus and Remus?
• Develop:
– How might a legendary beginning make a country or empire more stable?
• Draw conclusions:
– Why did early Romans want to get rid of their monarchy?

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History (Teacher´s
Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H. McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
• Images taken from Google.com