Page:A history and description of Roman political institutions (IA historyanddescri00abbo).pdf/15

Rh an offshoot of Alba Longa, under Romulus and Remus were grandsons of Numitor, the last of the line of Alban kings who traced their lineage back to Ascanius, the son of Aeneas. The tradition which traced the beginnings of Rome to a descendant of Aeneas is only one of the many accounts which sought to bring Rome into connection with Greece. The stories of Evander, of Heracles, and of the Pelasgi, as they are recounted, for instance, by Livy, illustrate the same tendency. Greek and Roman writers dated the founding of the city all the way from 753 to 747 The first mentioned date, which Varro adopted, is perhaps the one most commonly accepted by the ancients. From this time to the establishment of the republic, in 509, seven kings reigned, by name Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, L. Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and L. Tarquinius Superbus.

4. The Regal Period. According to tradition, the first king laid the political foundations for the city, by creating the senate, and by dividing the people into curiae. He also extended Roman power by successful wars. Numa Pompilius is the antithesis, in many ways, of Romulus. He organized priesthoods, established religious rites, and sought to develop the religious life of the people. It was the main purpose of Tullus Hostilius, as it had been that of Romulus, to extend the material power of Rome. Ancus Marcius, the fourth king, represents in a way the two types in combination. The peaceful development of Rome was furthered in his reign by the founding of Ostia and the bridging of the Tiber, while her prestige in war was maintained with success. To L. Tarquinius, who was a Greek by descent, but came to Rome from Tarquinii in Etruria, many of the great public works of Rome, notably the Circus and the Cloaca Maxima, were attributed. He