The Foundation Of Rome - Myth And History

The Foundation of Rome – Myth and History (1997) by Alexandre Grandazzi — Condition: Good (Crappy Old Books)

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Alexandre Grandazzi does a fine job of showing how the stories about its beginnings were. The Foundation of Rome – Myth and History (Cornell University Press, 1997, ISBN: 9780801482472) is part archaeology, part philology, part myth-busting detective story. Grandazzi digs into the legends of Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf, the seven hills, and the gods who apparently moonlighted as city planners. He then weighs them against the spadework of modern archaeology to figure out how much of Rome’s foundation story is heroic myth and how much is historical bedrock.

What emerges is a portrait of early Rome that’s both dazzling and a little chaotic: a city born from legend, ritual, and opportunistic settlers who may or may not have had wolfish foster mothers. This isn’t just a parade of marble statues; it’s the messy, fascinating, contested story of how Romans themselves wanted to imagine their origins. Reading it feels a bit like being at a dinner party where Livy, Virgil, and a modern archaeologist are all trying to talk over each other.

As for the copy: this one comes from the proudly battered shelves of Crappy Old Books and is rated Good. That means the cover shows light wear (a scuff here, a crease there, the literary equivalent of a chipped amphora), the pages may have mellowed to a pleasant shade of parchment, and the spine has done its duty without collapsing. No missing leaves, no barbarian graffiti, no suspicious stains from libations to Jupiter. Just a strong, seasoned copy, intact and ready to conquer your bookshelf.

In short: The Foundation of Rome is an engrossing exploration of how myth and history interwove to create the eternal city’s origin story. This copy is in Good condition: sturdy, readable, and carrying just enough wear to look appropriately venerable. Another imperial find from Crappy Old Books, where even Romulus himself would give a nod of approval.

Keep browsing: See more History books Other books by Alexandre Grandazzi