The Imagination of Rome’s Foundation Myths

Looking at the different ways in which Rome’s founding myths were visualised all through the Roman Empire, this volume presents a cultural and visual history of ancient Rome. From public spaces such as the Roman Forum with displays of colossal sculptures and marble reliefs to the most intimate or domestic settings (such as wall-paintings in a bedroom or a tomb) the book explores how people, whether Roman citizens or not, rich or poor, negotiated their personal and political identities with reference to the stories of Rome’s mythic origins. The book follows the surviving visual evidence through more than six centuries of Roman history, from the first century BCE to the sixth century CE, and from the Empire’s centre to its extreme periphery.