The story of Romulus and Remus is one of the most famous myths from the ancient world. But the Romans believed the founding of their city stretched far beyond the tale of the twin brothers. Heroes, kings and exiles all played a part in Rome's legendary beginnings. Tristan Hughes is joined by Jeremy Armstrong to explore the myths behind the founding of Rome. Why did the Romans link their origins to figures like Aeneas and Romulus? What do these stories reveal about Roman identity? And could there be any historical truth behind the legends of Rome's...
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But Romulus and Remus did not stand alone. The Romans did not see these twins as the only
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centuries, including a hero of the Trojan War, who embarked on his own great adventure
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Is this episode right for you?
B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 79% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 190 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
- 196 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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Who founded Rome? Well, according to mythology, the answer seems obvious. Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers suckled by a she-wolf before one killed the other to establish the Eternal City. But Romulus and Remus did not stand alone. The Romans did not see these twins as the only
mythic founders of Rome. There were other key figures who had been venerated over the centuries, including a hero of the Trojan War, who embarked on his own great adventure after Troy was destroyed. Not Odysseus, but Aeneas. In this episode we're going to delve into the stories of these mythical figures and
how they were all brought into Rome's origin story. We'll explore where these stories came from, what they reveal about how the Romans viewed themselves and whether there might be any kernels of truth behind them. Welcome to the ancients, I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is the story of Romulus,
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