Stories from Livy

A basket left beside the flooded Tiber begins Alfred John Church’s retelling of Rome’s early legends and history. The twins Romulus and Remus survive through the care of a wolf and the shepherd Faustulus, while rival claims to power shape their family’s fortunes. Written for young readers, these stories turn Livy’s elaborate narrative into simpler prose, with chapters devoted to rulers, soldiers and figures such as Numa, Coriolanus and Camillus.

Public duty often arrives in the middle of ordinary life. In the account of Cincinnatus, messengers find the future leader working his small plot of land while a Roman army faces danger. Such scenes bring political authority, military emergencies and arguments over honour into concrete human situations. Readers approaching ancient Rome for the first time can use the collection to become familiar with the stories through which the city explained its origins and celebrated service to the community.