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| The Historical Writing of the Rome City Construction and the Construction of Roman Identity |
| Cai Lijuan |
| College of History and Culture， Central China Normal University， Wuhan 430079 |
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Abstract The historical writing of the Romen city construction was a way of shaping the image of the Roman state and building the identity as a “Roman”. The traditional narrative centering around the construction by Romulus built the concept of “Roman” from three aspects. Firstly，the legends about twins and female wolves were transformed from the local legends to the cultural identity as “Roman”. Secondly，the Sabine woman’s story built the “Roman” into an open rather than a closed group. The Roman state and society were ethnic networks built by the blood and marriage of Italians， and were open and pluralistic. Thirdly，the early experience of Romulus was externalized as a link with Greek culture. Through the king’s lineage，the Romans became a member of the Greek cultural circle. These elements of Roman history in the 3rd century BC had been preserved. By the 1st century BC，Romulus became the founder and institutional maker of the Roman state，a hero in Roman history. As a carrier of Roman identity， the mission of Romulus was completed and then replaced by the imperial mythology.
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Received: 21 May 2019
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2019, Vol. 58 
