Legends of Early Rome

In this text for upper-beginner and intermediate students, Brian Beyer collects authentic Latin prose from Book I of Eutropius’s Breviarium ab urbe condita, which covers Roman history from its foundation to the sack of Rome by the Gauls. Eutropius’s easy style and accessible vocabulary make his Breviarium ideal for students transitioning from the simplified Latin of a first-year textbook. Bottom-of-the-page glosses, passages in English from the Roman historian Livy, a running commentary on grammar and syntax, historical notes, and compiled vocabulary allow students insight into the foundational myths of ancient Rome and the historical context of Eutropius's narrative.