Ab Urbe Condita (From the Founding of the City)

Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita (“From the Founding of the City”) is a sweeping history of Rome from its mythical beginnings under Romulus to his own time. Written in a grand, moral style, it celebrates the deeds of heroes and the rise of civic virtue through war, sacrifice, and law. Though only a portion of the work survives, it remains one of the most important sources for Rome’s early legends and republican ideals, portraying history not only as chronicle but as moral education—a call to virtue and remembrance.