Originally Posted by Clodius

Aeneas (according to Virgil) founded a town close to (but not on) the future site of Rome, called Lavinium. His son Ascanius (also called Iulus) succeeded Aeneas as king of Lavinium, but went on to found a new city of his own, called Alba Longa. About three hundred years after the founding of Alba Longa, Romulus and Remus were born to the descendants of Ascanius and Aeneas, the Alban royal family.

The Etruscans were a northern Italian civilisation centred on present-day Tuscany. Their civilisation flourished before the heyday of Rome, and exerted a strong cultural influence on the early Romans (the practice of gladiatorial combat, for instance, was originally, probably, an Etruscan thing that the Romans copied). According to Roman legends, the last three of Rome's seven kings (Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus) were Etruscans by origin.

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by steve53

The Etruscan influence was probably greater than now assumed. The massive mausoleum of Augustus was modeled after Etruscan tomb design (tumulus).

Originally Posted by Void

Edit: Has anyone read the book that I mentioned? Perhaps it's just my general lack of knowledge in history, but a lot of these things I had to look up elsewhere. I thought this book was for the general reader. How did you fare when reading it, if you did?

Originally Posted by Void

Today I learned, in just three and a half pages of Baker's book, the brief story of Sextus and Lucretia, the end of the monarchy of Rome, and the offices of quaestor, praetor, aedile and censor.

Originally Posted by beorna

what is he writing about the praitor?

Originally Posted by dimmit

I am readying it right now as well. About 150 pages or so in.

It's a good read but it is merely a summary of the highlights. It skips through much of the early history and it barely touches on Gaius Gracchus but it is still a good read (or at least so far).

Originally Posted by Void

He's just given a very layman description for each of the types of office in the Republic system. He wrote that the praetor is the rank below the consul. They, "ease the responsibility of the consuls in hearing private legal cases," have six attendants following them and hold the power of Imperium, too.

Originally Posted by beorna

I just ask because it is absolutely doubtful, that the consules and the praetor existed since the end of the kings.

Originally Posted by Void

Did I say that? I don't think I did. I think I said, and the so does the book for that matter, that these posts came in a while after the Republic was in order... The last king was long gone.