90- An Alban Fairytale Prince

With Ascanius gone, his half-brother Silvius- the posthumous son of Aeneas and Lavinia- steps into the narrative. This week on Autocrat, a contested royal election, murky regency timelines, and the podcast hosts declaring war on Titus Livius.

Would you be interested in a discussion on what the historical founding of Rome was like outside of its mythological origins? Let us know!

Time period: 1140- 1111 BCE

Relevant individuals:

• Ascanius, 2nd King of Alba Longa
• Silvius, 3rd King of Alba Longa
• Lavinia, Queen of Alba Longa
• Iulus, 1st Pontifex Maximus

Sources for this episode:

• Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.
• Cassius Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.
• Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.
• Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.
• Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Meade, G. (2021), Romans, Religion and the Aid of the Gods: An Exploration of the Pontifex Maximus in Roman Society. Portland State University: University Honors Theses: 1035.
• Ovid (1959), Ovid's Fasti. Translated by J. G. Frazer. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.
• Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Sextus Aurelius Victor (2004), Origo Gentis Romanae: The Origin of the Roman Race. Translated by K. Haniszewski, L. Karas, K. Koch, E. Parobek, C. Pratt and B. Serwicki. Canisius College Translated Texts 3. Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.
• Suetonius (1983), The Twelve Caesars. Translated by R. Graves. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.

Sources for the pope's pontifical association (even if not outright calling him pontifex maximus):

• Kelly, J. N. D. (1996), Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Author unknown (1916), The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis) (Volume I). Translated by L. R. Loomis. New York: Columbia University Press.