The romans repeatedly display not only an overdeveloped personal sense of pride, but an exceptional pride in their nation - taking precedence over even family loyalty. The first example of this Roman pride is seen in the very first foundation myth of Rome, the tale of Romulus and Remus. The second of the two versions of this story tells how after the auspices have indicated Romulus as the rightful leader of this new nation, "Remus, by way of jeering at his brother, jumped over the half-built walls of the new settlement, whereupon Romulus killed him in a fit of rage, adding the threat, 'So perish whoever else shall overleap my battlements( P.40 Livy) .'" Not only do we see a foreshadowing of Rome's violent nature in this tale, but it seems to indicate a strong belief in the superiority of this ( barely existant ) nation, one that necessitates a national pride of greater

This kind of loyalty to country, as displayed by the Rome's founder, certainly sets a precendent for later roman citizens. Not surprisingly then, we see this same kind of pride with similar consequences later on following a battle between Rome and the Albans. The victory had been decided, not by a full scale war, but by a contest between three men from each country ( two sets of three brothers ). This contest left Rome victorious and five people dead - only one roman brother stood living. The victor returned to rome carrying the 'triple spoils' and,"slung across [ his ] shoulders was a cloak, and [ his sister ] recognized it as the cloak she had made with her own hand for her lover. The sight overcame her : she loosened her hair and, in a voice choked with tears, called her dead lovers name. That his sister should dare to grieve at the very moment of his own triumph and in the midst of national rejoicing filled horatius with such uncontrollable rage that he drew his sword and stabbed her to the heart( Livy 62)." Again we see the word "rage" used to describe this similarly extreme exhibition of extreme national pride.

There is plenty of evidence that Rome was always a highly religious nation. From even as early as the founding of the nation we see their dependance on auguries of the gods to make important decisions - namely the choice between Romulus and Remus as their leader. " As the brothers

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 954
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)