The Origin or Foundation Scrutinized by Reason The Births of Rome in the Eighteenth Century

The birth of Rome forms a noteworthy historiographical object in the eighteenth century: taking their departure in the same ancient sources, it is told in radically different ways. Comparing the texts of the most traditional historians (Catrou, Vertot, Rollin) as well as those of the philosopher-historians (Montesquieu, Mably) reveals important interpretative biases, but also how a political history can be based on a history of mores.