Did the Romans Descend From the Trojans as They Famously Claimed?

Did the Romans Descend From the Trojans as They Famously Claimed?

Aeneas’ Flight from Troy, by Federico Barocci. Credit: Public domain The Romans famously claimed they were descended from the Trojans of Greek mythology. This claim appears most notably in the Aeneid, the work of the Roman writer Virgil in the first century BCE. However, does this legend have any basis in fact? Were the Romans really descended from the Trojans? The earliest written evidence for the Trojans in Rome Many people erroneously believe…