Ab urbe condita facts for kids

Ab urbe condita is a special way to count years. It is a Latin phrase. It means "from the founding of the city." The city it talks about is Rome. This way of counting years helps us understand ancient history.

What Does "Ab Urbe Condita" Mean?

The phrase Ab urbe condita comes from Latin. It literally means "from when the city was founded." The "city" everyone is talking about is Rome. People in ancient Rome did not actually use this system often. The first person to use it regularly was a historian named Orosius. He started using it around 400 AD.

How Was Rome's Founding Date Figured Out?

Historians tried to figure out the exact year Rome was founded.

• Marcus Terentius Varro was a famous Roman scholar. He believed Rome was founded 440 years after the fall of Troy. He thought Romulus and Remus founded Rome in the spring of 753 BC.
• Marcus Porcius Cato Censorius was another important Roman writer. He believed Rome was founded one year after the 7th Olympic Games. This would have been in 752 BC.

Other Works Named "Ab Urbe Condita"

Ab urbe condita is also the name of a very important book. It was written by Titus Livius, a famous Roman historian. His book tells the entire history of Rome.

Images for kids

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  Antoninianus of Pacatian, a Roman usurper in 248. It reads ROMAE AETER[NAE] AN[NO] MIL[LESIMO] ET PRIMO, meaning 'To eternal Rome, in its one thousand and first year.'

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  Anno ab urbe condita, with a decorated initial, from the medieval Chronicle of Saint Pantaleon.

See also

In Spanish: Ab Urbe condita para niños