The ruler of the land, Latinus, interfered with AEneas’s settling in the land, but after a sharp struggle was defeated.  Then in accordance with dreams that appeared to both leaders they effected a reconciliation and the king beside permitting AEneas to reside there gave him his daughter Lavinia in marriage.  Thereupon AEneas founded a city which he named Lavinium and the country was called Latium and the people there were termed Latins.  But the Rutuli who occupied adjoining territory had been previously hostile to the Latins, and now they set out from the city of Ardea with warlike demonstrations.  They had the support of no less distinguished a man than Turnus, a relative of Latinus, who had taken a dislike to Latinus because of Lavinia’s marriage, for it was to him that the maiden had originally been promised.  A battle took place, Turnus and Latinus fell, and AEneas gained the victory and his father-in-law’s kingdom as well.  After a time, however, the Rutuli secured the Etruscans as allies and marched upon AEneas.  They won in this war.  AEneas vanished, being seen no more alive or dead, and was honored as a god by the Latins.  Hence he has come to be regarded by the Romans as the fountain head of their race and they take pride in being called “Sons of AEneas.”  The Latin domain fell in direct succession to his son Ascanius who had accompanied his father from home.  AEneas had not yet had any child by Lavinia, but left her pregnant.  Ascanius was enclosed round about by the enemy, but by night the Latins attacked them and ended both the siege and the war.

As time went on the Latin nation increased in size, and the majority of the people abandoned Lavinium to build another town in a better location.  To it they gave the name of Alba from its whiteness and from its length they called it Longa (or, as Greeks would say, “white” and “long").

At the death of Ascanius the Latins gave the preference in the matter of royal power to the son borne to AEneas by Lavinia over the son of Ascanius, their preference being founded on the fact that Latinus was his grandfather.  The new king’s name was Silvius.  Silvius begat AEneas, from AEneas sprang Latinus, and Latinus was succeeded by Pastis.  Tiberinus, who came subsequently to be ruler, lost his life by falling into a river called the Albula.  This river was renamed Tiber from him.  It flows through Rome and is of great value to the city and in the highest degree useful to the Romans.  Amulius, a descendant of Tiberinus, displayed an overweening pride and had the audacity to deify himself, pretending an ability to answer thunder with thunder by mechanical contrivances and to lighten in response to the lightnings and to hurl thunderbolts.  He met his end by the overflow of the lake beside which his palace was set, and both he and the palace were submerged in the sudden rush of waters.  Aventinus his son perished in warfare.

So far the account concerns Lavinium and the people of Alba.  At the beginning of Roman history we see Numitor and Amulius, who were grandsons of Aventinus and descendants of AEneas.