According to legend Rome was founded by the descendants of the Trojan prince Aeneas. After the Greeks and the Trojans had fought a ten-year war, the Greeks used the Trojan Horse to sneak into the city at night and began to burn it down. When Aeneas saw that the city was lost, he went to his home to try to save his family. His father Anchises did not want to leave his native city, but he changed his mind when he saw a flame above the head of his little grandson Ascanius. The flame burned brightly but did no harm to Ascanius, and Anchises believed it was a sign from the gods. Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius escaped from the burning city of Troy. They sailed around the Mediterranean Sea for several years, and Anchises died on the journey. Aeneas and his young son Ascanius crossed the sea to Italy, and they built a city there.
In Asiā Minōre oppidum Trōia erat. Anchīsēs et fïlius Aenēās et familia et amīcī habitābant in oppidō Trōiā. Multī Graecī Trōiam nāvigābant. Graecī cum Trōiānīs pugnābant, et Graecī Trōiam vastābant. Anchīsēs spectābat flammam sacram super caput (head) Ascāniī (of Ascanius), parvī filiī Aenēae (of Aeneas). “Signum ex deīs est,” clāmābat. “Nāvigābimus.” Anchīsēs et Aenēās et Ascānius et multī amīcī ex patriā Asiā Minōre ad multās terrās nāvigābant. In Āfricā, in Siciliā, et in Ītaliā Ascānius auxilium patrī (to his father) Aenēae dabat. In Ītaliā, patriā novā, Aenēās et Ascānius oppidum aedificābant. Post multōs annōs Ascānius novum oppidum, Albam Longam, aedificābat.
patri·a -ae f native land, country
Trōi·a -ae f the town of Troy
mult·us –a -um much; (pl) many
parv·us -a –um little, small
sa·cer –cra –crum sacred, holy
aedificō, aedificāre, aedificāvī, aedificātus to build
clāmō clāmāre clāmāvī clāmātus to shout
dō dare dedī datus to give
habitō habitāre habitāvī habitātus to live
iuvō iuvāre iūvī iūtus to help
nāvigō nāvigāre nāvigāvī nāvigātus to sail
pugnō pugnāre pugnāvī pugnātus to fight
spectō spectāre spectāvī spectātus to observe
vastō vastāre vastāvī vastātus to destroy
ad prep (+ acc) to, toward, near
ex, ē prep (+ abl) out of, from