iulus

Iulus, also known as Ascanius, is a figure in Roman mythology traditionally identified as the son of the Trojan refugee Aeneas and his wife Creusa. In Latin literature the name appears in two forms: Iulus is used by some sources, while Ascanius is the more common designation in later tradition. The two names refer to the same person and are often used interchangeably.

According to myth, Ascanius founded Alba Longa, the ancient city in Latium, and established his line as its ruling dynasty. From Ascanius descended a succession of kings, including Silvius, Procas, Numitor, and Amulius in various accounts. In many traditions the Alba Longa kingship eventually waned, and the lineage is presented as a precursor to Rome’s rise. The Julian clan (gens Julia) later claimed descent from Iulus, linking Julius Caesar and his successors to Aeneas through this figure.

In classical literature the figure embodies continuity between Troy and Rome and serves as a symbol of Rome’s destined origin. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Ascanius is depicted as the young son of Aeneas who will carry forward the settlement of Italy, a character emblematic of Rome’s future.

Thus Iulus functions as a key link in Roman mythography: a Trojan founder’s son who becomes an ancestral progenitor of Latin royalty and, through the Julian line, of one of Rome’s most historically famous patrician houses.