The Trojan War
This History claims that the origins of the Roman empire go back as far as the Trojan War, which was a war between two Greek nations, the Greeks proper, and the Trojans. Yet, Paterculus invokes the war as a relevant part of Roman history as if to suggest that Rome has its roots in Greek culture. The symbolism of the Trojan War speaks to the fate of nations and the rise to worldwide acclaim, which is what the Trojan War accomplished, more or less. It wasn't just a war—it was a culturally famous war.
The Olympics
Another important loan from Greek culture comes in Paterculus's descriptions of Roman Olympics. The Olympics are Greek in origin, but to Paterculus, Rome has a unique claim on the sports, because Rome seems to have perfected them. He talks about the elite competitors and their glory, and he describes the epic nature of the games. The Olympics are a symbol for absolute prowess in his depictions of them. He speaks of the games as if they carry the glory of war.
The Punic Wars
The Punic Wars offer yet another important discussion of warfare and honor. This discussion centers around the way leadership makes or breaks an army. The victories and defeats of that war are shown as symbols for why some strategies win and others don't. The stakes are human lives, says Paterculus, and he recalls specific soldiers and their contribution. This discussion sees the human wars as symbolic in a nearly religious sense, because of his understanding of glory and honor.
The assassination of Julius Caesar
This assassination is the archetypal political assassination in Greco-Roman history (and in Western history more broadly). Julius Caesar's assassination speaks to the irony of power, because he has all the authority in the world, but he is still mortal. Also, being so close to power makes him a likely target for such coups. This is also a symbolic moment for betrayal, because Caesar was even betrayed by those close to him, even those who were already powerful in his administration.
Mark Antony's suicide
When Mark Antony commits suicide, this is a complex symbol, but one that shapes Paterculus's History in a critical way. Mark Antony's relationship to Cleopatra is one of the key parts of this story, because the relationship between Egypt and Rome posed serious threats for the Romans, so Octavian exiles them. Their suicide is a statement of their claim to the throne, because they feel they have been robbed of something essentially theirs, but more importantly, it symbolizes the continued division of major world governments. The world leaders almost globalized two of the largest empires in human history to that point.
