1.2

The reign of Romulus, 753–716 BCE; senatorial interregnum, 716–715 BCE

(1) Conditā cīvitāte: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419). cīvitās = urbs (the physical "city," rather than "the state," an organized community of citizens) is a post-classical usage typical of fourth century Latin. See LS civitas II.B.

ferē: "about," indicating that the statement is a loose one (Hazzard)

multitūdinem fīnitimōrum: Livy (1.8.5–7) notes the establishment of an asylum on the Capitoline for outlaws from the neighboring peoples. He stresses the rough nature of Rome’s early settlers (Bird).

centum ex seniōribus lēgit: "a hundred of the elders." ex or dē with cardinal numerals is regularly used instead of a partitive genitive. Tarquinius Priscus doubled the number of senators (Brev. 1.6). Before the end of the regal period the number was increased to 300. Sulla added 300 more. Julius Caesar raised the number to 900. Augustus reduced it to 600 (Hazzard). Florus notes that:

Once their strength in numbers was increased, the king wisely organized the state in the following way: the young men would be divided into tribes and would remain on patrol for sudden attack, and the elders (called “Fathers” out of respect to their authority) would be in control of the state. Together, these elders would be the "Senate," a name derived from their old age. (Florus, 1.1.85–89)

(2) cum ... habērent:  cum here is causal (AG 549).

uxōrēs: object of habērent. Emphatic on account of its position before the subject of the verb (Hazzard). The most famous account of the Rape of the Sabine Women was written by Livy (1.9), who often used the assault of women's bodies as symbolic of abuse of power by the state.

ipse: Rōmulus. Romulus remains the subject of the subsequent verbs invītāvit, rapuit, and vīcit.

eārum: the antecedent is nātiōnēs (Hazzard).

commōtīs bellīs: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419)

Caenīnēnsēs ... Antemnātēs, Crustumīnōs, Sabīnōs, Fīdēnātēs, Vēientēs:  the people of Caenina, Antemnae, Crustumina, Sabini, Fidenae, and Veii. The exact location of Caenina is unclear. The town had disappeared by the first century CE.

cum ... nōn compāruisset: "since he had disappeared," > compareō. cum here is causal (AG 544).

ortā subitō tempestāte: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419). ortā > orior.

ad deōs trānsīsse: "to have gone across to the gods" = "to have been translated" (Hazzard).

cōnsecrātus: supply est. According to Livy (1.16), Romulus was reviewing his troops on the Campus Martius when a storm arose and he disappeared. He was immediately deified. Some believed he had been killed by the senators with whom he was less popular than with the people (Bird).

Rōmae: "at Rome," locative (AG 427.3)

per quīnōs diēs: "through five days each" (Hazzard)

hīs rēgnantibus: "while these men [the senators] ruled." Ablative absolute using a present active participle (AG 419).