Ascanius
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Image:Lorrain ascanius.jpg In Greek and Roman mythology, Ascanius was a son of Aeneas and Creusa. After the Trojan War, Ascanius escaped to Latium in Italy with his father and fought in the Italian Wars. Virgil's Aeneid says he had a role in the founding of Rome as the first king of Alba Longa.
According to Livy, Ascanius may have been the son of Aeneas and Lavinia and thus may have been born in Latium. Thirty years after the founding of Lavinium Ascanius founded Alba Longa. Ascanius had a son called Aeneas Silvius.
He was also called Iulus or Julus. From this name comes the Gens Julia, the Julian family to which Julius Caesar belonged.
The name Iulus was popularised by Virgil in his work the Aeneid, replacing the Greek name Ascanius with Iulus to link the Julian family of Rome to earlier mythology. The emperor Augustus, who commissioned the work, was a great patron of the arts. As a member of the Julian family, he could claim to have three major Olympian gods in his family tree, so he encouraged his many poets to present material on his direct descent from Aeneas.
Ascanius is also a lake in the region Ascania in Anatolia. Its name is derived from Ashkuza, the Assyrian word for Scythians. See Ashkenazi. During the Trojan War the region by the Ascanian lake was held by the Phrygians, who sent troops to the aid of King Priam, led by the brothers Phorcys and Ascanius, sons of Aretaon as related in the Iliad. Ascanius, son of Aretaon, should not be confused with Ascanius, son of Aeneas, discussed above.
There was also a son of Priam named Ascanius.
References
Livy Book 1de:Iulus es:Iulo fr:Ascagne gl:Ascanio it:Ascanio lb:Iulus nl:Ascanius pl:Askaniusz