To ancient people, myths were not pieces of fiction used as allegory. Myths were the way they explained human nature, natural phenomenon, and how to overcome difficulties in time of strife. In the 4^th century AD, the Roman philosopher Sallustius wrote that “myths were things that never happened, but always are”. He wrote about the use of mythology in an age where Roman popular thinking was moving away from mysticism and mythology and towards philosophy and science. Sallustius believed that mythology shouldn’t be left behind as a relic of a bygone era, but should be taught to all as a foundation of what he called “common conceptions”, or the body of knowledge that all Romans should know and be able to draw from.