Final answer:
Aeneas killed Turnus as a foundational myth of Rome, symbolizing the city's legacy and foreshadowing its history of internal conflict. Historians utilized such myths to rationalize Rome's civil wars, suggesting violence was inherent from its conception.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aeneas killed Turnus as part of the broader narrative of Rome's mythical history, often recited to explain the origins and the nature of Roman identity and civil wars. Roman historians and myth-makers used these stories to give context to Rome's turbulent history and to provide legendary justifications for their civil discords, asserting that such violence was ingrained in Rome from its very foundation.
Specifically, the story of Aeneas and Turnus comes from Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid, which is a cornerstone work of Latin literature and Roman national myth. Aeneas, a Trojan hero, battles Turnus, the king of the Rutulians, in order to establish a new homeland in Italy for the Trojan refugees. Aeneas eventually kills Turnus to fulfill his destiny of laying the foundations for what would become Rome. This violent act mirrors the later violent acts of Roman history, emphasizing the belief that Rome's origin is rooted in conflict.