Romulus and Remus
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Who were Romulus and Remus?
Romulus and Remus are the legendary founders of Rome. Their story begins with their mother, Rhea Silvia, a Vestal Virgin, and father, the god Mars. Born to royal lineage, they were ordered to be drowned in the Tiber River by Amulius, who had usurped the throne from their grandfather, Numitor.
Rescued and nurtured by a she-wolf and a woodpecker, they were later found by the herdsman Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, who raised them. As adults, they restored their grandfather to the throne and decided to found their own city. During the construction of the city walls, Remus was killed by Romulus. The city was named Rome, after Romulus, who became its first king. The legend blends Greek and Roman elements, explaining place-names and customs.
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According to mythology, how were Romulus and Remus born?
In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus are the legendary founders of Rome. They were the sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter of King Numitor of Alba Longa.
Numitor's brother, Amulius, deposed him and forced Rhea to become a Vestal Virgin to prevent her from having children. However, the god Mars fathered Romulus and Remus. Amulius ordered the infants to be drowned in the Tiber River, but they were saved when the trough in which they were placed floated to the future site of Rome. There, a she-wolf and a woodpecker, both sacred to Mars, suckled and fed them until the herdsman Faustulus found them.
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Who raised Romulus and Remus after they were abandoned?
After being abandoned, Romulus and Remus, legendary founders of Rome, were discovered near the Tiber River by a she-wolf and a woodpecker, both animals sacred to the god Mars, who suckled and fed them Romulus and Remus. Later, they were found by the herdsman Faustulus. Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised the twins, who eventually became leaders of a band of adventurous youths. They killed Amulius, restored their grandfather to the throne, and founded a town on the site where they had been saved.
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What important city are Romulus and Remus credited with founding?
According to Roman legend, Romulus and Remus are credited with founding the city of Rome. The traditional founding date is 753 BCE.
The twins were the sons of Rhea Silvia and the war god Mars. Abandoned as infants, they were nursed by a she-wolf and later raised by a herdsman. After restoring their grandfather to the throne, they decided to build their own city on the site where they were saved. During the founding of Rome, the brothers quarreled, and Romulus killed Remus. The city was named after Romulus.
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What happened between Romulus and Remus as they tried to found their city?
Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars, were ordered to be drowned in the Tiber River by King Amulius. However, they were saved and suckled by a she-wolf and a woodpecker until a herdsman, Faustulus, found them.
As adults, they decided to found a town on the site where they were saved. During the construction of the city walls, a quarrel arose, and Romulus killed Remus. Romulus then became the sole ruler of the city, which was named Rome after him.
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Why are Romulus and Remus important symbols in Roman culture and legend?
In Roman culture and legend, Romulus and Remus are important as the legendary founders of Rome. Their story, likely originating in the 4th century BCE, blends Greek and Roman elements and connects Rome's origins to the god Mars.
According to the legend, they were the sons of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars. Ordered to be drowned, they were rescued and nurtured by a she-wolf and a woodpecker. Raised by a herdsman, they eventually killed Amulius, who had deposed their grandfather Numitor, and then founded a town. During the construction of the city wall, Romulus killed Remus, and the city was named after Romulus.
The tale of Romulus and Remus explains Rome's origins and symbolizes its power and destiny.
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Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. Traditionally, they were the sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa.
Numitor had been deposed by his younger brother Amulius, who forced Rhea to become one of the Vestal Virgins (and thereby vow chastity) in order to prevent her from giving birth to potential claimants to the throne. Nevertheless, Rhea bore the twins Romulus and Remus, fathered by the war god Mars. Amulius ordered the infants drowned in the Tiber River, but the trough in which they were placed floated down the river and came to rest at the site of the future Rome, near the Ficus ruminalis, a sacred fig tree of historical times. There a she-wolf and a woodpecker—both sacred to Mars—suckled and fed them until they were found by the herdsman Faustulus.
Reared by Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, the twins became leaders of a band of adventurous youths, eventually killing Amulius and restoring their grandfather to the throne. They subsequently founded a town on the site where they had been saved. When Romulus built a city wall, Remus jumped over it and was killed by his brother.
Romulus consolidated his power, and the city was named for him. He increased its population by offering asylum to fugitives and exiles. He invited the neighbouring Sabines to a festival and abducted their women. The women married their captors and intervened to prevent the Sabines from seizing the city. In accordance with a treaty drawn up between the two peoples, Romulus accepted the Sabine king Titus Tatius as his coruler. Titus Tatius’s early death left Romulus sole king again, and, after a long rule, he mysteriously disappeared in a storm. Believing that he had been changed into a god, the Romans worshipped him as the deity Quirinus.
The legend of Romulus and Remus probably originated in the 4th century bce and was set down in coherent form at the end of the 3rd century bce. It contains a mixture of Greek and Roman elements. The Greeks customarily created mythical eponymous heroes to explain the origins of place-names. The story of the rape of the Sabine women was perhaps invented to explain the custom of simulated capture in the Roman marriage ceremony. By including Mars in the legend, the Romans were attempting to connect their origins with that important deity. In the early 21st century, archaeologists discovered remains from the 8th century bce of a cave, possible boundary walls, and a palace that demonstrate parallels between history and legend.
The famous bronze statue of a she-wolf now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome is believed to date to the early years of the Roman Republic (late 6th to early 5th century bce); the suckling twins were added in the 16th century ce. Some scholars, however, have claimed that the statue is from the medieval period.