by Marie Antonia Parsons

Created on: November 23, 2009

Several ancient writers, including Livy and Plutarch, record that Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus. Their story is one of legend and myth, with elements that appear in many other hero-cycles around the ancient world, such as the story of Cyrus the Great, Sargon, Semiramis, even Pope Gregory the Great, and others. Machiavelli used their story to support his discourse on appropriate politics.

Aeneas, Ancestor of Rome

Romulus and Remus were descendants of the hero Aeneas, survivor from Troy. Aeneas landed in Italy and eventually married the daughter of the king of the Latin peoples, and they ruled the mythical city of Alba Longa. His son Ascanius was also called Julius, and he gave his name to the family Iulii, from when was descended Julius Caesar.

Mars the Father of Romulus?

After some generations, Numitor came to the throne, until his brother Amulius played traitor and usurped the kingship, sending Numitor into exile. Fearing that Rhea Silvia, the daughter of Numitor, would bear children who would be rival claimants to the crown, Amulius had his niece made a Vestal Virgin, priestess of the goddess Vesta and sworn for life to celibacy. Soon after, however, Rhea was discovered to be with child, contrary to the Vestal law. She claimed that Mars was the child's father, either because she believed she had been visited by that god, or because she hoped not to be found with guilt if others believed the story. Some variants of the tale claim that Amulius himself, unable to resist her beauty, disguised himself and raped her. In any event, Rhea was not put to death, in part at least because the king's own daughter interceded on her behalf. Instead, she was kept in solitary confinement so that she could bear her child, unknown to anyone.

Romulus and Remus Fostered by Wolf

Soon Rhea gave birth to twins, who in size and beauty were more than human. Amulius learned of the birth, and being afraid, ordered the babies taken away and killed. But his servant could not bear to murder such innocents, and instead he abandoned the babies near the Tiber River. Since the Tiber was overflowing its banks, the water swept their cradle away until it came to rest near a wild fig-tree, the Ficus Ruminalis. This tree stood near the foot of the Palatine Hill. Archaeological remains have been found on the Palatine, indicating some of the earliest habitations of Rome. The cradle came to a rest, and a she-wolf came and suckled the infants, while a woodpecker helped feed and guard them.

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