Statue of Remus and Romulus with the She Wolf (Capitoline Museum)
Prior to visiting Rome, I may have heard the names Remus and Romulus but I honestly can’t recall if I ever heard the story of Rome’s founding. After my visit and seeing the importance the twins have to the city’s history, I couldn’t help but do a little research to see what this foundation myth is all about.
My interest was sparked by the fairly common image of the two young twins being suckled by a she wolf. This somewhat disturbing image has been adopted whether officially or unofficially by the city and appears on t-shirts, jackets, in sculpture, and works of art. While it’s kind of a bizarre image to put forth representing your city, the story behind the image proves fascinating.
The earliest known history of the twins in believed to be from the writings of Diocles of Preparethus, a Greek historian that lived during the 3rd and 4th century BCE. Later building on his work, famous historians Livy and Plutarch would add their two cents to Rome’s foundation myth. Regardless of the historian, they all seem to agree on the beginning of the story of Remus and Romulus.
According to the myth, Remus and Romulus were born to a Vestal Virgin named Rhea Silvia. Silvia was not a Vestal Virgin by choice. Instead she was forced into the arrangement by her uncle, Amulius. Amulius used the power he wielded as treasurer of the kingdom of Alba Longa to overthrow his brother and Rhea’s father, Numitor. After triumphing over his brother, Amulius’ concerns over any potential nephews lead to Rhea’s life as a Vestal Virgin. Here’s where things get a little bazaar. After she becomes a Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia is seduced by either the god Mars or in other versions, Hercules. After finding out about his niece’s pregnancy, Amulius is furious and orders one of his servants to dispose of the twin boys.
If the boys were to get the short end of the stick, things proved much worse for their mother. In the kingdom of Alba Longa, Vestal Virgins were a sacred, important part of the kingdom’s religion. Vestal Virgins were freed from obligations to marry and bare children. They were considered priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. By giving up their rights to bare children, etc… the Vestals were also forced to maintain a vow of chastity for thirty years. Interestingly, after their service, they were permitted to marry and have children. In later years, the Vestal Virgins were charged with maintaining a fire at the Temple of Vesta in Rome. They were also responsible for tasks like drawing sacred water from the well and even safeguarding wills of important people. In a sense they were the sacred housekeepers of the ancient world.
The less glamorous side of being a Vestal Virgin was the harsh punishment they were subject to if they broke their vows. According to law, it was illegal to spill the blood of a Vestal Virgin, even if they broke their vows. To get around this, any Vestal Virgin caught breaking her vow was to be buried alive. It appears that this was the fate that met Rhea Silvia when she was found pregnant.
In regards to the twins, Amulius refused to bloody his own hands, so he charged one of his servants with killing the boys. Unable to commit the crime, the servant placed the boys in a basket next to the River Tiber. The river flooded and the boys were pushed downstream where they caught in the roots of a fig tree at the base of Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill would eventually become the center of the ancient city. Although the boys survived the river, they were still left to the elements and a certain death. While in their basket alongside the river, the boys were discovered by a she wolf. Instead of eating the easy meal, the wolf decided to take them as her own, allowing the boys to suckle and saving their lives. This is the image that has become symbolic of the city today.
Painting by Ruebens of Remus and Romulus being found by the shepherd. Looking on are Rhea and the god Mars/Hercules.
Later, the boys were discovered by a shepherd, Faustulus, and his wife Acca Laurentia. The couple raised the boys as they were their own children. As the years passed, the boys became shepherds in their own right, coming into conflict with the shepherds of their uncle Amulius. When the boys were brought in front of the King, their true identity was recognized and a battle was waged between the King and the twins. Romulus and Remus triumphed over their uncle and were offered the crown of Alba Longa. Instead of taking the crown, the twins instead decided to strike off on their own. In Alba Longa they reinstated their grandfather Numitor before going off in search of a spot to found their own city.
In a twist of fate, their search brought them to within sight of where the she wolf found them many years earlier. Near the river are two hills, Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill. Although they both liked the spot, the boys got into an argument over where to build the city with each choosing a hill. To settle the dispute, Remus climbed to the top of Aventine Hill and Romulus to the top of Palatine Hill. After asking for a sign from the gods, Remus saw six eagles (or vultures depending on the story) and Romulus saw twelve. Claiming that his site has been chosen by the gods, Romulus began to construct his city on Palatine Hill. The sources seem to agree that the year was 753 BCE.
Ancient Roman Ruins near Palatine Hill
Despite the signs from the gods to the contrary, Remus refused to acknowledge Palatine Hill and becomes a thorn in his brother’s side. As his brother constructs a wall/ditch around the hill, Remus criticizes the work and even went as far as to obstruct Romulus’ construction. In a final act of disrespect towards his brother’s choice of Palatine Hill, Remus made a mockery of the wall/ditch by jumping it. This is the final straw for Romulus and his followers, and they killed Remus. In one account he is killed by his brother, and in another one of the workers on the wall/ditch hits him over the head with a spade.
Under Romulus rule the city grows and prospers eventually incorporating several other local kingdoms including Alba Longa. It is also under Romulus that the Roman system of senatorial rule materializes. Ironically many believe that a conflict with the Senate lead to Romulus’ downfall. Regardless of what happened later in his rule, the story of Remus and Romulus is a fascinating foundation myth that continues to define the city 2700 years later.
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