Romulus and Remus

The Legendary Founders of Rome

Romulus and Remus were legendary twin brothers whose story explained how Rome began. Their mother, Rhea Silvia, was a princess, and their father was said to be Mars, god of war. Rhea Silvia's uncle Amulius had stolen the throne from her father and was frightened that the twins might grow up to challenge him. He ordered the babies to be thrown into the River Tiber. Instead, they were placed in a basket and the water carried them to safety. A she-wolf found the crying babies and fed them until a shepherd called Faustulus discovered them.

Faustulus and his wife Acca Larentia raised the twins. Romulus and Remus grew into brave young men and eventually discovered who they really were. They helped defeat Amulius and restored their grandfather Numitor to his throne. The brothers then decided to create a city near the place where the wolf had found them. This should have been the happy ending. Instead, they argued over where the city should stand and which brother should become its ruler. They watched birds for signs from the gods, but even those signs caused another disagreement.

Romulus chose the Palatine Hill and began building walls. In the most famous version of the story, Remus mocked the new defences by jumping over them. Romulus became furious and killed his brother. Other ancient writers told the death differently, so there was never one perfectly fixed version. Romulus went on to become Rome's legendary first king, and tradition dated the city's foundation to 21 April 753 BCE. Archaeologists really have found evidence of early settlements on Rome's hills, but they cannot prove that the twins themselves existed. The famous image of the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus became one of Rome's greatest symbols. I think the legend stayed popular because it is both exciting and uncomfortable. The twins survive an evil king, a river and life in the wild, but the thing they cannot survive is their own argument. Rome's story begins with courage and ambition, but also with a warning about what can happen when competition becomes more important than family.

⬅   Back