Romulus and Remus - Ancient History Encyclopedia Romulus and Remus by Brittany Garcia published on 04 October 2013 In Roman mythology , Romulus and his twin brother Remus were the children of Rhea Silvia and Mars (or in some variations the demi-god hero Hercules ). Romulus and Remus are best known for being the founders of the city of Rome . Their story is recorded by many authors including Virgil who claims their birth and adventures were fated in order for Rome to be founded. The Birth & Parentage of Romulus & Remus Romulus and Remus were the direct descendants of Aeneas, whose fate-driven adventures to discover Italy are described by Virgil in The Aeneid . Romulus and Remus were related to Aeneas through their mother's father, Numitor. Numitor was a king of Alba Longa, an ancient city of Latium in central Italy, and father to Rhea Silvia. Before Romulus' and Remus' conception, Numitor's reign was usurped by Nimitor's younger brother, Amulius. Amulius inherited control over Alba Longa's treasury with which he was able to dethrone Numitor and become king.

Amulius, wishing to avoid any conflict of power, killed Nimitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin . Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta , patron goddess of the hearth; they were charged with keeping a sacred fire that was never to be extinguished and to take vows of chastity. Remove Ads Advertisement There is much debate and variation as to whom was the father of Romulus and Remus. Some myths claim that Mars appeared and lay with Rhea Silvia; other myths attest that the demi-god hero Hercules was her partner. However, the author Livy claims that Rhea Silvia was in fact raped by an unknown man, but blamed her pregnancy on divine conception. In either case, Rhea Silvia was discovered to be pregnant and gave birth to her sons. It was custom that any Vestal Virgin betraying her vows of celibacy was condemned to death; the most common death sentence was to be buried alive. However, King Amulius, fearing the wrath of the paternal god (Mars or Hercules) did not wish to directly stain his hands with the mother's and children's blood.

So, King Amulius imprisoned Rhea Silvia and ordered the twins' death by means of live burial , exposure, or being thrown into the Tiber River. He reasoned that if the twins were to die not by the sword but by the elements, he and his city would be saved from punishment by the gods. He ordered a servant to carry out the death sentence, but in every scenario of this myth, the servant takes pity on the twins and spares their lives. The servant, then, places the twins into a basket onto the River Tiber, and the river carries the boys to safety. The twins were first discovered by a she-wolf or lupa, who suckled them, and they were fed by a wood-pecker or picus. The Discovery of Romulus & Remus The river god Tibernus ensured their safety by calming the river, and he caused their basket to catch in the roots of a nearby fig tree. The tree was located at the base of the Palatine Hill in the Velabrum swamp. The twins were first discovered by a she-wolf or lupa, who suckled them and they were fed by a wood-pecker or picus.

Eventually, they were discovered and cared for by a shepherd and his wife: Faustulus and Acca Larentia.The two boys grew up to be shepherds like their adoptive father. One day while they were herding their sheep, they were met by shepherds of King Amulius. These shepherds started a fight with Romulus and Remus in which Remus was captured and taken before King Amulius. Romulus gathered and incited a band of local shepherds to join him in rescuing his brother. King Amulius believed that Rhea Silvia's children were dead; he did not recognize Remus or Romulus. Romulus freed his brother, and in the process killed King Amulius. Romulus & Remus Begin to Quarrel After Amulius' death, the brothers rejected the citizens' offer of the crown of Alba Longa and instead reinstated Nimitor as king. They left Alba Longa seeking to found their own city, and each set out to find the best locale.

The brothers quarrelled over the location of the foundation of their new city; Romulus wished to start the city on the Palatine Hill, while Remus wished to found it on the Aventine Hill. In order to settle their disagreement, they agreed to consult augury; augury is a type of prophecy in which birds are examined and observed to determine what actions or persons the gods favour. Each brother prepared a sacred space on their respective hills and began to watch for birds. Remus claimed to have seen six birds, while Romulus said he saw twelve birds. Romulus asserted that he was the clear winner by six birds, but Remus argued that since he saw his six birds first, he had won. The brothers remained at a standstill and continued to quarrel until Romulus began to dig trenches and build walls around his hill: the Palatine Hill. Advertisement Death of Remus & Founding of Rome In response to Romulus' construction, Remus made continuous fun of the wall and his brother's city. Remus was so bold as to jump over Romulus' wall jestingly.

In response to Remus' mockeries and for jumping over his wall, Romulus, angered by his brother's belittlement, killed him. There are several versions as to how Remus was killed on the day Rome was founded. In Livy's version, Remus simply died after jumping over Romulus' wall, which is thought to be a sign from the gods of Rome's power and fate. According to St. Jerome, Remus was killed for his mockery by one of Romulus' supporters, either Fabius or Celer, who killed Remus by throwing a spade at his head. Afterwards, Romulus mournfully buries his brother, bestowing upon him full funeral honours. However, most sources would convey that Romulus killed Remus. Remus' death and founding of Rome are dated by Livy to April 21st, 753 BCE. Beginnings of Rome: War & Peace Romulus named his city Roma after himself. Following the foundation of his city, Romulus instated a government system which implemented senators and patricians . As the popularity of his city and government system grew, so did the population.

Rome's initial population was supplied by fugitives, exiles, run away slaves, and criminals and other cast offs. Due to the inflation of the male population, Rome was unable to produce any generations of their own. As a result of the low ratio of women to men, the newly Roman men decided to abduct women from a neighbouring city. They invited the Sabines and Latins to a festival of Cronus at the Circus Maximus , and while the men of these cities were distracted, the Roman men carried off their women into Rome. Many of these women were persuaded to marry; however, in response to this rape or abduction of women, the Sabine and Latin men went to war against Rome. Romulus was the definitive winner of this war and his victory was Rome's first triumph . Although defeated, the Sabine king, Titus Tatius, attempted to assault Rome by marching on the Capitoline citadel. The citadel's commander's daughter promised to open the gates for the Sabine army if they gave her whatever "they bore on their left hand." When the Sabine army passed through, the poor girl expected hundreds of golden bracelets, but unfortunately she was crushed to death by their large shields.

The Sabines besieged the Romans and the Romans almost lost until Romulus prayed to Jupiter for help. Jupiter answered, aiding the Romans to a final victory. Eventually, a truce formed between the Romans and Sabines along with Tatius and Romulus agreeing to form a joint reign of two kings. They jointly ruled for five years, and integrated each other's customs from calendars, gods, and even military tactics. This was a time of peace within Rome, but this intercity harmony ceased due to Tatius' actions. After these prosperous five years, Tatius was caught sheltering some of his allies who had robbed the neighbouring allied Lavinians and murdered some of their ambassadors. The Senate decided that Tatius must go to Lavinium to sacrifice and appease both the locals and god in regards to his crimes. While in Lavinium, Tatius was assassinated and Romulus became the sole king of Rome. For the next 20 years, Romulus sought to expand Rome's land through war. When Numitor died, Romulus incorporated Alba Longa into Rome's government and lands. Through Romulus' reign, he slowly became more autocratic and the Senate became resentful.

The legend of Romulus and Remus - Telegraph The legend of Romulus and Remus The twins suckle on the milk of the she-wolf By Malcolm Moore 12:01AM GMT 21 Nov 2007 Romulus and Remus are recorded in Roman mythology as the founders of the city Rome. Legend has that the twins were born around 770BC, the sons of a mortal priestess, Rhea Silvia, and the Roman god of war, Mars. The boys were abandoned at birth and thrown into the River Tiber in a cradle. Related Articles 22 Nov 2011 However, they were rescued by a she-wolf, taken to her cave lair, and suckled on her milk. After being found by the shepherd, Faustulus, and raised to adulthood, the twins decided to establish a city where the wolf had nursed them. However, the pair argued about who had the support of the gods, and Romulus killed Remus in a fight on what became Palatine Hill. Romulus, now king of Rome, then set about stealing women from the Sabine tribe to build the population of his new city.

The act was immortalised as the "rape of the Sabine women". Roman scholars record that Romulus also created Rome's military system and senate, and conquered many areas of modern Italy for his city before death. He was deified as the god Quirinus, the devine spirit of the Rome and the Roman people. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, built his palace on Palatine Hill near the legendary site of the wolf mother's lair, known as the Lupercale. Romulus and Remus - ancient Roman mythology SALES GALLERY ROMULUS & REMUS Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars and the Vestal Rhea Silvia, were the mythical founders of Rome. At birth they were placed in a basket and set afloat on the Tiber (note the similarity to the story of Moses). The basket came aground at the grotto Lupercal, under a fig tree called Ruminal, where the twins were found and suckled by a she-wolf, and later raised by the shepherd family of Faustulus and and his wife, Acca Larentia. When young men, the brothers decided to found a city.

After studying the flights of birds, and signs in the sky, it was determined that each Romulus and Remus would be in charge of a section of the new city, but the signs also determined that Romulus section would be twice the size of Remus' section. Romulus, using a plow pulled by a white cow and a white bull, cut a furrow to mark the boundary of his section. Remus, angry at his brother getting the larger part, jumped over the furrow into his brothers section, where Romulus killed him (in another version of the story, invented later by the poet Ennius, Remus just disappeared during a storm). Romulus went on to build the city, which was named Rome after him. He was later deified and became associated with Quirinus, under whose name he was worshipped. Romulus and Remus are represented on a number of Roman coins, usually is as babies suckling at the she-wolf. The most common of these are the small bronze coins issued during what is known as the Constantine commemorative period, ca. 330-346 AD. If you entered this page from a coin description, use the back button to return to that position.

Romulus and Remus - definition of Romulus and Remus by The Free Dictionary Romulus and Remus - definition of Romulus and Remus by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Re·mus The twin brother of Romulus. Remus (Classical Myth & Legend) Roman myth the brother of Romulus Rom•u•lus (ˈrɒm yə ləs) n. the legendary founder of Rome and its first king: a son of Mars, he and his twin brother ( Remus ) were abandoned as infants and suckled by a wolf. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Remus - (Roman mythology) the twin brother of Romulus Roman mythology - the mythology of the ancient Romans Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content .

Link to this page: 'Vulcan' leads Pluto's moon name vote Weird World of Wonders tracks the rise and fall of Rome - from its legendary founding by twins Romulus and Remus to its faltering last days in the fifth century AD - taking in along the way the various wars with the Carthaginians and the Gauls, its invasions and occupations, its culture and less cultural aspects, such as slavery and sacrifice. ROMULUS - the Roman legendary mortal (Roman mythology) ROMULUS Founding father and patron God of Rome ROMULUS and REMUS are twin sons of MARS and RHEA-SILVIA . Being illicit and also next in line to the throne of Alba Longa, they were stuffed into a basket by their jealous great uncle Amalius and pitched it into the turbulent river Tiber. The twins were washed ashore where they were rescued and suckled by a female wolf who had recently lost her cubs. They thrived and were discovered by a Royal Gamekeeper, Faustulus before they had time to develop any werewolf tendencies. They were taught table manners and turned out to be bright lads who did well and decided to go into the building trade in a big way.

Starting by planning a new city. Sadly they could not agree on the exact location and ROMULUS drew the first ever picket line denying his brother to cross it. This cause a bad strike as REMUS immediately crossed the line which had only been drawn in the dust. So ROMULUS struck him. It was a very bad strike because REMUS fell fatally injured. Undeterred, ROMULUS carried on. When completed he decided to call it Rome after himself. Having no established inhabitants this New Town seemed to attract dropouts, scoundrels and runaway slaves with a marked shortage of women. ROMULUS came up with the idea of holding some Games — always a good way to draw crowds from afar. This was to be used as cover to abduct some ladies. The Sabines accepted the invitation, and didn’t care for these Games at all as they were losing from the start. This led to an all out war, but ROMULUS promised JUPITER a temple to gain a sneaky victory. Eventually there was peace and coalition between the Romans and Sabines, and Rome grew.

ROMULUS made himself king and ruled for 33 years until he was carried off to Heaven by MARS during a solar eclipse to become a deity called QUIRINUS . Or did he? Another version said he was nothing but a self-seeking scumbag and he was torn to bits in secret by senators and the remains and stains carefully obliterated. ‘Romulus? Um, we think he’s gone on holiday — there’s no sign of him anywhere.’ ROMULUS FACTS AND FIGURES Cite this Link to this page HTML: To link to this page, just copy and paste the text below into your blog, web page or email. <a href="">Godchecker entry on ROMULUS, the Roman legendary mortal</a> BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the text below: [url= entry on ROMULUS, the Roman legendary mortal[/url] Cite this article Here's the info you need to cite this page. Just copy the text in the box below. Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "ROMULUS - the Roman legendary mortal (Roman mythology)." <em>Godchecker</em>.

Godchecker.com / CID, 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 January 2017. . 12 January 2013 by the Godchecker Team. Editors: Peter J Allen, Chas Saunders References: Coming soon. Sex and Myth in Ancient Rome « The Global Dispatches By Ludovico Pisani , April 5, 2012 Erotic wall painting from Pompei An entertaining and informative look at the background to the myth of Romulus and Remus, with flying phalluses appearing from chimneys and sexuality in the Roman Empire; the innumerable brothels and the Roman obsession with subjugation - of all kinds. Belligerent twins, Romulus and Remus are central to the myth of the founding of Rome. However behind this myth lie others, more startling and unearthly, with strong undercurrents of sexuality. It was the poet Virgil who put mythology to the service of state power by inventing a Trojan ancestry for the twins and thus the Roman people, helping to consolidate Emperor Augustus’s power base and his claim to power.

But behind Virgil’s sycophantic genius for creating institutional myths lie more visceral tales bound up with fertility rituals and the initiation rites of the early Romans. The real myths are rather more extraordinary, involving flying phalluses, she-wolves, prostitutes, the god Mars and divine oracles and often had marked sexual connotations. Sex was not something to be hidden or ashamed of in ancient Rome, but sexuality was strictly managed by the state. Brothels abounded, but all in the name of political stability and a strong desire to assuage the collective anxiety regarding fertility. The primitive cult of the erect phallus and sexual dynamism was a key element of ancient societies. Men went from being unaware of the purpose of their erections to venerating them unconditionally, once they made the reproductive connection. In every civilisation, from the very earliest, the male organ was considered to possess the power to ward off evil and increase fertility. Ancient Rome was no exception.

Flying phallus charms to ward off evil - Naples Museum of Archaeology The earliest evidence of the cult of the phallus was found in Egypt where Isis, after the dismemberment of the body of Osiris, unable to find his penis, moulded an erect phallus to give to mankind so that they could worship it. From there, the cult of the phallus spread to Greece and then to Italy. In ancient Rome, the phallus was not considered obscene or indecent as it is now. Plutarch, in his Life of Romulus, describes the incredible scene witnessed by Tarchetius, the cruel king of Alba Longa near Rome. One day, a huge phallus emerged from his hearth and started flying around his house. He consulted an oracle who explained to him that this was the spirit of Mars, the god of war, expressing his annoyance with him, as he was impatient to see him sire a successor to the throne. The only way to appease the god was to offer him a virgin. The oracle told him that the child born of this union would excel in virtue, fortune and strength (rhome).

Tarchetius tried to convince his daughter to have sexual relations with this huge phallus but she refused, considering it undignified, and ordered a slave girl to take her place. From this union, twins were born, Romulus and Remus, who the perfidious king ordered should be abandoned near the River Tiber so as to kill them. Miraculously the river withdrew and a she-wolf came down from the mountains and suckled them. Erotic wall painting from Pompei In order to understand sexuality in the ancient world we must also bear in mind the mentality of the Roman civis, (a fully-fledged citizen of Rome). He had the right to impose his will on his family unopposed and had been brought up in the conviction that imposing oneself on one’s enemies through military might, and on one’s fellow citizens through rhetoric was the greatest of personal achievements. Right from the earliest days of Roman civic life, the concept of being able to “overwhelm” was the supreme value, one that was applied when a man became a pater familias with the power of life and death over his wife, his children (for the duration of his life) and his slaves.

A confirmation of this social power was his right to sodomize his slaves, but only “actively”: passivity in a Roman was seen as a sign of depravity and something to be punished. Sexual passivity in a free man is a crime, for a slave a necessity, for a freed slave a duty. Seneca, Controversiae., 4.10 To ensure greater social stability, Roman men were allowed to frequent the many brothels, the lupanari, which were to be found in every city. In Pompeii alone there were 25 of them. The brothels were dark, cramped, dirty and darkened by candle smoke. There was a catalogue describing the services available, painted as frescoes on both the internal and external walls. The “service” itself lasted no longer than a few minutes, in fact the clients did not even take off their shoes – as evidenced by the numerous imprints of shoes on the stone beds. Rudimentary contraceptive devices were used: rubbing oils, tampons soaked in lemon juice, potions and condoms made out of animal intestines.

The fee for a single “service” was 2 “asses” (coppers) which was the same as the price of a glass of wine at the time. The reason for the fee being so low was a careful political calculation; the prostitutes, the gladiatorial games and the public baths all cost very little so that every Roman could enjoy the benefits. Above all it would mean that they would be more docile and malleable, thus leading to fewer riots and uprisings. The Roman Senate knew that the serious uprisings all took place in major urban centres and in this way they did their best to prevent them from happening. Homosexuality was considered a Greek vice and was very common, so much so that male prostitutes were far more expensive than their female “colleagues”. Homosexuality between women was considered the worst of all depravities and was severely punished. The she-wolf (la lupa) suckling Romulus and Remus from Rome's Capitoline Museum The so-called “rigid morality” of the Romans did not prohibit prostitution at all, ensuring its status as the oldest profession on earth.

Livy, in his Acca Larentia, tells us that the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus was in fact a woman known as lupa, (meaning she-wolf in Latin) – a prostitute who serviced the peasant farmers. From her name comes, we are told, the word for lupanare (brothels) and perhaps the very name of Rome derives from the word ruma, a suckling breast. The brothels were open all hours of the day and night and it was a common sight to see fathers taking their young sons there in the hope of satisfying their offspring’s primordial instincts – in order to avoid the disorder that can be caused by uncontrolled desire. Strict order and control reigned in Roman society, and anyone who went beyond its clearly defined limits was severely punished. Young boys wearing a bulla (a type of pendant), matrons, free-born men and young girls from good families could in no way be importuned, but if they were, there was a very clear law, the lex Scatinia, which punished the offender with a fine of 10,000 sesterci. Roman morality did not distinguish between the sexes, but it was highly attentive to social rank.

Prostitution was not a disgrace for those who worked in the brothels and prostitutes practised their profession of their own volition. Just as a normal citizen might choose to become a gladiator, women could become prostitutes – but this choice was tantamount to social death. Prostitutes lost the right to vote, and had to dress in a special manner, but once they had declared their intention to become a prostitute in front of the Aedile (who was in charge of public order), they could practise their profession undisturbed. If we can believe the Roman playwright Plautus, frequenting high-class prostitutes was not really advisable, even though they might offer pleasure and gratification. The downside was that they brought their patrons to psychological and financial ruin. These vampire/courtesans were central figures in Plautus’s plays. Priapus weighing his penis Even in pre-Roman society the phallus was seen to have propitiatory attributes, being frequently involved in the initiation rites of young boys. On 17 March, during the feast of the Liberalia, the adulthood of young people was officially recognised and it is said that the male genitalia were openly worshipped in the name of the god Libero.

A huge phallus was placed on a cart which was driven first through the countryside and then through the city where at the end of the procession it was “crowned” by a matron of the nobility. Plutarch described one of these countryside festivals. At the head of the group, there was an amphora filled with wine, mixed with honey and a vine branch, followed by a basket of figs, followed by the virgins who carried the phallus which with the fields were irrigated. Plutarch (De cupiditate divitiarum, VIII, 527 D) In Lavinium, these celebrations lasted a full month, during which time obscene language was used – the worst obscenities being thought to have the power to purify and make one fertile. The use of obscene language was very important – it gave the young men the sense of virility that every true Roman citizen needed. The festival ended in the Temple of Jupiter where young boys officially enrolled for military service.

There are excesses from the past which to the modern mind may seem like picturesque rituals: such as Plutarch’s description of the falloforia organized by Ptolomey of Alexandria – a procession with celebrants carrying a 50-metre phallus covered in gold. The falloforia rite moved on to Ancient Greece where other solemn processions were held in honour of Priapus and Dionysus, in which once again large wooden phalluses were carried to ritual chanting. Surprisingly such traditions are not dead – even though the link to fertility and initiation rites may be a little hazy. Today in Japan for example, the Kanamara Matsuri (literally the festival of the erect penis) is held annually and is a lively descendant of these ancient rituals. The Kanamara Matsuri "Falloforia" that is still held in Japan ———————————————————————————————————————————————————– Ludovico Pisani is an archaeologist currently studying at the University of Rome. He has worked on a variety of archaeological digs: that of Lucus Feroniae (Capena), Tor Vergata (Rome), Pyrgi (Santa Severa) and Gabii (Rome).

He has also worked with the State Department of Archaeology in southern Etruria and Rome. He is currently working with the Vatican Museum. Romulus and Remus Imperial Cult Romulus and Remus According to the roman mythology, the founders of Rome were Romulus and Remus. The twin-brothers were the supposed sons of the god Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. The story begins with the deposition of Numitor (their grandfather and king of the ancient Italian city of Alba Longa), by his brother Amulius. Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, was made a Vestal Virgin by Amulius - which meant that she was made a priestess of the goddess Vesta and therefore forbidden to marry. However, the god Mars came to her in her temple and with him she conceived her two sons, Romulus and Remus. As soon as they were born, her husband abandoned them in a remote location. This practice was a form of quasi-infanticide tolerated in many ancient cultures, including the Roman and Greek, when children were unwanted. They were unwanted because Amulius was fearing that the boys would grow up to overthrow him, so he had them placed in a trough and thrown into the River Tiber.

At that time the river was flooded and when the waters fell, the trough still containing the two boys, came ashore. They were found by a she-wolf, who instead of killing them, looked after them and fed them with her milk. The she-wolf was helped by a woodpecker who brought them food as well. Interesting enough both these animals were sacred to Mars. Romulus and Remus were then discovered by Faustulus, a shepherd, who brought the children to his home. Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised the boys as their own. According to Livy, some said that Loba, wife of Faustulus had suckled them, not a female wolf. Indeed, her name meant wolf which was Lupus in Latin. Upon reaching adulthood, Romulus and Remus killed Amulius and reinstated Numitor, their grandfather, as King of Alba Longa, then they decided to found a town of their own. Romulus and Remus chose the place where the she-wolf had nursed them. Romulus began to build walls on the Palatine Hill, but Remus jeered at them because they were so low.

He leaped over them to prove this, and Romulus in anger killed him. Romulus continued the building of the new city, naming it Roma (Rome) after his own name. It's first citizens were outlaws and fugitives, to whom Romulus gave the settlement on the Capitoline Hill. There were, however not enough wives for all these men, and so Romulus decided to steal women from the Sabines, an Italian tribe. He proclaimed a festival and invited many Sabines to it. While the attention of the Sabine men was elsewhere Romulus' men rushed in and carried off the women. This was the famous "Rape (carrying off) of the Sabine women", which later became a subject for painters. The Sabine men were furious and, led by their king Titus Tatius, declared war on Romulus. When the fighting had reached its peak, the Sabine women, who had grown fond of their Roman husbands, rushed between the ranks and begged both sides to make peace. So the battle was stopped, Romulus and Titus Tatius ruled together over the two peoples until Titus Tatius was killed in battle.

For the rest of his life Romulus ruled alone, proving himself a great leader in peace and war. He did not die but disappeared one day in a violent storm. The Romans believing he had been taken up to heaven, worshiped him under the name of Quirinus. He was succeeded by Numa Pompilius. It seems unlikely that any part of this legend is true. Almost certainly it is a copy of a Greek tale, invented to explain the name of Rome and certain customs. For instance Roman brides were taken from their families on their wedding days with a pretense of force, and this probably accounts for the story of the Sabine women. Did you know? While the attention of the men was elsewhere Romulus' men rushed in and carried off the women. This was the famous "Rape (carrying off) of the Sabine women", which later became a subject for painters. NOT FROM THE USA?

A she wolf suckled his sons Romulus and Remus founders of the - CLST - 105 • A she-wolf suckled his sons, Romulus and Remus, founders of the city of Rome (see right) TheCapitolineWolf(Etruscan,c.480BCE) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full Document • Key Roman Gods: The Capitoline Triad • Jupiter , the sky-god, and equivalent of the Greek Zeus • Juno , goddess of marriage, women, and childbirth, and equivalent of Greek Hera; source of our month June • Minerva , perhaps originally a warrior goddess, associated with Athena, goddess of skill TheCapitolineTriad,Jupiter,Juno,andMinverva,AD115 • Key Roman Gods • Vesta : equivalent of Hestia, associated with hearth and home, her temple’s eternal fire guarded by the Vestal Virgins in Rome • Vulcan : equivalent of Hephaestus This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version.

View Full Document • Agricultural and fertility deities • Saturn, Greek Kronos • Ceres , Greek Demeter • Venus , Greek Aphrodite • Especially important in Rome. Julius Caesar ’s family traced its origins to her, and she was recognized as the mother of Aeneas. • Priapus , Greek fertility god TheCapitolineWolf(Etruscan,c.480BCE) • Diana , Greek Artemis • Mercury , Greek Hermes • Dis Pater or Pluto , Greek Hades • Other important figures: Hercules (Greek Heracles); the Dioscuri; the Sibylline Oracles. TheCapitolineWolf(Etruscan,c.480BCE) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full Document • The Lares and Genius • The Romans placed special emphasis on household spirits called the Lares , who protect each house and family, as well as travelers by land. • They also place special emphasis on the Genius or guardian spirit of each man. Each woman’s guardian spirit, also essential, is her Juno .

TheCapitolineWolf(Etruscan,c.480BCE) THE SAGAS ROMAN MYTH, PART 2 This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. Origins of Rome: The Myth of Romulus and Remus | Made From History Origins of Rome: The Myth of Romulus and Remus By Alex Browne Classical Antiquity , Romans / Last Updated: February 26, 2015 The citizens and scholars of Ancient Rome prided themselves on belonging to the greatest city in the world. Rome required a great foundation story, and the legend of Romulus and Remus effectively filled that void. Its longevity is testament to the quality of the story as well as to its importance to a great civilization. Sculpture of Romulus, mythical founder of Rome, with his twin brother Remus, who were said to have been suckled by a she-wolf. The Myth Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. Their mother, Rhea Silvia was the daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa, an ancient city of Latium.

Before the twins are conceived, Rhea Silvia’s uncle Amulius takes power, kills Numitor’s male heirs and forces Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin. Vestal Virgins were charged with keeping a sacred fire that was never to be extinguished and were sworn to chastity. However, Rhea Silvia conceives the twins. Most accounts claim their father was either the god Mars, or the demigod Hercules. However, Livy claimed that Rhea Silvia was raped by an unknown man. Once the twins are born. Amulius is furious and has his servants place the twins in a basket by the flooded river Tiber, which sweeps them away. Downstream they are discovered by a she wolf. The lupa suckles and nurses them, and they are fed by a woodpecker until they are found and taken away by a shepherd. They are raised by the shepherd and his wife, and both soon prove to be natural leaders. As adults, the brothers resolved to found a city on the site where they met the wolf. However they soon quarrelled about the site of the city, and Romulus murdered Remus.

While Romulus wanted to found the new city on the Palatine Hill, Remus preferred the Aventine Hill. He subsequently founded Rome, lending it his name. He led Rome in a number of military victories, supervising its expansion. As Rome swelled with numbers of disaffected male refugees, Romulus led a war against the Sabine people, which was won and in doing so absorbed the Sabines into Rome. Under his leadership Rome became the dominant force in the region, but as Romulus grew older his rule became more autocratic, and he eventually disappeared in mysterious circumstances. In later versions of the myths, Romulus ascended to heaven, and is associated with the divine incarnation of the Roman people. Truth vs. Fiction It seems little of this tale has any historical basis. The legend as a whole encapsulates Rome’s ideas of itself, its origins and moral values. For modern scholarship, it remains one of the most complex and problematic of all foundation myths, particularly Remus’s death. Ancient historians had no doubt that Romulus gave his name to the city. Most modern historians believe his name a back-formation from the name Rome. The basis for Remus’s name and role remain the subject of ancient and modern speculation.

Of course, the story is legend. In fact Rome arose when several settlements on the Plains of Latium joined in order to better defend against attack. The Story of Romulus - Mythological Founder of Rome By N.S. Gill The Myth About Rome's 1st King: Romulus was the eponymous first king of Rome. How he got there is story like many others, involving a rags-to-riches rise in fortune, a miraculous birth (like Jesus), and the exposure of an unwanted infant (see Paris of Troy and Oedipus ) in a river (see Moses and Sargon ). Barry Cunliffe, in Britain Begins (Oxford: 2013), succinctly describes the story as one of love, rape, treachery, and murder. The story of Romulus, his twin brother Remus, and the founding of the city of Rome is one of the most familiar legends about the Eternal City. The basic legend of how Romulus came to be the first king of Rome begins with the god Mars impregnating a Vestal Virgin named Rhea Silvia , daughter of a rightful, but deposed king.

Outline of the Birth and Rise of Romulus: After the birth of Mars' sons Romulus and Remus, the king orders them to be left to die in the Tiber River . When the basket in which the twins were placed washes up on shore, a wolf suckles them and a woodpecker named Picus feeds them until.... continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know The shepherd Faustulus finds the twins and brings them into his home. When they grow up, Romulus and Remus restore the throne of Alba Longa to its rightful ruler, their maternal grandfather. Then they set out to found their own city. Sibling rivalry leads Romulus to slay his brother. Romulus then becomes the first king and founder of the city of Rome. Rome is named after him. A Fine Story, But It's False: Such is the condensed, skeletal version of the story of the twins, but the details are believed to be false. I know. I know. It's legend, but bear with me. Was the Suckling Lupa a She-Wolf or a Prostitute? It is thought that a prostitute may have cared for the infants.

If true, then the story about the wolf suckling the babies is only an interpretation of a Latin word for brothel (lupanar) cave. The Latin for both 'prostitute' and 'she-wolf' is lupa. Archaeologists Uncover the Lupercale? A cave was uncovered on the Palatine Hill in Rome that some think is the Lupercale in which Romulus and Remus were suckled by a lupa (whether wolf or prostitute). If this were said cave, it might prove the existence of the twins. Read more in USA Today's "Does a cave prove Romulus and Remus are no myth?" Romulus May Not Have Been the Eponymous Founder Although Romulus or Rhomos or Rhomylos is considered the eponymous ruler, Rome may well have a different origin. His Mother - The Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia: The mother of the twins Romulus and Remus was said to have been a Vestal Virgin named Rhea Silvia, the daughter of (the rightful king) Numitor and niece of the usurper and ruling king, Amulius of Alba Longa, in Latium.

Alba Longa was an area near the eventual location of Rome, about 12 miles southeaast, but the city on the seven hills had yet to be built. A Vestal Virgin was a special priestly post of the hearth goddess Vesta, reserved for women that conferred great honor and privilege, but also, as the name implies, virginal status. The usurper feared a future challenge from Numitor's descendants. To prevent their being born, Amulius forced his niece to become a Vestal and therefore forced to remain a virgin. The penalty for violating the vow of chastity was a cruel death. The legendary Rhea Silvia survived violation of her vow long enough to give birth to twins, Romulus and Remus. Unfortunately, like later Vestal Virgins who violated their vows and therefore endangered the luck of Rome (or were used as scapegoats when Rome's luck appeared to be running out), Rhea may have suffered the usual punishment -- burial alive (shortly after delivery). The Founding of Alba Longa: At the end of the Trojan War , the city of Troy was destroyed, the men were killed and the women taken as captives, but a few Trojans escaped.

A cousin of the royals, Prince Aeneas , son of the goddess Venus and the mortal Anchises, left the burning city of Troy, at the end of the Trojan War, with his son Ascanius, the pricelessly important household gods, his elderly father, and their followers. After many adventures, which the Roman poet Vergil (Virgil) describes in the Aeneid, Aeneas and his son arrived at the city of Laurentum on the west coast of Italy. Aeneas married Lavinia, the daughter of the king of the area, Latinus, and founded the town of Lavinium in honor of his wife. Ascanius, son of Aeneas, decided to build a new city, which he named Alba Longa, under the Alban mountain and near where Rome would be built. c. 1183 - Fall of Troy c. 1176 - Aeneas founds Lavinium c. 1152 - Ascanius founds c. 1152-753 - Kings of Alba Longa Alba Longa Kings List by Roland A. Laroche.

Who Founded Rome - Romulus or Aeneas?: There were two traditions on the founding of Rome. According to one, Aeneas was the founder of Rome and according to the other, it was Romulus. Cato, in the early second century B.C., followed Eratosthenes' recognition that there were hundreds of years -- what amounts to 16 generations -- between Rome's founding (in the first year of the 7th Olympiad ) and the fall of Troy in 1183 B.C. He combined the two stories to come up with what is the generally accepted version. Such a new account was necessary because 400+ years were too many to allow truth seekers to call Romulus Aeneas' grandson: The Hybrid Story of the Founding of the 7-Hilled City of Rome Aeneas came to Italy, but Romulus founded the actual 7-hilled ( Palatine , Aventine , Capitoline or Capitolium, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline and Caelian) city of Rome, according to Jane Gardner.

Founding Rome on the Back of Fratricide: How and why Romulus or his companions killed Remus is also unclear: Was Remus killed by accident or out of sibling rivalry for the throne? Appraising the Signs From the Gods One story about Romulus killing Remus begins with the brothers using augury to determine which brother should be king. Romulus looked for his signs on the Palatine Hill and Remus on the Aventine. The sign came to Remus first -- six vultures. When Romulus later saw 12, the brothers' men ranged themselves against each other, the one claiming precedence because the favorable signs had come to their leader first, and the other claiming the throne because the signs were greater. In the ensuing altercation, Remus was killed -- by Romulus or another. Taunting Twins Another story of the killing of Remus has each brother building the walls for his city on his respective hill. Remus, mocking the low walls of his brother's city, leaped over the Palatine walls, where an angry Romulus killed him. The city grew up around the Palatine and was named Rome for Romulus, its new king.

Romulus Disappears: The end of the reign of Romulus is suitably mysterious. Rome's first king was last seen when a thunder storm wrapped itself around him. Modern Fiction on Romulus by Steven Saylor It may be fiction, but Steven Saylor's Roma includes an engrossing story of the legendary Romulus.

Question: In Roman myth , what type of animal suckled Romulus and Remus ?
Answer: WOLF