Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus
8 min read
Twin brothers of Roman mythology, legendarily raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned at birth. Romulus is presented as the founder and first king of Rome in 753 BC, while Remus is said to have perished during the founding of the city.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- According to legend, born around 771 BC to Rhea Silvia and Ares (or Mars)
- Abandoned at birth on the orders of Amulius, rescued and nursed by a she-wolf (lupa)
- Mythical founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 BC (traditional date)
- Death of Remus during the founding, killed by Romulus for crossing the pomerium
- Romulus established the institutions of Rome and became its first king
Works & Achievements
Romulus is said to have founded the city of Rome on the Palatine Hill, establishing what would become one of the greatest powers of the ancient world. This event marks the starting point of the traditional Roman calendar.
Romulus organized the abduction of young Sabine women to populate Rome and ensure the survival of the new city. This event illustrates Rome's difficult beginnings and the tense relations with neighboring peoples.
Romulus is said to have created the Senate by forming a council of one hundred or three hundred elders (patres), laying the foundations of the Roman political system. This institution would become a central pillar of Roman government.
Romulus divided Rome's earliest inhabitants into three distinct tribes, establishing a social and administrative structure for the new city. This organization served as the basis for archaic Roman administration.
According to legend, Romulus kept a shield that had fallen from the sky and had copies made of it to conceal the original. These shields became sacred objects of Roman worship, believed to protect the city.
Romulus fortified the Palatine Hill, creating the alba Longa (white fortress), Rome's first defensive enclosure. This construction is presented as the original heart of the city.
Anecdotes
The legend of Romulus and Remus is a Roman mythological creation, not a historically documented event. Modern historians agree that Rome developed gradually from the 8th century BCE, with no single founder. Yet the Romans themselves believed it firmly and celebrated April 21st as the anniversary of Rome's founding by Romulus.
The famous story of the she-wolf (Lupa) who supposedly nursed the two abandoned brothers is pure legend, likely invented to explain the mysterious origins of Rome. This image became so iconic that it appeared on Roman coins and remains the symbol of Rome to this day.
The killing of Remus by Romulus at the founding of the city is recounted by the writer Livy: Remus reportedly jumped over the wall Romulus was building, and Romulus killed him, saying 'So perish whoever else shall leap over my walls.' This story illustrates the supposed brutality of Rome's founding and the absolute power of its first king.
The Romans themselves had doubts about certain details of the legend: several versions existed regarding Remus's death and the true identity of the children's parents. These variations show that even in antiquity, Roman historians acknowledged the legendary nature of these accounts.
The cult of Romulus evolved over time: after his supposed death, he was said to have been deified under the name Quirinus and worshipped as a protective god of Rome. This evolution reveals how the Romans blended history, legend, and religion to forge their national identity.
Primary Sources
Romulus and Remus, twins born of Mars and a Vestal Virgin, were exposed at birth. A she-wolf nursed them with her milk in a cave. Shepherds found them and raised them. When grown, Romulus founded the city of Rome in 753 BC.
Romulus, having traced the pomerium of the new city, killed his brother Remus, who had violated the sacred boundaries of the fortified enclosure.
After the she-wolf had nursed them, shepherds found the children and raised them. Romulus, having come of age, founded Rome and established its laws, while Remus perished for having scorned the sanctity of the new city walls.
The she-wolf Lupa, once a fierce creature, became gentle and offered her teats to the abandoned twins, Romulus and Remus, the future founders of Rome.
Romulus laid the foundations of Rome according to sacred rites and became its first king, establishing the institutions of the new city.
Key Places
The city legendarily founded by Romulus in 753 BC on the Palatine Hill. Rome is the heart of the Romulus and Remus myth, a symbol of their destiny and the empire that grew from it.
One of the seven hills of Rome where the city was said to have been founded and where the kings' palace stood. It was on this hill that Romulus is said to have established the pomerium, the sacred boundary of the city.
The river into which the twins were said to have been cast at birth according to legend. It was near its banks that they were found and nursed by the she-wolf.
An ancient sanctuary beneath the Palatine Hill where the she-wolf is said to have nursed Romulus and Remus. This site was venerated in ancient Rome as the cradle of the city.
An ancient city of Latium from which the twins were said to originate. It was here that Rhea Silvia, their mother, was born, and from which Rome's founding dynasty descended.
A museum and modern archaeological exhibition space preserving the remains of ancient Rome and artistic depictions of the legend of Romulus and Remus.
