Romulus and Remus
Romulus is given the credit for founding Ancient Rome – so legend has it. Children in Roman schools
were taught the story and it became almost set in stone.
What is legend of Romulus and Remus?
Twins are Born
Romulus and Remus were twin boys born to a princess named Rhea Silvia. Their father was the
fierce Roman god of war, Mars. The king where the boys lived was their wicked uncle and was
scared that someday Romulus and Remus would overthrow him and take his throne. So he had the
boys left in a basket on the Tiber River. He figured they would soon die.
Raised by a Wolf
The boys were found by a she-wolf. The wolf cared for them and protected them from other wild
animals. A friendly woodpecker helped to find them food. Eventually some shepherds happened
across the twins. One shepherd took the boys home and raised them as his own children.
Growing Up
As the boys grew older they became natural leaders. One day Remus was captured and taken to the
king. He discovered his true identity. Romulus gathered some shepherds to rescue his brother. They
ended up killing the king. When the city learned who the boys were, they offered to crown them as
joint kings. They could be rulers of their homeland. However, they turned down the crowns because
they wanted to found their own city. The twins left and set out to find the perfect spot for their city.
Founding a New City
The twins eventually came to the place where Rome is located today. They both liked the general
area, to place the city on a different hill. Romulus wanted the city on top of a hill. Both twins wanted to
serve the city as King. They agreed to wait for a sign from the gods, called an augury, to determine
which brother would be King. Remus saw the sign of six vultures first, but Romulus saw twelve. Each
claimed to have won. The people said that Romulus should be King.
Remus is Killed
Romulus went ahead and started building a wall around the city. However, Remus was jealous and
began to make fun of Romulus' wall. He said the city would never be finished. At one point Remus
jumped over the wall to show how easy it was to cross. Romulus became angry and killed Remus.
Rome is Founded
With Remus dead, Romulus continued to work on his city. He officially founded the city on April 21,
753 BC, making himself king, and naming it Rome after himself. From there he began to organize the
city. He divided his army into legions of 3,300 men. He called his 100 most noble men the Patricians
and the elders of Rome the Senate. The city grew and prospered. For over 1,000 years Rome would
be one of the most powerful cities in the world.
Interesting Facts about Romulus and Remus





The boys were descendents of the Trojan prince and great warrior Aeneas made famous from
Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid.
In another version of the story the father of the boys is the hero Hercules.
Over time, the city of Rome expanded to cover the seven surrounding hills of Aventine Hill,
Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, and Viminal Hill.
Romulus died when he mysteriously disappeared in a whirlwind.
The poet Ovid once wrote that Romulus was turned into a god named Quirinus and went to
live on Mount Olympus with his father Mars.
This story, of course, is only a legend. The actual growth of Rome is less exotic and interesting. The
city of Rome grew out of a number of settlements that existed around seven hills that were near the
River Tiber. The settlements were near the river for the obvious reasons of a water supply. The Tiber
was also narrow enough at this point to be bridged. However, the area also suffered because of the
nearness of the river. Each settlement was separated from the other by marshland. Each individual
settlement was vulnerable to attack as a single settlement. By joining together they were stronger. To
join together, the marshland had to be drained. This was something that took years to do. The legend
of Romulus and Remus gives the impression that Rome was created very quickly; the truth was very
different.
The early people of Rome were from a tribe called Latins. They were from the Plains of Latium. The
Latins were successful farmers and traders and they became rich and successful. Therefore, Rome
from its early days was a rich city. This was to create jealousy and to bring the city of Rome into
conflict with areas surrounding the city. In particular, the Romans fought against the Etruscans and
the Samnites.
For this reason, the leaders of Rome invested in an army. This skilled force both protected the city
and expanded its power. By 300 BC, the Romans controlled most of the Italian peninsula.
MLA Citation/Reference
"Romulus and Remus". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2013. Web.
The Story of Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus were _______________ .
Their wicked uncle wanted to be the ______________ .
The servants put the twins by the River ____________.
A she-______________ found the twins.
The wolf looked after them at first.
Then a _____________ took them home and looked after them.
When Romulus and Remus grew up they built a _____________ on a hill by the River
Tiber.
Both twins wanted to be the _____________.
They looked into the sky.
Remus saw _______ vultures and Romulus saw _____________ vultures.
The people said ________________ should be king.
Remus said the city would never be finished.
Romulus was angry and he _______________ his brother.
The city was named _____________ after Romulus.
use some of these words to help you
Rome
Man
killed
city
twins
shepherd
dog
king
twelve
Romulus
wolf
six
Tiber