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.
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 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.
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.
The Intervention of the Sabine Women
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 Romanmen 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 citieswere 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.
DEATH OF ROMULUS
The life of Romulus has several endings depending on the myth and
source. In one myth, Romulus mysteriously disappeared in a storm or
whirlwind. Romulus is claimed to have ascended to the heavens to
become a god by several eye-witnesses. There was the suspicion that
Romulus' death was plotted by the Senate in order to reassume their
own power. Livy writes about these events, while Cassius Dio writes
about how Romulus was surrounded by hostile, resentful senators who
"rent limb from limb" the senate-house, which was then followed by an
eclipse and sudden storm (which Dio claims to be the same
phenomenon that happened at his birth). Romulus disappeared in 717
BCE as reported by Plutarch at the age of 53, but Dionysius of
Halicarnassus reports that he died at the age of 55.