Historiae Romanorum

The Founding of Rome

After defeating Turnus, Aeneas made his new home in Italy.  He founded a town called Lavinium, named thusly after his new wife Lavinia.  The Trojans and the Latins began to merge into one people.  Aeneas' son Ascanius departed from the flourishing Lavinium to found his own town, Alba Longa.  After his death, Ascanius was succeeded by his son Silvius.  Ascanius's heirs continued to rule Alba Longa, as well as create new settlements in Latium (the small area around the Tiber River; modern-day Latio).

Thirteen generations after Ascanius, the two sons Numitor and Amulius were born.  Being the oldest, Numitor became the next king of Alba Longa.  He was overthrown, however, by his younger brother Amulius.  Once on the throne, Amulius banished his brother and killed Numitor's children.  Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, was forced to become a Vestal Virgin.  Ostensibly, this was to honor the girl, but in reality it was so that no rightful male heir to the throne could be born.

Rhea Silvia, however, later gave birth to twin sons.  She claimed she was raped and subsequently impregnated (all of the gods seem to have been exceptionally fertile) by the god Mars.  Amulius did not believe her story, and sentenced her to death and her newly-born children to be drowned in the Tiber River.

The Tiber at this time was flooded, however, and so it was not possible to get to the actual river.  Instead, the king's men placed the basket with the two infants in the shallow, sluggish tide water.  The basket was gently floated downstream, and was left on dry land when the floods receded.  Soon, a she-wolf or a whore (the word lupa can mean either a female wolf or a prostitute) found the twins and nursed.  Not long after, the shepherd Faustulus found the boys and took them home with him for his wife Larentia to raise (Larentia may very well have been the lupa).

Faustulus named the two boys Romulus and Remus, and treated them as if they were his own sons.  The offspring of the god of war, the boys were strong and daring.  Over time, they formed a band of shepherds.  They attacked the thieves in the area, and divided the loot amongst themselves.  As revenge for this, the thieves laid a trap for Romulus and Remus while they were enjoying themselves at a festival for Pan.  Romulus managed to escape, but Remus was captured and turned over to the king Amulius.

When he learned what had happened, Faustulus revealed to Romulus his noble birth.  Amulius, when he inspected the handsome Remus and learned that he had a twin brother, discovered the truth as well.  He decided to kill Remus, and so Romulus had to act fast to save his brother.  He and his shepherds infiltrated Amulius' house and killed the king.  Then, they restored their grandfather Numitor to the throne.

Now, the twins decided to found their own town on the spot where they had been found by Faustulus.  Romulus and Remus could not decide, however, which of the two should be king of the new town.  There are two different stories as to exactly what happened, but in either case Romulus killed his brother Remus and assumed sole leadership of the band of shepherds.

Romulus then set about building his new town on the Palatine Hill.  The small settlement was consecrated in 753 BC, and he called it 'Rome.'

Source(s):

1. Livy.  Ab Urbe Condita.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.