The Mythical Founders of Rome
Romulus and Remus were the legendary twin brothers who, according to Roman tradition, stood at the beginning of the story of Rome. They were said to be the sons of the god Mars and the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia. After being abandoned as infants, rescued by a she-wolf and raised by the shepherd Faustulus and his wife Acca Larentia, the brothers eventually set out to found a new city. Their quarrel ended with the death of Remus, leaving Romulus as Rome's sole founder and first king.
The traditional date for the founding of Rome is 753 BC. The story itself is a foundation myth, not a contemporary historical account, and ancient authors preserved several different versions of important events. That makes the legend valuable not only as a story about Rome's beginnings, but also as evidence for how later Romans understood their city, its institutions and its identity.
Quick Summary
- Who were they? Romulus and Remus were the legendary twin brothers associated with the founding of Rome.
- What happened? They were abandoned as infants, traditionally nursed by a she-wolf and raised by Faustulus and Acca Larentia. Remus later died during the brothers' dispute over the new city.
- When was Rome founded? Roman tradition placed the foundation in 753 BC.
- Why is the story important? It became Rome's best-known explanation of its origins and the beginning of the Roman monarchy.
Who Was Romulus?
In Roman tradition, Romulus was the surviving twin and the founder from whom Rome took its name. After the death of Remus, he became the city's first king. Later Roman writers credited him with establishing some of the institutions of the early city, gathering new inhabitants, organizing the community for war and government, and ruling during Rome's first generation.
Romulus was also remembered as more than a political founder. According to later tradition, he disappeared during a violent storm and was eventually identified with the god Quirinus. Whether any historical individual lies behind the figure of Romulus cannot be demonstrated, but as Rome's founding hero he remained central to Roman ideas about the city's beginnings.
Who Was Remus?
Remus was Romulus' twin brother and, in the legend, his rival in the final stages of the foundation of Rome. Ancient accounts associate the brothers with different hills and different omens when they tried to decide where the new city should stand and which of them should rule it. Remus was linked with the Aventine or with a nearby place called Remoria, while Romulus was associated with the Palatine Hill.
Remus' death gave the foundation story its violent turning point. The surviving traditions do not agree on every detail, however, and it is more accurate to say that he was killed during the dispute between the brothers than to treat one version of his death as certain.
A Difficult Beginning
The story begins at Alba Longa, where Numitor, the twins' grandfather, was displaced by his brother Amulius. Numitor's daughter Rhea Silvia was made a Vestal Virgin, which required her to remain unmarried. Roman tradition nevertheless made her the mother of Romulus and Remus by the god Mars.
This broader setting is important for understanding how Roman myths explained the origins of Rome, from Aeneas and Troy to Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf, the Palatine Hill, Mars, Venus, and the meaning Romans found in their legendary past.
Amulius feared that the children might one day threaten his rule. The infants were therefore placed in a container and abandoned near the flooded River Tiber. When the water receded, the twins were said to have been found and suckled by a she-wolf. A woodpecker, another animal associated with Mars, also appears in some versions of the story.
The shepherd Faustulus later found the children and brought them home, where he and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised them. As young men, Romulus and Remus became involved in a conflict that eventually revealed their royal ancestry. They overthrew Amulius and restored Numitor before deciding to establish a settlement of their own.
Ancient writers were already aware of a less supernatural explanation for the famous she-wolf. The Latin word lupa meant "she-wolf," but it could also be used for a prostitute. Plutarch records a tradition that Faustulus' wife Acca Larentia was known in this way, and that the double meaning of lupa may have helped produce the story that the twins were nursed by an actual wolf.
The Founding of Rome and the Death of Remus
Once Amulius had been removed, Romulus and Remus chose to establish a new community near the place where they had supposedly been rescued as infants. The brothers disagreed over the site and over who should rule. According to Livy, Remus saw six vultures first, while Romulus later saw twelve. The supporters of Remus claimed priority because his omen had appeared first; the followers of Romulus claimed that the greater number of birds made Romulus the winner.
The quarrel became violent and Remus was killed. Even here the ancient sources preserve more than one account. Livy first says that Remus was struck down during the fighting, before adding that the more common story made Romulus himself the killer after Remus mockingly jumped over the new walls. Plutarch likewise says that some blamed Romulus, while others said that a companion named Celer struck the fatal blow. Dionysius of Halicarnassus preserves still more detail about the conflict and gives another version in which Celer killed Remus after he crossed the wall.
Whatever version was told, the result was the same: Romulus was left as sole ruler. Roman tradition held that he completed the new settlement on the Palatine and that the city took the name Roma from him. The conventional date, later fixed as 21 April 753 BC, became one of the most famous dates in Roman history.
Related Page: Founding of Rome
What Do the Ancient Sources Say?
The surviving literary accounts of Romulus and Remus were written centuries after the period in which the twins were supposed to have lived. They therefore cannot be treated as eyewitness history. They are especially useful, however, because they show that Romans and Greek writers in the Roman world knew several versions of the foundation story rather than one fixed account.
Livy describes the dispute over the vultures and gives two versions of Remus' death. Plutarch preserves the alternative explanation for the she-wolf as well as competing accounts of who killed Remus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus discusses several rival traditions about Rome's founders and gives a lengthy account of the quarrel between the twins.
These differences are important. The story of Romulus and Remus was not a single unchanging tale copied word for word through Roman history. It was a collection of traditions that ancient writers compared, adapted and sometimes openly disagreed about.
The Rape of the Sabine Women
The foundation legend continued after the death of Remus. According to Roman tradition, the new community attracted many men but too few women to secure its future. Romulus therefore arranged a festival and invited neighboring peoples, including the Sabines. During the event, Roman men seized a number of the visiting women. The episode became known as the "Rape of the Sabine Women," although in this context the traditional title refers to their abduction or carrying off.
This background helps clarify why Rome's founding myths were often violent, from Romulus and Remus to Aeneas, the Sabine women, sacred boundaries, civil conflict, and Roman ideas of duty.
The Sabines later went to war with Rome. Tradition said that the abducted women eventually intervened between their Roman husbands and their Sabine relatives and persuaded the two sides to make peace. Romulus and the Sabine king Titus Tatius then ruled jointly for a time, symbolizing the union of the two communities.
Later accounts credited Romulus with ruling alone again after the death of Titus Tatius. At the end of his life he was said to have disappeared during a storm. Romans later associated him with Quirinus, and the second king in the traditional sequence was Numa Pompilius.
Were Romulus and Remus Real?
There is no contemporary evidence that can confirm Romulus and Remus as historical individuals, and modern historians generally treat the twins as legendary figures. The written accounts that survive were composed many centuries after the traditional date of 753 BC, and the ancient authors themselves preserve conflicting versions of the twins' ancestry, the omens surrounding the foundation, the death of Remus and even the circumstances in which Rome received its founder.
That does not mean that the entire setting of the legend was invented from nothing. Archaeology shows that the hills beside the Tiber were occupied in the early Iron Age and that important changes were taking place in the area during the period later Romans associated with the foundation of their city. Archaeological finds can tell us about settlement, burials, fortifications and the gradual development of early Rome, but they cannot prove that a man named Romulus founded the city on one particular day.
Some archaeological discoveries on and around the Palatine have been connected with the literary tradition, including remains interpreted by some scholars as an eighth-century boundary or fortification. Those interpretations remain debated. A safer conclusion is that the traditional foundation story preserves Roman memories and explanations about a real period of early urban development, while the twins themselves belong to the world of legend rather than securely documented history.
The importance of the myth therefore lies less in whether every event happened exactly as later writers described it, and more in what the story came to mean. Romulus represented foundation, kingship, warfare and the expansion of the community, while Remus' death introduced themes of rivalry, boundaries and the high cost of Rome's beginnings. The legend helped generations of Romans explain where their city came from and what sort of city they believed it to be.
Did you know...
The Latin word lupa meant "she-wolf," but it could also be used for a prostitute. Ancient writers themselves knew this double meaning and used it to offer a non-supernatural explanation for the story of the wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Romulus and Remus
Who were Romulus and Remus?
Romulus and Remus were the legendary twin brothers associated in Roman tradition with the founding of Rome. They were said to be the sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia. After Remus' death, Romulus became the city's sole founder and first king.
Why did Romulus kill Remus?
The ancient sources give more than one version. Livy says Remus was killed during the brothers' violent dispute and then gives the more common story in which Romulus killed him after Remus mocked the new walls and jumped over them. Plutarch also records a version in which Romulus' companion Celer killed Remus.
Who founded Rome, Romulus or Remus?
According to Roman tradition, Romulus became the sole founder after the death of Remus. Rome was traditionally said to have been founded in 753 BC and named after Romulus.
What is the story of Romulus and Remus?
The legend tells how the twins were abandoned as babies, nursed by a she-wolf and later raised by Faustulus and Acca Larentia. As adults they restored their grandfather Numitor and then attempted to found a new city. A dispute over the site, omens and leadership ended with the death of Remus and the rule of Romulus.
Were Romulus and Remus real?
There is no contemporary evidence proving that Romulus and Remus were historical individuals. They are generally treated as legendary figures, although archaeology confirms that the area of Rome was developing significantly during the early Iron Age, including the period later Romans associated with their city's foundation.
Who raised Romulus and Remus?
According to the legend, the twins were first suckled by a she-wolf and were later found by the shepherd Faustulus. He and his wife Acca Larentia raised them. Ancient writers also knew an alternative explanation in which the word lupa referred to Acca Larentia rather than to an actual wolf.
