The founding of Rome is a legendary tale about the twins and demigods, Romulus and Remus. In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia and either the god Mars or the demigod Hercules. Also, in order to synthesise the myth of Aeneas, a Trojan prince who had fought in the Trojan War before setting off to Italy to establish the Roman bloodline, Romulus and Remus were believed to be direct descendants of Aeneas.
As babies, Romulus and Remus were given a prophecy that they would overthrow Amulius who had usurped the throne of Alba Longa from their grandfather Numitor. Rhea Silvia was a Vestal Virgin, and since they were meant to be celibate, the twins were sent to be either exposed, buried alive or thrown in the Tiber River. Instead, they were placed in a basket and were found by a shepherd and his wife. The twins grew up as shepherds until the prophecy came true and they killed Amulius, and gave the throne back to Numitor. At this point, they decided to establish their own city. What happens from there? Make sure to watch the video to find out!
Did you know that the founding of Rome is dated based on the myth of Romulus and Remus?
Stick around to learn more.
Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia.
My name is Kelly and today we are honoring the legendary founding of Rome on April 21st, 753 BCE.
Let's have a look at the story of Romulus and Remus
and the very beginning of one of the most influential empires of the Western world.
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The founding of Rome is a legendary tale about the twins and demigods, Romulus and Remus.
In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia
and either the god Mars or the demigod Hercules.
Also, in order to synthesize the myth of Aeneas, a Trojan prince who had fought in the Trojan War
before setting off to Italy to establish the Roman bloodline,
Romulus and Remus were believed to be direct descendants of Aeneas.
When Romulus and Remus were born in the city of Alba Longa,
they were given prophecy like many other heroes were.
This prophecy said that they would overthrow Aemulius, their great-uncle,
who had usurped the throne of Alba Longa from Rhea's father, Numitor.
Prior to their birth, their mother had been forced to become a Vestal Virgin,
an important religious position that demanded celibacy.
There are many contradictory myths about the father of Romulus and Remus,
but either way, Rhea attributed her pregnancy to divine conception.
The law regarding Vestal Virgins breaking their oath of celibacy, though,
was that the children had to either be buried alive,
exposed to the elements and left to die, or thrown in the Tiber River.
The servant who was sent to kill the babies in every version of the myth
took pity on them and spared their lives, so they were left in a basket on the river Tiber.
The boys were carried by the river god Tibernius,
who caused their basket to be caught by a fig tree at the base of the Palatine Hill.
It was then that a she-wolf, or looper, found the boys and suckled them,
and they were also fed by a woodpecker.
Eventually, they were discovered by a shepherd, Forstilus, and his wife, Akalarentia,
who took them in and raised them as their own to become shepherds.
One day, as they were out in the fields,
the twins were met by shepherds of King Amulius,
who picked a fight with Romulus and Remus, and Remus was captured and brought back to the king.
Amulius thought the twins were dead,
and didn't recognize them as the boys who were prophesied to kill him.
In the process of freeing Remus, Romulus killed Amulius,
but they rejected the crown and reinstated the previous king, Numitor.
Romulus and Remus decided that it was about time they founded their own city,
and so they set off to find the perfect spot for it.
Of course, they chose different locales, and couldn't seem to agree on one.
Romulus wanted to start on Palatine Hill, and Remus wanted to start on Aventine Hill,
and to settle this, they agreed to consult Augury.
Augury is a type of prophecy which uses birds to determine which choices or actions
are favored by the gods.
Naturally, they both thought that they had won,
since Romulus had seen 12 birds, a good omen for his claim.
But Remus said he had seen 6 birds before Romulus had seen 6 yet, advancing his.
So, they were still nowhere near choosing a spot for their city.
Romulus started to dig trenches and build a wall around Palatine Hill,
and Remus thought this was hilarious.
Remus made fun of the wall, and even made a joke of jumping over it.
Some myths say that he died suddenly after jumping over it
as a sign from the gods that Romulus was right.
Others say that he was killed either by Romulus himself, or by one of his supporters.
Either way, Remus died, and was given full burial rights before Romulus declared his city of Roma,
named after himself, of course, which was established on the Palatine Hill.
The date of the death of Remus, April 21st, 753 BCE,
is also known as the legendary date for the founding of Rome.
Are there any popular foundation or creation myths in your culture?
Feel free to share in the comments below.
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