The legend of Romulus and Remus

Italian history

The legend of Romulus and Remus from the year 777 BC says that the Amulius’s brother, Numitor, imprisoned his brother and killed every nephew   except Rea Silvia, who was required to practice the cult of Vesta to be unable to have children. It is said that one day while Rea was sleeping on the banks of a river, god Mars came and impregnated her.

Rea knew that if his uncle found out about the children, he would kill them. Once the twins were born, Rea put them in a basket and left them in the Tiber River. The basket was then found by the wolf Luperce who breastfed the children and soon after were bred and raised by shepherds Fausto and Aca Larentia.

The throne of Rome

Many years later the brothers, then teens, found out about how their mother was forced by their uncle to abandon them on the bank of a river and decided to seek revenge. The twin returned to his hometown to kill their uncle, and their grandfather, Numitor, was put on the throne again. In gratitude for this gesture, their grandfather gave them some land in the northwest of Lazio.

The city of Rome

At 18 years of age Romulus and Remus decided to found the city of Rome, just where they were found with the wolf. The city was named in honor of one of its founders, Romulus.

Sports competitions and festivals in in Italy

Romulus saw that the city was full of single men, and he decided to organize sports competitions and festivals in honor of the god Neptune. This later became one of the major festivals in Italy, and he invited the neighboring town of Sabine in order to kidnap its women. A group of women came from the city, then the Romans pulled out all the men of the city (men Sabines), and there was a war which reached an agreement in which the king of Sabine would govern. 

In Italian history, the legend is simply seen as an iconography of the city. It is said that after the death of Remulus, the brother of his wife, Numa Pompillo, took command of the city of Rome. From this date on, it is counted as the year 0 in Rome, and it is said that King Numa began as a real king.