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Romulus and Remus

In Roman mythology, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. They were the children of Rhea Silvia and Mars (or in some variations the demi-god hero Hercules) and 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 Numitor'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 Numitor'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 who 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 and onto the River Tiber; the river carries the boys to safety.

The Legend of Romulus

Despite allegedly founding Rome and being hailed a hero, Romulus’ legacy is complex and his biography is even disturbing at times. He was supposedly guilty of committing many terrible deeds that still make readers recoil, but according to legend, his transgressions often led to positive outcomes – at least from the Romans’ point of view. Thanks to his efforts' results, the Romans largely celebrated their fabled founder, and it seems that they recognized valuable lessons hiding within his biography: greatness sometimes stems from disgrace, and the path to redemption is often close at hand.

Lineage & Birth

According to Rome's canonical foundation myth, Romulus was born sometime in the 700s BCE. His parents were supposedly a priestess – called Rhea Silvia – and the god of war Mars, which provided Romulus with a pedigree second to few in the ancient world. To some, this might have intimated that he would enjoy a lifetime of opulence, without serious challenges, and he would be a paragon of morality. On the contrary, Romulus was fated for a life marked by instances of ignominy and egregious misdeeds.

Romulus’ maternal grandfather was known as Numitor, and he was king of Alba Longa, which was an influential settlement nestled in the Alban Hills of central Italy. Ancient historians traced its foundation to none other than one of Aeneas’ descendants. However, sometime after Numitor ascended to the throne, his jealous brother Amulius conspired to overthrow Numitor’s rule, and somehow, he succeeded in his endeavors and became Alba Longa’s king. In order to further secure his grasp on power, Amulius treacherously ordered the murder of Numitor’s son, Aegestus, and forced Numitor’s daughter, Rhea Silvia, to become a priestess to Vesta who was the goddess of the hearth. Since such priestesses were required to be chaste during their tenure under the pain of death, Amulius assumed that Rhea would not mother any potential rivals to the throne. But as the Romulus tale goes, Mars ravaged her one day. This led to her pregnancy, and she later gave birth to twins: Romulus and Remus.

Even though Rhea attempted to conceal the truth, Amulius learned of Rhea’s pregnancy, and shortly after Romulus and Remus’ births, the rogue, tyrannical king of Alba Longa condemned the infants to death by drowning. Yet by a dispensation of fate, they survived. Initially, a wolf named Lupa allegedly protected them until a shepherd called Faustulus rescued the boys and raised them as his own children. Around 18 years or so after their abandonment, Romulus and Remus returned to Alba Longa, led an armed revolt, and freed the Alba Longans from the despot's control, killing Amulius and placing the gentle Numitor back on the throne.

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