ROMULUS & REMUS
According to the Roman legend, Romulus was the founder of Rome and
Remus was his twin brother. Their story begins with their grandfather
Numitor, king of the ancient Italian city of Alba Longa, was deposed
by his brother Amulius. Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, was made a
Vestal Virgin by Amulius - this means that she was made a priestess
of the godess Vesta and forbidden to marry. Nevertheless, MARS,
the god of war, fell in love with her and she gave birth to twin sons.
Amulius, fearing that the boys would grow up to overthrow him, had them
placed in a trough and thrown into the River Tiber. At that time the
river was in flood, and when the waters fell, the trough, still containing
the two boys, came ashore. They were found by a she-wolf who, instead
of killing them, looked after them and fed them with her milk. A woodpecker
also brought them food, for the woodpecker, like the wolf, was sacred
to Mars.
Later the twins where found by Faustulus, the king's shepherd. He took
them home to his wife and the two adopted them, calling them Romulus
and Remus. They grew up as bold and strong young men, leading a warlike
band of shepherds.
One day Remus was captured and brought before Numitor for punishment.
Numitor noticing how unlike a shepherd's son he was, questioned him
and before long realized who he was. Romulus and Remus than rose against
Amulius, killed him and restored the kingdom to their grandfather.
Deciding to found a town of their own, Romulus and Remus chose the
place where the she-wolf had nursed them. Romulus began to build walls
on the Palatine Hill one of the SEVEN HILLS of Rome, but Remus jeered
at them because they were so low. He leaped over them to prove this,
and Romulus in anger killed him.
Romulus continued the building of the new city, naming it Roma (Rome)
after his own name. It's first citizens were outlaws and fugitives,
to whom Romulus gave the settlement on the Capitoline Hill. Ther were
however not enough wives for all these men, and so Romulus decided
to steal women from the Sabines, an Italian tribe. He there proclaimed
a festival and invited many Sabines to it. While the attention of the
men was elsewhere Romulus' men rushed in and carried off the women.
This was the famous "Rape (carrying off) of the Sabine women",
which later became a subject for painters.
The Sabine man where furious and, led by their king Titus Tatius, made
war on Romulus. When the fighting had reached its peak the Sabine women,
who had grown fond of their Roman husbands, rushed between the ranks
and begged both sides to make peace. So the battle was stopped, Romulus
and Titus Tatius ruled together over the two peoples until Titus Tatius
was killed in battle.
For the rest of his life Romulus ruled alone, proving himself a great
leader in peace and war. He did not die but disappeared one day in
a violent storm. The Romans believing he had been taken up to heaven
worshipped him under the name of Quirinus.
It seems unlkely that any part of this legend is true.
Almost certainly it is a copy of a Greek tale, invented to explain the
name of Rome and certain customs.
For instance Roman brides were taken from their families on their wedding
days with a pretence of force, and this probably accounts for the story
of the Sabine women.
Yet another case where man betrays and kills his brother
