Today, the historical sources that account for Rome's origins have a limited arsenal of information. From the little available material, the hypothesis is raised that Rome would have been formed amidst the alliance of the Latin and Sabine peoples against the invasions of the Etruscan people. On the other hand, the Roman historian Titus Livy, in the book History of Rome, and the poet Virgil share another attempt to explain the matter.
For both, the origin of Rome was linked with the legendary destruction that the Greeks promoted to the city of Troia, in 1400 BC. Ç.. At that time, the hero Aeneas – thanks to the protection of the gods Jupiter and Venus – fled to the region of the Italian Peninsula and there founded the city of Lavinio. Later, Ascanius, son of Aeneas, founded the kingdom of Alba Longa.
At one point, the prosperity achieved by the kingdom of Alba Longa aroused the greed of the ambitious Amulius, younger brother of King Numitor. To assume the throne in his brother's place, Amulius organized a coup that guaranteed him possession of the throne of Alba Longa. In addition to imprisoning Numitor, the new king of Alba Longa confined Princess Rea Silvia and condemned her to chastity. Observing such a situation, the god Jupiter married the imprisoned princess, who became pregnant with the twins Romulus and Remus.
The birth of two descendants of Numitor could jeopardize Amulius' hegemony under Alba Longa's reign. So, as soon as the children were born, he ordered them both to be thrown into the currents of the Tiber River. The plan to kill the newborns ended up not working, as both were found on the banks of the river by a wolf who offered her own milk to the little children. Shortly thereafter, a peasant named Faustulus and his wife took care of Romulus and Remus.
When the brothers had reached adulthood, young Remus was eventually arrested by King Amulius after coming into conflict with shepherds neighboring his property. Disturbed by the arrest of his foster-son, Faustulus told Romulus that he and his brother were the true descendants of the throne of Alba Longa. Enraged by the unveiling of the truth, Romulus went to the palace, freed his brother, killed King Amulius and freed his grandfather Numitor.
After returning the Crown to its ascendant, the brothers were allowed to found a new city on the banks of the Tiber River. After deciding on the region to be occupied, the twins headed for the vicinity of the Aventino and Palatino mountains. Remus took Mount Aventino for himself after observing six vultures soaring over his mount. Soon after, Romulus was appointed as blessed by the gods when he observed twelve birds near Mount Palatine.
After he received the distinguished blessing of the deities, Romulus dug a furrow that separated his domains from his brother. Jealous of that situation, Remus disregarded the landmark created by his brother and crossed the territory. Furious at Remus' disrespectful behavior, Romulus killed his brother and buried his body in the lands of Mount Aventine.
After the quarrel, Romulus had become the first king of Rome and made several arrangements for the new city to be populated. After the arrival of some of the first inhabitants, Romulus went to war against Titus Tatius, king of the sabinos, who finally accepted the unification of the territories that defined the first limits of the city of Pomegranate.
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By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "The Mythical Origin of Rome"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/a-origem-mitica-roma.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
