Facts about Romulus and Remus
- 17
Livy recorded that Romulus conducted the first census of Rome, counting 80,000 citizens during the early years of the monarchy to establish the city's official population.
- 16
After discovering the twins, shepherd Faustulus brought Romulus and Remus to his wife Larentia, who became their adoptive mother and earned the epithet Lupa, meaning she-wolf.
- 15
Plutarch's account identifies Faustulus, a royal shepherd, as the man who discovered and raised Romulus and Remus after the she-wolf initially nurtured them.
- 14
Between 509 and 27 BCE, Rome's republican government rejected the monarchical system that Romulus had established, eliminating the kingship entirely after nearly five centuries of rule.
- 13
Romulus established a sanctuary called the asylum on the Capitoline Hill to attract settlers and build Rome's initial population through offering refuge to fugitives and exiles.
- 12
Numitor, Amulius's brother and rightful king of Alba Longa, was restored to power after Romulus and Remus killed the usurper, establishing their authority through dynastic restoration rather than conquest.
- 11
Livy's historical account describes Romulus as Rome's first king who reigned for 37 years before mysteriously disappearing during a solar eclipse around 716 BCE.
- 10
Fraternal conflict between Romulus and Remus stemmed partly from competing visions for Rome's religious authority, with Remus challenging his brother's interpretation of augural signs used to validate the city's founding.
- 09
Romulus's name etymologically derives from Rome itself, suggesting the Romans constructed their founder's identity backward from the city's name rather than the reverse.
- 08
Seven hills comprised the geographical foundation of Rome, with Romulus establishing his settlement specifically on the Palatine Hill among these elevated formations.
- 07
Amulius, the usurping king of Alba Longa, ordered the twin infants thrown into the Tiber River to prevent them from challenging his throne.
- 06
Archaeological evidence suggests the Lupercalia festival, celebrated annually on February 15th in ancient Rome, commemorated the mythological she-wolf's care for Romulus and Remus during infancy.
- 05
Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus, was a Vestal Virgin whose pregnancy violated her sacred vows of chastity, resulting in her execution by drowning in the Tiber River.
- 04
Mars, the god of war, was traditionally identified as Romulus and Remus's father in Roman mythology, elevating their divine lineage above ordinary mortals.
- 03
In their struggle for sole rulership, Romulus killed his brother Remus over a dispute regarding the city's sacred boundary wall, the pomerium.
- 02
According to legend, a she-wolf nursed the abandoned infant brothers Romulus and Remus for several months before a shepherd discovered and raised them.
- 01
The founding of Rome by Romulus occurred in 753 BCE according to traditional Roman chronology, establishing the city on the Palatine Hill.