The She-Wolf, Romulus and Remus on an ancient roman coin
From: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romolo
Rome is the capital of Italy and of the Lazio region, one of the 20 regions of Italy.
The Vatican City is located inside the city of Rome, but it is an independent state and has a somewhat separate history that begins in the ninth century AD.
According to an ancient tradition, Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus (traditional date 21 April, according to Marcus Terentius Varro). The legend says that Romulus and his twin brother Remus were descendants of the trojan hero Aeneas.
Three peoples formed the early population of the Eternal City: Latins, Sabines and Etruscans.
The name Rome has a discussed etymology.
Probably, the name doesn’t derive from Romulus, the legendary founder.
There are at least three explanations:
- From Rumon or Rumen, archaic name of the Tiber, which in turn has the same root as the Greek verb ῥέω (rhèo) and the Latin verb ruo, which both mean “flow”;
- From the Etruscan word ruma, whose root is *rum- “teat”, with possible reference either to the totem wolf that adopted and suckled the cognately named twins Romulus and Remus, or to the shape of the Palatine and Aventine Hills;
- From the Greek word ῥώμη (rhōmē), which means strength.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome
Archeology demonstrates that the area of Rome was occupied several centuries before the traditional date of its foundation.
The birth of the city must be interpreted as the result of the aggregation of pastoral settlements, living in the villages on the hills, under the rule of the Palatine Hill community.
However, it seems that the most ancient settlement is that of the Capitoline Hill.
And now the Legend as narrated by Wikipedia: “Romulus and Remus were born in Alba Longa, one of the ancient Latin cities near the future site of Rome. Their mother, Rhea Silvia was a vestal virgin and the daughter of the former king, Numitor, who had been displaced by his brother Amulius. In some sources, Rhea Silvia conceived them when their father, the god Mars, visited her in a sacred grove dedicated to him.Seeing them as a possible threat to his rule, King Amulius ordered them to be killed and they were abandoned on the bank of the river Tiber to die. They were saved by the god Tiberinus, Father of the River, and survived with the care of others, at the site of what would eventually become Rome. In the most well-known episode, the twins were suckled by a she-wolf, in a cave now known as the Lupercal. Eventually, they were adopted by Faustulus, a shepherd. They grew up tending flocks, unaware of their true identities. Over time, they became natural leaders and attracted a company of supporters from the community. When they were young adults, they became involved in a dispute between supporters of Numitor and Amulius. As a result, Remus was taken prisoner and brought to Alba Longa. Both his grandfather and the king suspected his true identity. Romulus, meanwhile, had organized an effort to free his brother and set out with help for the city. During this time they learned of their past and joined forces with their grandfather to restore him to the throne. Amulius was killed and Numitor was reinstated as king of Alba. The twins set out to build a city of their own. After arriving back in the area of the seven hills, they disagreed about the hill upon which to build. Romulus preferred the Palatine Hill, above the Lupercal; Remus preferred the Aventine Hill. When they could not resolve the dispute, they agreed to seek the gods’ approval through a contest of augury. Remus first saw 6 auspicious birds but soon afterward, Romulus saw 12, and claimed to have won divine approval. The new dispute furthered the contention between them. In the aftermath, Remus was killed either by Romulus or by one of his supporters. Romulus then went on to found the city of Rome, its institutions, government, military and religious traditions. He reigned for many years as its first king.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus
These are the most important elements of the Sacred Legend:
1) The twins Romulus and Remus were sons of Numitor, a descendant of the trojan hero Aeneas, son of the Goddess Venus and father of Ascanius, founder of Alba Longa;
2) The father of the twins was the God Mars.
These two elements demonstrate that Rome has a sacred, not casual, origin. Its first origin derives from a Divine Fate that led Aeneas to Italy after the destruction of Troy.
Here’s a list of the main monuments of Rome:
See also:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romolo