Ancient Roman History from Aeneas to Romulus

The historian Livy writes that in the aftermath of the Trojan War, the hero Aeneas fled Troy and eventually made his way to the shores of Latinum. There he and his men encountered the army of King Latinus and, depending on the version of the story, they either defeated the hostile army, or King Latinus called off the battle and pledged friendship, giving to Aeneas his daughter Lavinia in marriage.

Lavinia had previously been promised to Turnus, the king of the neighboring tribe of Rutuli. Enraged that Aeneas has taken his woman, Turnus waged a fierce war against the Trojans as well as King Latinus. Turnus was eventually killed, and Aeneas founded a city that he named Lavinius, in honor of his wife.

The Descendents of Aeneas: Kings of Alba Longa

Aeneas had a son named Ascanius, also known as Iulius, but it is unclear whether the child's mother was Lavinia or Creusa, the first wife of Aeneas who perished in Troy. Some thirty years after the founding of Lavinius, Ascanius left and established the city of Alba Longa, becoming its first king.

Ascanius named his son Silvius, because he is said to have been born in the woods, and all of the succeeding kings of Alba Longa had Silvius as the second part of their name. The descendents of Silvius were Aeneas, Latinus, Alba, Atys, Capys, Capetus, Tiberinus, Agrippa, Romulus, Aventinus, Procas, and Numitor.

The Birth and Early Life of Romulus and Remus

Amulius, the younger brother of King Numitor, usurped the throne and killed Numitor's sons. He forced Numitor's daughter Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, ensuring that there would be no grandchildren who might grow up and oust him from power.

Rhea Silvia was raped and became pregnant, giving birth to twin sons, Romulus and Remus. She claimed that the god Mars was the father of the boys. Amulius had Rhea Silvia imprisoned for breaking her vows, and ordered the infants to be placed in a basket and thrown into the Tiber River. The river at the time was flooded, so those charged with casting the children adrift were unable to approach the main channel and set the basket in the shallow water.
Legend says that when the water receded, Romulus and Remus were found and nursed by a she-wolf, and then discovered by the king's shepherd Faustulus, who took them to his wife Laurentia to raise. The tradition of the she-wolf may have arisen from a story that Laurentia was nick-named "Lupa," meaning "She-wolf," due to her reputation as a loose woman.

After the twins grew to manhood, they were participating in the festival of Lupercalia when they were attacked by ruffians. Romulus fought off the attackers, but Remus was taken captive and brought before King Amulius, who believed the attackers' story that Remus was at fault, and sent him to Numitor for punishment. When Numitor met Remus and learned the circumstances of his upbringing, he realized that this must be his grandson. With the assistance of the twins, a plan to kill the tyrant Amulius was successfully carried out and Numitor was restored to the throne of Alba Longa.

Romulus and Remus wanted to establish a city at the site on the Tiber where they had been abandoned. A quarrel led to the death of Remus at the hand of Romulus, whose name was then given to the new city.

Archaeological Evidence of Early Rome

While many of these stories are mythological, there are historical truths behind the legends. There is archeological evidence that a city existed before 1100 BC in the Alban Hills south of Rome, where the city of Castel Gandolfo is now situated. This location is believed to be site of the ancient city of Alba Longa, which Ascanius is said to have founded in 1152 BC. Excavations in the area have uncovered cemeteries dating to the 10th century BC. There is also evidence of settlements on the Palatine Hill dating back to the 8th century BC, which corresponds to the time of the story of Romulus.

To learn about the next era in the history of Rome, see Rome's Regal Period.

Sources:

Livy's History of Rome

The Founding of Rome

"Alba Longa." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

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