The legend of the founding of Rome begins with the destruction of Troy (1184 BC) and the escape of the Trojan hero Aeneas (according to mythology, the son of the goddess Aphrodite). Aeneas arrived on the Italian coast with his soldiers on several ships across Macedonia, Carthage and Sicily in search of a place where they could build a settlement.
There is a story of the founding of Rome that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. The Romans believed this legend to be true. This legend of Romulus and Remus was recorded by the Roman historian Titus Livius, who lived in the time of Octavian Augustus.
Romulus and Remus are twin brothers, whose parents were Rea Sylvia and Mars. They were the founders of Rome. Rea Silvia was the only child of Numitor, king of Alba Longa. When Numitor was overthrown by his brother Amulius, he forced Rea Sylvia to become a Vestal virgin , thus ensuring that there were no other heirs to the throne. But the god of war, Mars, raped her in the sacred forest, and Rea Silvia gave birth to Romulus and Remus.
When Amulius heard this, he ordered the servants to kill the newborn twins. However, instead, they were thrown into the Tiber River. Their cradle carried by fast river waves, after some time, stopped on the muddy shore, at the foot of the Palatine, one of the seven hills. To protect the children, Mars sent its sacred animal, the wolf (wolf), which fed the twins its milk.
Later, the shepherd Faustulus found Romulus and Remus among the wolves, and took them home. They were raised as shepherds, although their ability to be leaders and to fight became widely known. One day, Numitor met Remus and guessed who it was, thus bringing back the lost grandchildren.
However, their destiny was not to live peacefully in Alba Longa. Instead, they went and founded their own city called Rome. Later, a conflict broke out between them and Romulus killed Remus, probably with Ash. Although he showed remorse at the funeral, Romulus ruled Rome with a firm hand and the city prospered.
Abduction of Sabine women:
Rome was the safest place for runaway slaves and other exiles but women were missing. Romulus wanted to look for women by negotiating with the neighboring Sabines. However, they refused to give their daughters, so Romulus decided to take them on fraud. He invited the surrounding tribes, among whom the most prominent were the Sabines, to a great annual celebration in honor of the god Neptune. At the ceremony, the Romans, at Romulus' signal, jumped up and kidnapped the girls. Romulus then promised the girls that they would be respected by their husbands and have all the civil rights and that they would give birth to free sons. The Sabine women therefore accepted their husbands.
After the abduction, the king of Sabine, Titus Thacius, managed to enter Rome by deception. When the fight between the Sabinians and the Romans began, the Sabine women threw themselves between the two armies begging their fathers and brothers to stop fighting their husbands. After that, peace was made and the Romans and Sabines united under one government with Rome as headmistress. Titus Tacius and Romulus became co-rulers, but Titus was later killed and so Romulus became the sole king.
Archaeologist Irene Iacopi announced in early 2007 that she had discovered the place where the legendary wolf fed Romulus and Remus under the remains of Augustus' house on the Palatine Hill. The discovery has once again sparked debates about the truth of the legend or parts of it.
Exploring Augustus' house, archaeologists came across a cave about 8 meters deep and about 7 meters wide, richly decorated with mosaics and shells.
A probe with a camera was lowered into the cave to photograph the richly decorated walls with a white eagle in the center of the dome. The white eagle was a symbol of the Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus. The entrance to the cave has not yet been found.