Romulus freed his brother, and in the process killed King Amulius. King Amulius believed that Rhea Silvia's children were dead he did not recognize Remus or Romulus. Romulus gathered and incited a band of local shepherds to join him in rescuing his brother. These shepherds started a fight with Romulus and Remus in which Remus was captured and taken before King Amulius. One day while they were herding their sheep, they were met by shepherds of King Amulius. The two boys grew up to be shepherds like their adoptive father. Eventually, they were discovered and cared for by a shepherd and his wife: Faustulus and Acca Larentia. The twins were first discovered by a she-wolf or lupa, who suckled them and they were fed by a woodpecker or picus. The tree was located at the base of the Palatine Hill in the Velabrum swamp. The river god Tibernus ensured their safety by calming the river, and he caused their basket to catch in the roots of a nearby fig tree. The servant, then, places the twins into a basket onto the River Tiber, and the river carries the boys to safety.Ĭarole Raddato (CC BY-SA) The Discovery of Romulus & Remus He ordered a servant to carry out the death sentence, but in every scenario of this myth, the servant takes pity on the twins and spares their lives. He reasoned that if the twins were to die not by the sword but by the elements, he and his city would be saved from punishment by the gods. So, King Amulius imprisoned Rhea Silvia and ordered the twins' death by means of live burial, exposure, or being thrown into the Tiber River. However, King Amulius, fearing the wrath of the paternal god (Mars or Hercules) did not wish to directly stain his hands with the mother's and children's blood. It was custom that any Vestal Virgin betraying her vows of celibacy was condemned to death the most common death sentence was to be buried alive. In either case, Rhea Silvia was discovered to be pregnant and gave birth to her sons. However, the author Livy claims that Rhea Silvia was in fact raped by an unknown man, but blamed her pregnancy on divine conception. Some myths claim that Mars appeared and lay with Rhea Silvia other myths attest that the demi-god hero Hercules was her partner. There is much debate and variation as to whom was the father of Romulus and Remus. Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, patron goddess of the hearth they were charged with keeping a sacred fire that was never to be extinguished and to take vows of chastity.Ī servant placed the twins into a basket onto the River Tiber, & the river carried the boys to safety. Amulius, wishing to avoid any conflict of power, killed Numitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin. ![]() Amulius inherited control over Alba Longa's treasury with which he was able to dethrone Numitor and become king. ![]() Before Romulus' and Remus' conception, Numitor's reign was usurped by Numitor's younger brother, Amulius. Numitor was a king of Alba Longa, an ancient city of Latium in central Italy, and father to Rhea Silvia. Romulus and Remus were related to Aeneas through their mother's father, Numitor. Romulus and Remus were the direct descendants of Aeneas, whose fate-driven adventures to discover Italy are described by Virgil in The Aeneid. They were the children of Rhea Silvia and Mars (or in some variations the demi-god hero Hercules) and their story is recorded by many authors including Virgil who claims their birth and adventures were fated in order for Rome to be founded. In Roman mythology, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were the founders of the city of Rome.
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