Romulus and Remus: Encyclopedia II - Romulus and Remus - The Founding of Rome

Romulus and Remus - The Founding of Rome

With Amulius dead, the city settled down and offered Romulus and Remus the joint crown. However, the twins refused to be the kings as long as their grandfather was still alive and would not live in the city as subjects. Thus after restoring the kingship to Numitor and properly honoring their mother Rhea Sylvia, they two left Alba Longa to found their own city upon the slopes of the Palatine Hill. However, before they left Alba Longa, they took with them fugitives, runaway slaves, and all others who wanted a second chance at life.

But once Romulus and Remus arrived at the Palatine Hill, the two argued over where the exact position of the city should be. Romulus was set on building the city upon the Palatine, but Remus wanted to build the city on the strategic and easily fortified Aventine Hill. They two agreed to settle their argument by testing their abilities as augurs and by the will of the gods. Each took a seat on the ground apart from one another, and Remus saw six vultures, while Romulus saw twelve. (since then, the Romans chiefly regard vultures when they take auguries from the flight of birds)

When Remus was enraged by Romulus’s victory, and as Romulus began digging a trench where his city's wall was to run on April 21, 753 BC, he ridiculed some parts of the work, and obstructed others. At last, Remus leaped across the trench, an omen of bad luck, since this implied that his city was easily breached, Romulus slew him that instant. Faustulus was also killed in the fight that soon followed. Once the fighting subsided, Romulus buried both Remus and Faustulus; then he continued to build his city. He named the city Rome after himself, and served as its first king.

After the completion of the city, Romulus divided the people of Rome that were able to fight into regiments of 3000 infantry and 300 cavalry. Romulus called these regiments legions. The rest of the people became the populus of the city, and out of the populus, Romulus hand selected 100 of the most noble men to serve as a council for the city. He called these men Patricians and their council the Roman Senate. Romulus called these noble men Patricans not only because they were the fathers of legitimate sons, but also because he intended the great and the wealthy to treat the weak and the poor as fathers treat their sons.

Romulus spread the reputation of Rome as an asylum to all that desired a new life. Because of this, Rome attracted a population of exiles, refugees, murderers, criminals, and runaway slaves. Rome’s population grew so much that the city had settled five of the seven hills of Rome: the Capitoline Hill, the Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and the Palatine Hill. Romulus however, saw a problem quickly forming before him. Seeing his city filling up at once with foreigners, few of whom had wives, Romulus decided he needed to fill his city with women as well.

To solve his problems, Romulus held a festival, the Consualia, and invited the neighboring Sabine tribe to attend as his guest. The Sabines came en masse, and brought with them their daughters. Romulus planned to kidnap the Sabine women and bring them back to Rome for his citizens. When the Sabines arrived, Romulus sat amongst his Senators, clad in purple. The signal that the time had come for the onslaught was to be his rising and folding his cloak and then throwing it round him again. Armed with swords, many of his followers kept their eyes intently upon him, and when the signal was given, his nobles drew their swords, rushed in with shouts, and captured the daughters of the Sabines, but permitted and encouraged the men themselves to escape unharmed. In all, some 700 Sabine women were captured and brought back to Rome. (This event is remembered in various works of art titled “The Rape of the Sabine Women.”)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Founding of Rome", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki