ABSTRACT
Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter and only child of Numitor (a descendant of Aeneas), who was deposed from the kingship of Alba Longa by his younger brother Amulius. In order to prevent Numitor from having a grandson and heir, Amulius forced Rhea Silvia to become a perpetually celibate Vestal Virgin, but the god Mars raped her in his sacred grove. When Amulius discovered her pregnancy, he imprisoned (or drowned) her and told his servants to kill her twin sons by immersing them in the Tiber. However the servants, more kind-hearted than their master, instead placed the cradle on a plank, which they then proceeded to launch on the floods created by the swollen river. As the waters receded, the plank settled on the mud near a fig tree (its name, Ruminal, was believed to be derived from ruma ‘breast’). Here Mars’ sacred animals, a she-wolf and a woodpecker, came and tended the twin children; and after a short time they were found by one of the king’s shepherds, Faustulus, who took them home, saying nothing to his royal master. His wife Acca (or Acca Larentia) brought the boys up. They grew into sturdy and intelligent young men, who led the sons of the shepherds in raids on the local brigands-or even on Numitor’s herds. But one day, on the occasion of Pan’s festival of the Lupercalia, their party fell into an ambush and Remus was captured. He was led before King Amulius, who, hearing that the youth was accused of stealing Numitor’s cattle, turned him over to his brother for punishment. Numitor questioned Remus and drew from his answers the conclusion, already reached by Faustulus, that the twins were his lost grandsons; and his supposition was confirmed when he inspected the twins’ cradle. Soon afterwards Numitor was restored to his throne by a rebellion organised by the two youths, who attacked Amulius’ palace and killed their great uncle.
