Numitor, king of the ancient Italian city of Alba Longa, was deposed by his brother Amulius. Numitor’s daughter, Rhea Silvia, was made a vestal virgin priestess of the Goddess Vesta & forbidden to marry. Mars, the God of War, fell in love with her and she gave birth to twin sons. ” [1] Fearing for his life and his newly captured throne, Amulius had the twins put in a basket and through into the Tiber river. Instead of sinking the basket floated steadily down stream. “The basket came aground at the Grotto Lupercal, under a fig tree called Ruminal, where the twins were found and suckled by a she wolf. [2] Along with the wolf was Picus, who was turned into a woodpecker by Circe, both sacred to mars.
They both feed the kids and kept them live until one day a herdsman stumbled upon the two boys. “The shepard Faustulus found the twins. He toofk them with him to his house and his wife called them Romulus and Renus.. they were not aware of the princely origin of the boys and raised them as their children. “[3] “Ounce Romulus and Remus had grown up, they learned their story and decided to go back to Albalonga. “[4] Not knowing exactly why they had been abandoned, the twins had no idea where to start looking.
They decided to start by going to the local festival. “As young men, Romulus and Remus gathered around them a band of hardy, adventurous campanions. “[5] And because of their adventurous nature they tended to get a little roudy. “Remus is captured by a band of men at the Lupercalia after a quarrel between amulius’ swine and cowherd. He is taken to Numitor. “[6] Numitor was supposed to put sentence on him but realized through their conversation that he was one of his daughter’s sons and informed him of his royal stature.
After “The twins discover their true origins, and they reinstate Numitor as king. “[6] Ounce their grandfather was in power because they had slain their great uncle, they decided to found their own town. “They asked Numitor for advise and on his advise they waited for Devine signs. “[3] Just like when they were young Romulus and Remus could never agree on anything. They each thought that this new town should be in a different site. “Remus chose the Aventine while Romulus chose the Palatine. “[3]
Both places were not to far from the great fig tree because it seemed right. Remus first saw six vultures. Romulus, however, later saw tweleve vultures. “[3] It was now clear that Romulus had chosen the preordained place. Leaving his brother scorn and filled with anger. “On 21 April 753 BC, a holiday of the shepherds, the first stone was laid. “[3] “The foundation of the new town marked the end of Remus. It had been decided that no-one could pass the boundary without permission of Romulus. “[4] Remus out of spite or as a goof jumped over the wall, and laughed at it’s size. Romulus, enraged by
