Roman Historian on The Founding of Rome // Livy on Romulus and Remus // 1st century BC Roman Source

my opinion however is that the origin of so great a city and an empire next in power to that of the gods was due to the fates the Vestal Ray was ravished by force and having brought forth twins declared Mars to be the father of her illegitimate offspring either because she really imagined it to be the case or because it was less discreditable to have committed such an offense with a god but neither God's nor men protected either her or her offspring from the Kings cruelty the priestess was bound and cast into prison the king ordered the children to be thrown into the flowing river by some chance which providence seemed to direct the Tiber having overflown its banks thereby forming stagnant pools could not be approached at the regular course of its channel notwithstanding it gave the bearers of the children hope that they could be drowned in its water however come accordingly as if they had executed the King's orders they exposed the boys in the nearest land pool where now stands the thickest who Romulus at that time the country in those parts was a desolate wilderness the story goes that when the shallow water subsiding had left the floating trough in which the children had been exposed on dry ground a thirsty she-wolf from the mountains around to directed her course towards the cries of the infants and held down her teats to them with such gentleness that the keeper of the Kings herd found her licking the boys with her tongue they say that his name was Faust Ulis and they were carried by him to his homestead and given to his wife Lauren Tia to be brought up some were of the opinion that Loretta was called lupa among the Shepherds from her being a common prostitute and Henson opening was afforded for the marvelous story the children thus born and thus brought up as soon as they reached the age of youth did not lead a life of inactivity at home or amid the flocks but in the chase scoured the forests having thus gained strength both in body and spirit they now were not only able to withstand wild beasts but attacked robbers laden with booty and divided the spoils with the Shepherd's in his company as the number of their young associates increased daily they carried on business and pleasure even in these early times it is said that the festival of the Lupo Cal has now celebrated was solemnized on the Palatine Hill which was first called : tiem from palan tiem a city of arcadia and afterward mount pilatus there Evander who belonging to the above tribe of the Arcadians who had for many years before occupied these districts is said to have appointed the observance of a solemn festival introduced from Arcadia in which naked youths ran about doing honor in wanton sport to pan the chaos who was afterward called Ennis by the Romans when they were engaged in this festival as its periodical Solomon ization was well known a band of robbers enraged at the loss of some booty lay in wait for them and took Remus prisoner Romulus having vigorously defended himself the captive Remus they delivered up to King Amulius and even went so far as to bring accusations against him they made it the principal charged having made incursions into Numa tours lands and having assembled a band of young men they had driven off their booty after the manner of enemies accordingly Remus was delivered up to Numa tour for punishment now from the very first Faust Tillis had entertained hopes that the boys who were being brought up by him were of royal blood for he both knew that the children had been exposed by the King's orders and that the time at which he had taken them up coincided exactly with that period but he had been unwilling to disclose the matter as yet not ripe for discovery till either a fitting opportunity or the necessity for it should arise necessity came first accordingly urged by fear he disclosed the whole affair to Romulus by accident also Numa tour while he had Remus in custody having heard that the brothers were twins by comparing their age and the natural disposition entirely free from servility felt his mind struck by the recollection of his grandchildren and by frequent inquiries came to the conclusion he had already formed so that he was not far from openly acknowledging Remus accordingly a plot was concerted against the King on all sides Romulus not accompanied by a body of young men for he was not equal to open violence but having commanded the shepherds to come to the palace by different roads a fixed time made an attack upon the King while Remus having got together another party from nuuma tors house came to his assistance and so they slew the King NUMA tour at the beginning of a fray giving out that enemies had invaded the city and attacked the palace after he had drawn off the urban youth to the Citadel to secure it with an armed garrison when he saw the young men after they had come past the King's death advancing towards him to offer congratulations immediately summoned a meeting of the people and recounted his brother's unnatural behavior towards him the extraction of his grandchildren and the manner of their birth bringing up and recognition and went on to inform them of the Kings death and that he was responsible for it the young prince's advanced through the midst of the assembly with their band in order the array and after they had saluted their grandfather as king a succeeding shout of approbation issuing from the whole multitude ratified for him the name and authority of sovereign the government of Alba being thus entrusted to nuuma tour Romulus and Remus were seized with the desire of building a city on the spot where they had been exposed and brought up indeed the number of Alban and Latin inhabitants was too great for the city and all these readily inspired hopes that Alba and Lavinia would be insignificant in comparison with that city which was intended to be built but desire of rule the bane of their grandfather interrupted these designs and thence arose a shameful quarrel from a sufficiently amicable beginning for as they were twins and consequently the respect for seniority could not settle the point they agreed to leave it to the gods and the whose protection the place was to choose by augury which of them should give a name to the new city and govern it when built Romulus chose the Palatine and Remus the Aventine has points of observation for taking the auguries [Music] it is said that an omen came to Remus first six vultures and when after the omen had been declared twice that number presented themselves to Romulus each was hailed king by his own party the former claiming sovereign power on the ground of priority of time the latter on account of the number of birds thereupon having met and exchanged angry words from the strife of angry feelings they turned to bloodshed there Remus fell from a blow received in the crowd a more common account is that Remus in the vision of his brother leaped over the newly erected walls and was thereupon slain by Romulus in a fit of passion who mocking him added words to this effect so perish everyone hereafter who shall leap over my walls thus Romulus obtained possession of supreme power for himself alone the city when built was called after the name of its founder [Music] you

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Keywords: Rome, Titus Livius, Livy, 1st century BC, Roman source, History, Primary Source, Ancient, Ancient History, Roman, Palatine Hill, Romulus and Remus, Founding of Rome, Roman Empire

Id: M39WSgG__2g

Length: 10min 4sec (604 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 20 2019