Legend has it that the city of Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of the god of war Mars. At birth, the two brothers were nursed by a she-wolf in a deep forest.
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The ruins revealed at the Roman Forum (Photo: VNE) |
Archaeologists now believe they have found evidence that supports the timeline of this legend: traces of a royal palace recently discovered in the Roman Forum are dated to coincide with the founding of the immortal city.
Andrea Carandini, an archaeology professor at Sapienza University, has been excavating the area for over 20 years. He reported finding the structure last month at the site where the Temple of Romulus stands today. It is located next to the Temple of Vesta – the goddess of the hearth – outside the Palatine Hill, where the first traces of civilization in Rome were found.
At a site where archaeologists previously only uncovered dilapidated houses from the 8th century BC, Carandini and his team unearthed the remains of a magnificent structure: a palace measuring 344 square meters, with a usable area of 105 square meters, while the rest is courtyard. There was also a city gate, intricate decorative objects, and numerous pottery pieces.
The walls of the building were made of wood and clay, with floors of polished wood and compacted earth. Archaeologists tested the clay and determined the age of the structure. According to Carandini, the space was very expansive, unprecedented in previous finds. “This can only be a royal palace,” he stated.
He also added that at that time, an average dwelling was only about 1/10 the size of this area. He also found a house that could have been where the vestal virgins tended the sacred fire.
Eugenio La Rocca, who oversees the structures in Rome, commented that Carandini’s interpretation is accurate.
“I believe what Carandini found in the excavation is very reasonable,” La Rocca said. “Whoever created this legend knew that behind it lay a historical foundation. This does not necessarily mean that the story of Romulus and Remus happened exactly as stated, but it does mean that the memories passed down through Latin authors are not just a hypothesis.”
According to the legend of Rome, King Numitor was usurped by his brother, and his daughter Rhea Silvia was forced to become a vestal virgin to prevent her from bearing children. However, Rhea Silvia became pregnant with the child of Mars. When the twins were discovered, the princess was imprisoned, and the children were abandoned in a basket on the Tiber River. Luckily, the two brothers reached the shore alive and were nursed by a she-wolf until they were taken in by a shepherd.
Upon learning their past, the twins killed the usurper Amulius, restored Numitor to the throne, and returned to the place where the she-wolf had nursed them to build a city.
The image of the two naked children suckling from a she-wolf has become a recurring theme in Roman art, and sculptures depicting this legend can be found in museums throughout the region.
Minh Thi
