22 Facts About Romulus

Romulus was the legendary founder and first king of Rome.

When Remus derisively leapt over the "walls" to show how inadequate they were against invaders, Romulus struck him down in anger.

Romulus' first act was to fortify the Palatine, in the course of which he made a sacrifice to the gods.

Romulus laid out the city's boundaries with a furrow that he ploughed, performed another sacrifice, and with his followers set to work building the city itself.

Romulus sought the assent of the people to become their king.

Romulus accepted the crown after he sacrificed and prayed to Jupiter, and after receiving favourable omens.

Romulus divided the populace into three tribes, known as the Ramnes, Titienses, and Luceres, for taxation and military purposes.

Romulus allotted a portion of land to each ward, for the benefit of the people.

Romulus sent envoys to neighboring towns, appealing to them to allow intermarriage with Roman citizens, but his overtures were rebuffed.

Romulus formulated a plan to acquire women from other settlements.

Romulus announced a momentous festival and games, and invited the people of the neighboring cities to attend.

The aggrieved cities prepared for war with Rome, and might have defeated Romulus had they been fully united.

Romulus vowed a temple to Jupiter Stator, to keep his line from breaking.

Romulus resisted calls to avenge the Sabine king's death, instead reaffirming the Roman alliance with Lavinium, and perhaps preventing his city from splintering along ethnic lines.

Romulus defeated Veii's army, but found the city too well defended to besiege, and instead ravaged the countryside.

Livy says that Romulus was either murdered by the senators, torn apart out of jealousy, or was raised to heaven by Mars, god of war.

Romulus acquired a cult following, which later became assimilated with the cult of Quirinus, perhaps originally the indigenous god of the Sabine population.

Ancient historians had no doubt that Romulus gave his name to the city.

Romulus had a Flamen Maior called the Flamen Quirinalis, who oversaw his worship and rituals in the ordainment of Roman religion attributed to Romulus's royal successor, Numa Pompilius.

Mars, the father of Romulus, is given permission by Jupiter to bring his son up to Olympus to live with the Olympians.

The unsavoury elements of many of the myths concerning Romulus have led some scholars to describe them as "shameful" or "disreputable".

Likewise, Momigliano finds Strasburger's argument well-developed, but entirely implausible; if the Romulus myths were an exercise in mockery, they were a signal failure.