Few stories from the ancient world have survived with quite the enduring power as that of Romulus and Remus, one of whom would go on to found the most famous city in the world. The story of these twins became the foundational tale of Rome's establishment, but as with similar traditions preserved by other ancient civilizations, the further people attempt to look into the past, the more difficult it becomes to separate history from legend. The two brothers always occupied an important place among Romans and remain among the most famous figures associated with antiquity, but whether Romulus and Remus were actual historical individuals remains one of the enduring questions surrounding Rome's origins.
The most familiar version of the legend asserts that Romulus and Remus descended from Trojan royalty, and according to Roman tradition, their grandfather Numitor was overthrown by Numitor’s brother Amulius, who feared Numitor's descendants might one day return to claim the throne for themselves. In an attempt to prevent this, the twins were condemned to death by being left on the banks of the Tiber, where they were discovered by a she-wolf who cared for them until they were found by the shepherd Faustulus and raised alongside his wife. Eventually the twins learned of their royal ancestry, overthrew Amulius, and restored their grandfather to the throne, but rather than simply returning to Alba Longa, they decided to establish a settlement of their own.
It was at this point that the story took its most famous and tragic turn. The brothers disagreed over where the new city should be founded and, ultimately, over who should rule it. Their rivalry ended with the death of Remus, leaving Romulus as the sole founder and first king of Rome in 753 B.C.
It is a remarkable story, which is why it has survived for over 2,500 years, but it is important to remember that the Romans themselves did not preserve a single, universally accepted version of the story.
