Romulus

Roman demigod, son of Mars and Rhea Silvia; founder of Rome (April 21, 753 BCE per traditional date); first king. Killed Remus during the foundation. Disappeared during a thunderstorm at the Goat's Marsh on the Campus Martius and was apotheosed as Quirinus — see roman_quirinus entry. Iconographic prototype for the Roman augur (the lituus tradition) and for the spolia opima cult at Iuppiter Feretrius. The Casa Romuli on the Palatine was preserved and ritually maintained through the imperial period as the founder's hut. Per Beard/North/Price 1998; Wiseman, Remus: A Roman Myth (1995).

Parentage

• paternal: Mars
• maternal: Rhea Silvia

Domains

• foundation of rome
• kingship roman
• augury foundational

Powers

• augural vision

Epithets

• Quirinus latin · Quirinus'Quirinus' — the deified name of Romulus after his apotheosis, worshipped on the QuirinalLivy 1.16.3 (primary); Ovid, Fasti 2.475-512 (primary)
• Romulus Conditor latin · Romulus Conditor'Romulus the Founder' — his role-title as founder of the cityLivy 1.7-1.16 (primary)
• Conditor Urbis latin · Conditor Urbis'Founder of the City' — Romulus's standing titleLivy 1.7 (primary)
• Romulus Quirinus Latin · Romulus Quirinus · cultRomulus deified as QuirinusEnnius (via Cicero); Ovid, Metamorphoses 14 (primary)

Relations

• sibling: RemusKilled Remus during the foundation; the act variously motivated (the boundary-wall transgression per Livy; the augural contest per Plutarch).Liv. 1.7.2-3; Plut. Rom. 10 (primary)
• foster child: Faustulus (royal shepherd of Amulius, foster-father of Romulus and Remus) · RomanFaustulus the shepherd raised the twins after the lupa's suckling; Faustulus entry pending.Liv. 1.4.6-7; Plut. Rom. 4 (primary)
• foster child: Acca Larentia (foster-mother of Romulus and Remus, wife of Faustulus, festival figure of the Larentalia) · RomanFaustulus's wife. Acca Larentia entry pending.Plut. Rom. 4-5; Macr. Sat. 1.10.13 (primary)
• enemy: AmuliusReciprocal of roman_amulius.enemy (alphabetical family sweep). (auto reciprocal)

Sources

• existence: Enn. Ann. fr. 34-100; Liv. 1.3-1.16; Dion. Hal. 1.76-2.56; Plut. Rom.; Ov. Fast. 2-5, Met. 14.772-851; Verg. Aen. 1.273-296, 6.776-787; Cic. Rep. 2; Hor. Carm. 1.2 (primary)
• parentage: Liv. 1.4.2; Ov. Fast. 3.11-44 (Mars and Rhea Silvia in the sacred grove) (primary)
• apotheosis: Liv. 1.16; Cic. Rep. 2.20; Ov. Met. 14.805-828 (primary)