The Romulus and Remus myth serves as a foundational legend explaining the origin of Rome. It tells of twin brothers, sons of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars, who were abandoned as infants and saved by a she-wolf. They grew up, overthrew the tyrant king who had ordered their death, and sought to establish a city on the site where they were saved. The myth explains the founding of Rome with Romulus ultimately killing Remus during a dispute and founding the city on the Palatine Hill. This story symbolically reflects Rome’s martial heritage, qualities of strength and resilience, and the complex beginnings of Roman society. It also serves to legitimize Roman institutions and identity through divine ancestry and heroic narrative.
