Founding of Rome

Archaeological evidence shows that Rome grew from several small hilltop villages during the Final Bronze Age or early Iron Age. People lived in the area of Rome as early as 48,000 years ago, and by around 1600 BC, these villages began to join together. This joining of villages likely happened because cities were forming in places like ancient Greece.

Roman stories say that the city was founded by a man named Romulus. According to the story, Romulus and his twin brother Remus were left to die but were saved by a she-wolf. They later decided to build a city, but the brothers argued, and Remus was killed. Romulus then founded Rome on the Palatine Hill. Ancient historians gave different years for this founding, but most use 753 BC.

The story of Romulus was celebrated in Rome for many years. A festival called the Parilia Festival on April 21 was thought to mark the city's birthday. Over time, this festival became very important. Today, most historians believe the story of Romulus is a legend and not based on real events.

Cultural context

Further information: Villanovan culture and Latial culture

Different cultures lived in Italy before Rome began, speaking many kinds of languages. Some spoke languages from a group called Indo-European, such as Latin, which was spoken in the lower Tiber Valley. Others spoke Etruscan in places like modern Tuscany.

Over many years, groups of people moved into Italy. Some came from places across the sea or mountains. As time passed, small villages began to grow closer together, forming bigger communities. This slow change helped set the stage for the rise of great cities like Rome.

Archaeological evidence

There is evidence that people lived in the area of modern Rome as far back as 5,000 years ago. However, many older remains are hidden by newer layers of dirt. Traces of early settlements have been found in nearby places like Lavinium and Ardea, dating back to the 15th century BC. The area was home to ancient cultures called the Apennine and Proto-Villanovan cultures before the Latial culture developed.

Archaeological findings show that Rome grew slowly over many years and was definitely settled by the middle of the Bronze Age. The land around the Forum Boarium was a dry plain that served as a safe place for ships, watering animals, and crossing the Tiber River. The Capitoline Hill provided a strong defensive position.

During the Bronze Age, there were settlements on the Capitoline Hill and later in the valley that became the Roman Forum. By around 1000 BC, people were burying their dead in the Forum area. In the early Iron Age around 900 BC, burials began to be placed in the ground. Other cemeteries appeared on the Esquiline, Quirinal, and Viminal Hills. Simple huts on the Palatine Hill date from the 9th or 8th centuries BC, with growth speeding up in the early to middle 8th century BC.

By the eighth and seventh centuries BC, four main settlements existed on the Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Caelian, Oppian, and Velia hills. The Forum area became a public space where burials stopped and buildings were erected. Religious activities began on the Capitoline Hill, showing links to the cult of Jupiter Feretrius. Imported Greek pottery shows Rome’s connections beyond its local area. The first walls appeared on the Palatine around 730 to 720 BC. These changes show that Rome was becoming more organized with a shared public space and central leadership.

Ancient tradition and founding myths

By the late Republic, the usual Roman origin myth held that their city was founded by a Latin named Romulus on the day of the Parilia Festival (21 April) in some year around 750 BC. Important aspects of the myth concerned Romulus's murder of his twin Remus, the brothers' descent from the god Mars and the royal family of Alba Longa, and that dynasty's supposed descent from Aeneas, himself supposedly descended from the goddess Aphrodite and the royal family of Troy. The accounts in the first book of Livy's History of Rome and in Vergil's Aeneid were particularly influential.

Modern scholars disregard most of the traditional accounts as myths. There is no persuasive archaeological evidence for either the Romulan foundation or for the idea of an early Greek settlement. Even the name Romulus is now generally believed to have been retrojected from the city's name rather than reflecting a historical or actual figure. Some scholars have argued that these foundation myths might reflect actual historical events in some form, but this remains a minority viewpoint and highly controversial.

The Romans' origin myths provide evidence of how the Romans conceived of themselves as a mixture of different ethnic groups and foreign influences. The Romans took the foundation of their own new cities seriously, undertaking many rituals and attributing many of them to remote antiquity. They long maintained the Hut of Romulus, a primitive dwelling on the Palatine attributed to their founder, although they had no firm basis for associating it with him specifically.

Modern Scholarly Interpretation

When we think about how Rome began, it is important to know the difference between stories and real facts. Ancient writers like Livy and Plutarch shared exciting tales about Romulus and Remus, mixing in religious ideas. While these stories are fascinating, modern scholars know they are more like myths than true history. Even Cicero, a wise thinker from long ago, said that some old writings about Rome’s past are full of untrue things.

Today, scientists and historians study old remains and dig up places like the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum to learn about Rome’s real beginning. These excavations show us that Rome did not start all at once from one big event. Instead, it grew slowly over many years from smaller villages that joined together. The discoveries prove that people lived on these hills long before the famous myths were told, and Rome’s growth was a long process shaped by many changes over time.