Blog for Jul 28 THE FOUNDING OF ROME

This famous bronze statue of a she-wolf is now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Scholars disagree, however, on the date of the statue. Some believe the statue of the she-wolf originated in the early years of the Roman Republic; others attribute it to medieval times. The suckling twins were added during the 16th century.

According to the Roman myth, Romulus killed Remus during a bitter dispute over which hill to build their new city upon. Romulus preferred the Palatine Hill, while Remus wanted the Aventine Hill. Conflict intensified when Remus mockingly jumped over the newly built, sacred walls of Romulus’s settlement on the Palatine Hill. To resolve the stalemate, they watched the sky for divine omens. Remus claimed to see six sacred birds first, but Romulus subsequently saw twelve. Because they couldn't agree on who had won divine favor, Romulus in a fit of rage killed Remus.

There are minor variations of this myth, but they all read like a fairy tale. Understandably, modern and ancient thinkers share a healthy skepticism of these far-fetched accounts. The Miriam bat Isaac stories, however, read as if you were actually wrestling with a first century CE mystery.

Try these stories, if you’re interested in ones that also feature twins: Miriam and Binyamin (beginning in The Deadliest Lie), Phoebe and Leda (in The Deadliest Thief), and Hiram and Hillel (see “The Fire” in The Deadliest Deceptions). To learn more, click here.