Foundation Myths for Ancient Rome

The two main foundation myths for Ancient Rome were the stories of Romulus and Remus, who were the two boys who were raised by a female wolf and the story of Aeneas, son of the goddess Aphrodite. The story of Romulus and Remus starts out when their mother Rhea was either seduced or raped by the god Mars. She then became pregnant and gave birth to two sons. When Amulius found out he had Rhea imprisoned and he took Romulus and Remus and put them in a basket and threw them in the Tiber River. The Romans trace their ancestry all the way back to a Trojan hero named Aeneas. He was the son of Anchises, a handsome and daring man and the goddess Aphrodite.

Romulus and Remus were born in a time when children were not wanted. They were unwanted because Amulius their uncle, feared that the boys would grow up and overthrow him.Because of this he had them placed in a trough or basket and thrown into the River Tiber. At that time the Tiber river was flooding, and when the waters fell, the basket, came to shore. Both of the twin brothers were found by a female wolf. Instead of killing them she raised them and looked after them. She fed Romulus and Remus with her milk,and the wolf was helped by a woodpecker who brought them food too. Interesting enough both these animals were sacred and valuable to Mars. In the myth it is told that the god Mars sent those animals to save them.

They grew up and later on were found by a shepherd named Faustulus, who took them home and looked after them until they were grown up. Romulus and Remus discovered who they really were and decided to go back and kill their uncle Amulius and put their grandfather back on the throne. They achieved what they had said and after this they decided to build a city of their own.They could not reach an agreement and so each began to build his own city enclosed within the walls.

Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite. He was a hero at Troy and he was the bravest after his brother-in-law Hector. Aeneas took part in all the important battles during the ten years they were at war. When the Achaeans finally captured Troy they allowed Aeneas because of his bravery to choose from among his possessions one thing to take with him as he left. The Achaens were very impressed when they saw him choose a stature of his patron god. They told him that he could bring something else. He brought his father, he loaded him on his back. They were so impressed they allowed him to take the rest of his possessions. The myth goes on to say that Aeneastraveled far and wide and finally reached the Italian peninsula where he founded Rome and that the city of Rome was founded later by one of his descendants Romulus. It ends by saying that Aeneas was almost kille by Achilles but was rescued by Zeus. In the myth it was said that Achilles's behavior angered Aeneas so much that he went over to the Trojan side, and fought bravely for them.

The legend or myth starts out with the Greeks attacking Troy and them almost killing all of the people in the city of Troy. The myth doesnt really say why. A prince of Troy escaped the killing and sailed all the way to Italy in a boat, he was prince Aeneas. Aeneas landed in Italy in the city of Laurentum. The king of the Latins was Latinus. He had a beautiful daughter named Lavinia. He later married her and they had a son named Ascanius. Ascanius was the first of of many to come. He founded Rome later on. Then later on Romulus founds Rome and starts his kingdom. (Mark and Tingay 5 and 8)

Mark, Anthony, and Graham Tingay. "The Romans". Usborne, London, 1990.