Why Romulus killed Remus: The violent murder at the dawn of Rome's history

The story of Rome’s founding dates to the 8th century BCE, when the Italian peninsula was a mix of new settlements and cultures.

At that time, central Italy saw conflicts among tribes such as the Latins, Etruscans and Sabines, who set up territories and communities that would help to form future city-states, including Rome.

The traditional date for Rome’s founding, April 21, 753 BCE, comes from the Roman historian Livy and the scholar Varro.

Archaeological digs and research show that people did settle in early Rome during this period.

Specifically, discoveries on the Palatine Hill show signs of people who lived there in the 8th century BCE.

These include the remains of huts and defences that match the traditional date of Rome’s start. 

The famous mythical story of Rome's founding begins with King Numitor of the city of Alba Longa.

He had lost his throne when his brother Amulius took power. To protect his rule, Amulius had Numitor’s sons killed and made his niece, Rhea Silvia, serve as a vestal virgin so she could never have children who might claim the throne.

During her time as a Vestal, the god Mars was apparently attracted to Rhea Silvia and visited her at night. 

Nine months later, she gave birth to twin sons, named Romulus and Remus. 

When Amulius learned of the two children, he ordered them to be thrown into the Tiber River to get rid of the threat to his throne.

However, rather than drowing them, the river carried them down stream where they washed up on the river's banks.

There, a she-wolf found them and nursed them until a shepherd named Faustulus discovered them.

Under the care of Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, they raised the boys as their own. 

When they were older, they became involved in a fight between shepherds loyal to Numitor and those loyal to Amulius.

During that fight, Remus was captured and taken to Alba Longa. When Numitor saw Remus, he instandly recognised him as his grandson.

At the same time, Romulus gathered local shepherds to free his brother. This led to a series of events that led to Amulius’s removal and Numitor’s restoration to the kingship. 

Once their grandfather returned to power, Romulus and Remus planned their own city.

They chose the spot where the she-wolf had fed them, near the Tiber River. 

Once they decided to build a new city, they had to decide on which of the seven hills in the area would be the best location for it.

The brothers decided to ask the gods for an answer. So, the both looked for a sign from the gods through the flights of birds.

Romulus stood on Palatine Hill while Remus stood on Aventine Hill. The first bird signs favoured Romulus, so he earned the right to name and rule the new city. 

Romulus began to mark the new city's boundaries when he ploughed the land. 

However, Remus walked over the freshly ploughed line and made fun of his brother's claim. 

This act, whether a joke or an insult, made Romulus very angry and they came to blows. 

The exact details of Remus’s death remain unclear. Some versions of the story say Romulus killed him himself, while other stories claim that one of Romulus’s followers did it in the heat of the moment. 

Following the death of his brother, Romulus' new city attracted groups of young men to be its first citizens.

Romulus became the first king of Rome. After Romulus died, he was thought to have become the god Quirinus. 

Each year, the Romans held the festival of Parilia to remember Rome’s founding and Romulus' achievements. 

However, his killing of Remus always added a problematic element to the myth.