Romulus Founds Rome According to Tradition
In the misty legends of early Italy, twin brothers Romulus and Remus, raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned as infants, grew to manhood amid disputes over territory and leadership. Romulus emerged victorious after a fatal quarrel with his brother Remus. On April 21, 753 BCE, he established the city of Rome on the Palatine Hill, marking the traditional beginning of Roman civilization according to ancient Roman historians and foundation myths. The event drew settlers from surrounding tribes and laid the groundwork for what would become a sprawling republic and later empire dominating the Mediterranean world for centuries. Early Roman records and later writers like Livy preserved this foundational narrative, blending myth with the real growth of a settlement that evolved into one of history's most influential powers.
Why it matters: The traditional founding date anchored Roman identity, calendar, and self-conception for over a millennium, influencing Western law, governance, engineering, and culture long after the empire's fall. It provided a mythic origin story that unified diverse populations under a shared Roman heritage.