Founding of Rome
Roman tradition held that Romulus, descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, founded the city on the Palatine Hill on April 21, 753 BCE, after killing his twin brother Remus in a dispute over its location. Archaeology confirms human settlement on the hills above the Tiber from the tenth century BCE, but the city as a recognizable urban center emerged in the seventh century when the marshy forum valley was drained and monumental building began. The founding mythology served political purposes: it connected Rome to the Homeric tradition, explained the city's institutions, and provided a calendar anchor for Roman historians. Romulus was said to have organized the first Senate, structured the citizen body into tribes and curiae, and established the practice of granting asylum to outsiders — a tradition that explained Rome's later capacity to absorb conquered peoples.
- Category: Political
