Founding and Legacy of Rome - Between Myth and Reality

Myths are invented stories - often involving gods or heroes - to explain things that seem mysterious. Here are the two best-known legends, which are actually intertwined.

Aeneas

Everything begins with the Trojan War: the Greeks outwit the Trojans with the wooden horse.
After Troy falls, the Trojan hero Aeneas escapes in the night with his father Anchises and son Ascanius. The painting you see shows them fleeing by ship, leaving the burning city behind. Aeneas's divine mission? To found a new Trojan people destined to become a great power.
He wanders the Mediterranean - just like Odysseus - consulting oracles and having adventures. In Carthage for example, Queen Dido rescues and falls for him, but the gods intervene: Jupiter orders Aeneas to move on. In Cumae, the Sibyl guides him into the Underworld, where he meets his ancestors (including Anchises) and glimpses visions of future Rome: illustrious branches of great Roman generals and statesmen. Bolstered by this prophecy, he sails on to Italy. On the coast of Latium, Aeneas falls in love with Princess Lavinia, but her father Turnus objects - and war breaks out. With help from the gods, Aeneas defeats Turnus, founds the city of Lavinium (named for Lavinia), builds an altar, and begins blending Trojan and Latin customs. Later, his son Ascanius establishes Alba Longa on a nearby hill - ancestors of Romulus and Remus. Aeneas's legacy, in legend, leads to Romulus founding Rome in 753 BC.
The Aeneas story first appears in Homer's Iliad, then is told in full by the Roman poet Virgil in the Aeneid.

Romulus and Remus

This one's probably even more famous. Here's the gist: Numitor, king of Alba Longa and a descendant of Aeneas, is deposed by his brother Amulius. To prevent Numitor's daughter Rhea Silvia from having heirs, Amulius forces her into the Vestal Virgins, but she's already pregnant by the god Mars. She gives birth to twins, Romulus and Remus. Ordered to drown them in the Tiber, the infants are set adrift in a basket - but a she-wolf rescues and nurses them (symbolizing Mars's protection). A shepherd, Faustulus, finds the boys and raises them. When they learn their grandfather Numitor was usurped, they kill Amulius and restore Numitor to the throne. Numitor grants them land to build a city. Romulus starts laying out walls; Remus mocks him by leaping over the ramparts, so Romulus kills him in a fit of rage. Thus, Romulus becomes sole founder of the new city - Rome.
Another version says they squabble over the city's name and consult the birds: Romulus sees 12 vultures, Remus 6 (though Remus's appear first), leading to the fatal dispute. Romulus goes on to found Rome, kidnaps the Sabine women in the famous “Rape of the Sabines,” rules for many years, and then vanishes in a storm - later worshipped as the god Quirinus.
According to the myth, the seven Etruscan kings were later said to be his descendants.
Scholars think this legend dates from the 4th century BC, and there's no solid proof Romulus or Remus ever really existed. But the tale shows how the Romans crafted a heroic, divine origin for their city.

Other Myths and Variations

There are plenty more founding myths, but they're less famous. Writers like Livy, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Ovid, Virgil, and Fabius Pictor mixed and matched tales, tweaking characters and events - always emphasizing divine intervention and heroic deeds.

But how was Rome really founded? After all, everything so far has just been myth.
The true origins of Rome aren't carved in stone. From the late 9th to the 4th century BC, written records are virtually non-existent, so we know little about political or social developments. Reliable narratives only appear around 200 BC.
The famous founding date of Rome, 753 BC, comes from Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BC - 27 BC), who linked Rome's birth to Troy's fall. In antiquity, though, people suggested founding dates from 814 to 729 BC - Timaeus even claimed Rome and Carthage began in the same year, 814 BC. Archaeology shows villages on Rome's seven hills as early as the late 2nd millennium BC, inhabited by Sabines and Latins. Legend names kings - Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus (753 - 509 BC) - but none have left identifiable archaeological traces. In the 8th century BC, Etruscans from the north arrived. They influenced Rome's villages: population growth (evident from expanding necropolises), social stratification, and cultural exchange. To the south, Greek colonies introduced pottery techniques and literacy. Rome's location - a cluster of hills by the Tiber, rich in timber, pasture, and water, with key trade routes (Via Latina, Via Salaria) and one of few river fords - set the stage for growth. By the late 7th century BC, overcrowding led to a major engineering project: the valley between the hills was drained, expanding the settlement, improving control over the Tiber and its trade. Small villages merged into a true city of stone houses, terracotta roofs, the Forum, and early temples. The earliest urban remains date from this period.

Why Was Rome Founded There?

The area had lots of wooded hills. These hills provided protection, timber, and good pastureland for the shepherds - who'd been raising sheep and goats there since at least the Bronze Age. The Tiber and nearby springs offered fresh water.
The Tiber was also a key trade route running north to south, alongside the Via Latina and Via Salaria. It was especially important for transporting salt - “white gold.” Rome also had one of the few good fords across the Tiber - another reason the location was ideal.

But Why So Many Myths?

Roman historians and scholars believed their city needed a grand, divine backstory. By tying Rome's origins to gods and heroes, they underscored its exceptional destiny.

From a small village, Rome grew into a global empire.
It was so powerful and influential that its legacy is still visible today - nearly 2,000 years later.
Here are just a few examples:
Law: Roman law shaped many European legal systems - especially the Codex Justinianus (Justinian's Code). Principles like “All citizens are equal before the law,” “Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” and “Innocent until proven guilty” come from Rome.
Language: Latin is the root of the Romance languages: Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian. Many Latin terms are still used in medicine, law, science, and the church.
Politics: The Romans developed republican systems like the Senate, magistrates, and public assemblies. These ideas inspired modern democracies, with concepts like separation of powers and term limits.
Citizenship: Roman citizens had rights (e.g., legal protection, the right to appeal) and duties (like military service).
Architecture: Innovations like concrete, arches, vaults, and domes. Grand structures like the Colosseum, aqueducts, and Pantheon. Urban planning with forums, basilicas, baths, and amphitheaters.
Education & Science: Early education focused on rhetoric and philosophy, later expanding to science and engineering.
Culture & Religion: Christianity became the state religion under emperors Constantine and Theodosius. Roman theater, literature (Virgil, Ovid, Cicero), and philosophy (Seneca, Marcus Aurelius) remain influential.
Military: A highly disciplined, professional army - revolutionary at the time. Invented tactics like the testudo (tortoise) formation.
Road Network: A vast, paved road system for fast movement of troops, goods, and information. Many modern roads in Europe follow old Roman routes.
Trade & Economy: A vast, unified economic zone with standardized currency, weights, and toll-free trade. Connected to regions far and wide - including the Silk Road and North Africa. Roman coinage became a model for others.