The Story
This is an account of the foundation legend of Rome, how the twins Remus and Romulus were miraculously suckled by a shewolf, and how Romulus founded Rome and Remus was killed at the moment of the foundation. What does the story mean? Why have a twin, if he has to be killed off? This is the first historical analysis of the origins and development of the myth, and it offers important insights into the nature of preimperial Rome and the ways in which myths could be created and elaborated in a nonliterate society.
Description
This is an account of the foundation legend of Rome, how the twins Remus and Romulus were miraculously suckled by a shewolf, and how Romulus founded Rome and Remus was killed at the moment of the foundation. What does the story mean? Why have a twin, if he has to be killed off? This is the first historical analysis of the origins and development of the myth, and it offers important insights into the nature of preimperial Rome and the ways in which myths could be created and elaborated in a nonliterate society.
