The Beginning of an Empire
The expansive Roman Empire's (753 BC-1453 AD) foundation is rooted in the legend of Romulus and Remus. These twins, conceived by their mother Rhea Silvia and the god Mars, were ordered to be killed as infants by their uncle Amulius, who killed his brother to take control of the throne. However, the servant that was supposed to carry out the deed could not go through with it. He left the twins at the Tiber river where they were later found by a she wolf known as the Lupa. She suckled and raised them as her own allowing them to grow and survive despite their grim chances at life from the start.
Romulus and Remus are then found by a shepherd and his wife who take them in and raise them until they learn their past. They go and kill their uncle, restoring their father to the throne. Instead of waiting to inherit the throne they decide to found a new city. However, the brothers could not agree on a location and in the quarrel Remus is killed. Romulus goes on to found Rome in 753 BC.
In the above painting by Peter Paul Reubens, c. 1616, a shepherd finds Romulus and Remus being nursed by the Lupa. An old man and woman look on the scene from the left. The man is thought to represent the god of the Tiber river and the woman is intended to be Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus.
This altar from Ostia shows the discovery of Romulus and Remus. It is now found at the Palazzo Massimo aloe Terme. Romulus and Remus are being fed by the she-wolf. A representation of the Tiber and Palatine are surrounding the wolf. Part of the alter is dedicated to Mars and Venus, the divine couple. Made of marble, this Roman artwork is from the end of the reign of Trajan and it was later used in the Hadrianic era as the base of a statue.
Romans and War
Besides the prevalence of the wolf, the Lupa, in the origins of Rome, it is also a symbol of another aspect of the Roman Empire: war. The Romans were devoted to war. They invested their time, energy, and resources into war and believed it was what made them the most powerful. In fact, the mythological father of Romulus and Remus, the god Mars, is the god of war. The sacred animal of Mars was none other than the wolf. Throughout the reign of the Romans, the wolf was prominently displayed in art and artifact as a symbol of Rome's history and their dedication to war and the god Mars.
The importance of the wolf in the Roman Empire is seen from the origins of the empire to its fall. The symbolism behind it was deeply rooted in everyday thinking and interactions of the Roman people and it continues to be a representation of the empire still to this day.
Sources
Cavazzi, F. "The Founding of Rome." Illustrated History of the Roman Empire. N.p., Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.roman-empire.net/founding/found-index.html>.
Kamm, Anthony. "The Origin of Rome." The Classics Pages. N.p., Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.the-romans.co.uk/legends.htm>.
McCafferty, Hugo. "La lupa Capitulina: Rome's Wolf Mother." Art and Culture History. Swide, May 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.swide.com/art-culture/history/capitoline-wolf-mother-history-of-rome-statue/2013/05/12>.
Milani-Santarpia, Giovanni. "Ancient Roman Animals." Antiquities of Rome. Mariamilani, Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/ancient_roman_animals.htm>.
Kamm, Anthony. "The Origin of Rome." The Classics Pages. N.p., Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.the-romans.co.uk/legends.htm>.
McCafferty, Hugo. "La lupa Capitulina: Rome's Wolf Mother." Art and Culture History. Swide, May 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.swide.com/art-culture/history/capitoline-wolf-mother-history-of-rome-statue/2013/05/12>.
Milani-Santarpia, Giovanni. "Ancient Roman Animals." Antiquities of Rome. Mariamilani, Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/ancient_roman_animals.htm>.