Mythical founding of rome

trojan war - what

• conflict from Greek mythology

• took place around 12th/13th century bce

trojan war- why

• abduction of helen, wife of menelaus (king of sparta), by paris (prince of troy)

  • helen was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, her abduction by paris was a direct violation of the sacred bonds of hospitality and marriage

• in response, an alliance of greek city states which were led by agamemnon (menelaus’ brother, king of mycenae) gathered a massive fleet to launch an expedition against troy.

• notable greek warriors who participated included achilles, odysseus, ajax and diomedes.

• greek army (acheans) sailed across the aeagan sea and laid siege to the city of troy for 10 years. the war was marked by a series of battles, duels and heroic exploits on both sides. the acheans faced significant challenges due to the defensive fortifications and bravery of the trojans.

• features numerous key figures from greek mythology:

  • achilles (greatest greek warrior) → renowned for his strength and invulnerability, except for his heel.

  • hector (greatest trojan warrior and prince of troy) → known for valor and defense of the city.

  • agamemnon, menelaus, paris, helen, priam (king of troy) and odysseus

• gods and goddesses played an active role in the outcome.

  • intervention of goddesses included jupiter, juno, minerva, venus, apollo and neptune.

• culminated in the famous stratagem of the trojan horse.

the trojan war

greeks pretended to withdraw and left behind a massive wooden horse as an offering.

trojans brought the horse inside city walls.

since the greek warriors were hidden inside, they emerged at night and opened the city gates, sacking and destroying troy

consequences of the trojan war

surviving prince of troy, aeneas, fled the city and eventually founded rome.

the war and its heroes have been celebrsted in epic poetry, including homer’s illiad and odussey, which are the primary sources of information on the war.

flight of aeneas

refers to the journey and adventures of the trojan prince, aeneas, following the fall of troy → most famously chronicled in the aeneid.

after the greeks successfully sacked and destroyed troy, aenead went on a journey to find a new homeland for himself and trojans. carried elderly father anchises on back and held his young son ascanius/iulus by the hand.

aeneas and his followers (aeneads) encountered numerous challenges and adventures during their journey. faced storms, encounters with hostile lands and peoples and divine interventions.

• encounter with cyclops

• death of anchises in Sicily, and subsequent visit to the underworld to meet his shade

• year in Carthage, where Aeneas fell inlove with queen dido and broke his promise to settle there, resulting in dido putting a curse on him and his friends that her people and his people would always be enemies.

aeneas received guidance and help from deities, particularly venus and jupiter. intervened to protect and support him in fulfilling his destiny as the founder of a great civilisation.

depiction of aeneas

• a noble and virtuous hero who embodies ideals of piety, duty and resillience.

• carries the burden of his people and their destiny and despite facing numerous trials, he remains committed to his mission of establishing a new homeland.

why is the flight of aeneas significant

establishes a connection between the fall of troy and the founding of rome. aeneas represents the link between the heroic past of troy and the glorious future of rome.

his story served to legitimise rome’s claim to a prestigious ancestry and provided a mythical origin to the roman empire. the aeneid became a foundational epic of roman literature.

visiting underworld

• book vi of the aeneid

• Aeneas seeks advice from the sibyl (prophetess) → instructs him how to reach the underworld.

• leads him to a nearby cave near cumae, where he performs rituals and offers sacrifices to the gods- specifically to hecate and the god apollo.

• after performing sacrifices, aeneas descends into the underworld through the cave’s gates.

  • gates are guarded by cerberus, whom aeneas appeases with a cake infused with honey and drugged herbs.

• in the underworld, aeneas encounters shades of the deceased.

  • witnesses both punished and blessed

  • notable figures include: trojan heroes, deceased father anchises, and the souls of famous individuals from history and mythology.

• most significant part is aeneas’ reunion with anchises.

  • anchises reveals the destiny of his people (roman people) → great leaders and heroes, incl romulus.

  • aeneas sees a vision of rome’s rise to power, wars and its imperial rule.

• after he ascends back to the living world through the cave’s gates and returns to his ships.

why was aeneas’ journey to the underworld importsnt

• pivotal moment for aeneas’ character development.

• offers insight with his own destiny and future of his people.

• encounter w anchises provides a link between past and future.

• explores themes of mortality, fate and the connection between living and dead.

the founding of rome

• after leaving carthage, aeneas and his group eventually reached the shores of italy, where they sought to establish a new homeland. encountered various indigenous peoples and engaged in conflicts and alliances.

• aeneas formed an alliance with king latinus, the ruler of the latins. latinus offered his daughter lavinia in marriage to aeneas, which sparked a conflict with turnus, the leader of a neighboring people called the rutulians.

• aeneas fulfilled his destiny by establishing the city of lavinium (named after his wife lavinia) which served as an important precursor to the future city of rome

• aeneas’ son ascanius later founded alba longa. ascanius became the ancestor of the julian gens, from which julius ceasar and emperor augustus traced their lineage.

• this way, the story of aeneas served to legitimise the divine and heroic origins of the roman people and their claim to greatness.

romulus and remus

• god mars (or in some version demigod hercules) and vestal virgin rhea silvia

• rhea silvia was the daughter of king numitor of alba longa, a city in italy.

• when mars or hercules impregnated rhea silvia, it was against her vow as a vastal virgin.

  • as a result, the king ordered the infants to be abandoned.

• romulus and remus were placed in a basket and left to die in the tiber river. miraculously, they were discovered and rescued by a she-wolf, who nurtured and raised them in her den on palatine hill.

  • she wolf became an iconic symbol associated with rome, often depicted in art and coins.

• a shepherd named faustulus found the twins and brought them to his home. faustulus and his wife, acca larentia, raised romulus and remus as their own children, unaware of their royal lineage.

• as the twins grew older, they displayed exceptional strength, courage, and leadership qualities. it was during a festival that their true identity was revealed.

  • they confronted amulius, the king of alba longa, who had deposed their grandfather, king numitor.

• romulus and remus, now aware of their destiny, decided to establish a city of their own. they chose the site where they had been found and raised by the she-wolf.

• however, they disagreed on the specific location

  • romulus favoured the palatine hill

  • remus preferred the aventine hill

  • to resolve this, the twins sought the guidance of the gods. they decided to observe the flight of birds to determine divine favour.

• each brother stood on his chosen hill and awaited a sign. remus saw six vultures first, but shortly after, romulus witnessed twelve vultures, romulus declared his omen was more significant.

  • rivalry escalated → remus leaped over the walls of romulus’ city and romulus struck him and killed him.

• romulus named the city ‘roma’ after himself and became its first king. he established the government, organised the population into tribes and classes and enacted laws.

• to populate city, romulus welcomed fugitives slaves and refugees from neighboring areas, forming the foundstion of the roman citizenry.

• romulus ruled for several years until according to a legend, he dissapeared mysteriously during a thunderstorm. some accounts suggest that he was taken up to the heavens and deified as the god quirinus, while others propose he was murdered by political rivals.

the sabine women

• explores integration of the sabines, an italic tribe, into the early roman society.

• after romulus founded the city of rome, he faced a problem- no women. he allowed thieves, beggars and runaway slaves but no women came.

• invited neighbouring tribes to a festival called the consualia, during which he planned to abduct the women of the sabine tribe.

• during festival, romulus gave a signal, and his men seized the sabine women and forcefully carried them away to rome.

  • among abducted women was hersilia, the daughter of a sabina noble called titus tatius.

• sabine men were enraged and prepared for war. led by titus tatus, saught revenge for daughter’s capture.

• sabine women gradually formed families and relationships and familied with roman men. they had become wives and mothers within the city.

  • led to sabine women, led by hersilia, to take action to prevent bloodshed.

• as the sabine army approached rome, the sabine women, placed themselves between the two armies. pleaded with their fathers and brothers to reconcile with roman husbands,

• touched by daughters’ pleas, the sabine men relented and decided to negotiate a peaceful resolution with the romans.

• romulus and titus tatus agreed to form a joint kingship → romulus as king of rome, tatius as king of the sabines

  • two groups merged, sabines became integrated into roman society → led to increased stability, expansion and the growth of rome as a powerful city-state.

• the sabine women became symbols of peace and reconciliation, praised a devastating war between the romans and the sabines, and their story serves as a testament to the importance of unity and compromise.

• the story of the sabine women is often depicted in roman art and literature as a significant event in the foundation of rome.