The Cave of Romulus?
The international press has been buzzing over an archaeological find in Italy that some believe is the cave of Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Romulus, along with his twin brother Remus were the sons of Rhea Silvia (descendant of Aeneas, and possibly a former forest goddess) who bore the twins after being raped by the god Mars (one of the principal Roman deities, and very different from his Greek counterpart Ares).
Rhea Silvia, a sworn virgin priestess, was sentenced to death, but her twins were rescued and set adrift on the river Tiber where they eventually took shelter in the cave of the she-wolf Lupa, who nursed them. Ever after, the cave (called the Lupercal) was a sacred place to the Romans and the starting point for the major festival of Lupercalia. But has the legendary cave really been found? Italian experts seem fairly certain its the right place.
“Presenting the discovery, Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said archaeologists were “reasonably certain” that the newly unearthed cave could be the Lupercal. “This could reasonably be the place bearing witness to the myth of Rome, one of the most well-known cities in the world – the legendary cave where the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus, saving them from death,” he said … The ancient cave was found 16m (52ft) underground in a previously unexplored area during restoration work on the palace of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.”
Interior view of the cave.
But some aren’t so certain, including Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard. Beard fears the Italians may be rushing to judgment in their haste to find the legendary spot.
“What has been discovered is a rather elegant underground cavern on the Palatine hill, with a nicely decorated vault, inlaid with seashells, mosaics and marble … The place is Roman all right, and it looks for all the world like one of those decorated underground grottoes that Roman toffs went wild about. But that doesn’t mean it’s the “Lupercal”, as the Romans called the cave where they thought the twins had been found by the wolf (lupa). The mysterious entrance is a problem for me. One thing we know about the Lupercal is that it was easily accessible. It was, for example, the starting point of one of the major – and strangest – rituals of Roman religion: the Lupercalia … So I shall be reserving judgment until I see a bit more of this grotto.”
Has one of the most important religious and cultural places in Rome truly been found? No doubt the passage of time will eventually reveal if this is the she-wolf’s cave (digging begins next year), or simply a random grotto.
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