How did Rome start?

Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com with your hosts Mira and Finn! Did you know that the most powerful empire in the ancient world started with two tiny abandoned babies and a wild she-wolf?! It's true! Travel all the way back to the year 753 BC to hear the wild and incredible legend of how Rome began! Meet twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who were left in a basket on a river but were rescued and raised by a friendly mother wolf. As they grew up into strong young men, they decided to build a brand new city of their own. But there was one huge problem: they couldn't agree on which of the seven hills to build it on! Find out what happened when these competitive brothers got into a massive fight over the perfect spot. Who won the ultimate sibling rivalry? How did a tiny village grow into a gigantic, world-changing empire? Grab your favorite snack, tune in, and celebrate Rome's epic birthday with us as we uncover the secrets of Romulus, Remus, and the amazing founding of Rome!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Histories Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Finn, did you know that the most powerful empire in the ancient world started with two helpless babies floating down a river in a basket?

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Wait, really? Like a dangerous rushing river?

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Who would do that to babies? An evil king who wanted to steal their throne. But those babies survived, and they grew up to build a city that changed the world. What city was it? Rome! And since we just passed April 21st, we are doing something incredibly special today.

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What's so special about April 21st?

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It's actually celebrated as the ancient birthday of Rome. The ancient Romans believed their beloved city was officially founded on April 21st in the year 753 BC.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Whoa! A city with an actual birthday! That means Rome is nearly 2,800 years old.

unknown 1:01

Haha!

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Exactly! Today we are travelling back to 753 BC to uncover the wild, legendary story of twin brothers Romulus and Remus. There's a wicked uncle, a wild she-wolf, and a massive fight over where to build their new home. Grab your ancient swords and shields, everyone! I'm ready for a Roman adventure! Our story actually starts about 12 miles southeast of where Rome is today, in an ancient Italian city called Alba Longa. 12 miles? That's not too far. Was it a big city? Back then, Alba Longa was the most powerful city in the region. It was ruled by a good king named Numitour. But Numito had a wicked and jealous younger brother named Emulus.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Uh-oh. Jealous younger brothers in history usually do terrible things.

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You're right. Amulius overthrew King Numitour and stole the throne. To make sure no one could take the crown back, he forced Numito's daughter, Rhea Sylvia, to become a priestess. Why did making her a priestess help the evil king? Because the priestesses, known as Vestal Virgins, were absolutely forbidden from getting married or having children. Amulius thought this meant Numato would never have any grandsons to challenge him. But I'm guessing she had kids anyway. She did. She secretly gave birth to twin boys. And according to Roman legends, the father of these twins wasn't just any man. It was Mars, the powerful Roman god of war.

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The god of war? Oh man, those are going to be some tough babies. What did Amulius do when he found out?

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He was absolutely furious and terrified. He ordered his guards to take the twin babies, put them in a woven basket, and throw them into the mighty Tiber River to drown.

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Throwing babies into a river? That is so cruel! Did the guards actually do it?

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Well, it had been raining heavily, and the Tiber River was massively flooded. The water was dark, muddy, and rushing dangerously fast. Were the guards scared of the water? Exactly. The guards were too terrified to wade into the deep rushing water. So, instead of throwing the basket in the middle, they just left it in the muddy puddle near the edge of the river bank. So they just floated away? The river eventually went down, and the basket got caught on the roots of a giant fig tree. The babies were crying from hunger. And that's when a wild she wolf heard them.

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A wild wolf?

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Wait, wouldn't she eat them? You'd think so, but the Romans believed that this she-wolf, known as Lupa, was sent by their father, the war god Mars. She gently picked them up, carried them to a cave called the Lupicle, and fed them her own milk.

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That is wild! Raised by a wolf! Did they eat anything besides wolf milk?

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Yes. Legend says a woodpecker named Piccus also flew into the cave to drop little pieces of food for them. Eventually, a royal shepherd named Faustulus was walking by and discovered them. Did he take them home? He did! Faustulus and his wife, Aca Laurentia, named the boys Romulus and Remus. They raised them in their small hut, completely unaware that these two boys were royalty.

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So Romulus and Remus grew up thinking they were just normal shepherd boys.

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Yep, but they were incredibly strong and brave. As teenagers, they led groups of shepherds to fight off local robbers. Eventually, they discovered their true identities, marched back to Albalonga, and defeated their evil uncle Amulius.

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Yes! Did they become the new kings of Albalonga?

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Nope. They put their good grandfather, Numitor, back on the throne. But Romulus and Remus wanted a city of their own. They decided to build it exactly where the She-Wolf had saved them.

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Sounds like a great plan.

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What went wrong? They couldn't agree on exactly which hill to build it on. Romulus wanted the Palatine Hill, while Remus wanted the Aventine Hill. So, they decided to ask the gods for a sign by watching the sky for birds. It's an ancient practice called augury.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Wait, they stared at birds to make a massive decision.

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Exactly. Remus saw six vultures fly over his hill first and claimed victory. But a few moments later, Romulus saw twelve vultures fly over his hill. So Remus saw them first, but Romulus saw more.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Oh no, that sounds like a recipe for a terrible argument.

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It was. Romulus ignored his brother and started building a sacred wall called a Pamerium around his city on the Palatine Hill. Remus started mocking him and actually jumped over the wall to show how weak it was.

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You should never jump over someone's sacred wall.

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Romulus was furious. He struck his brother down in a terrible rage. History can be really dark sometimes, Finn. Tragically, Remus didn't survive, and Romulus became the sole ruler.

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That's really sad. So because Romulus won, the city was named Rome instead of Remy? Exactly.

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On April 21st, 753 BC, Rome was officially born.

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So Rome started as just some mud huts on a single hill in 753 BC. How big did it actually get?

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Finn, it grew into one of the largest empires in human history. By the year 1 AD, just the city of Rome alone had a population of 1 million people. It was the first city in the world to ever get that big.

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One million people? That's like stacking thousands of entire towns together. How big was the whole empire?

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At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, with over 50 million people living in it. They built massive colosseums, incredible roads, and huge aqueducts to carry water.

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And it all started because a wolf decided to be a babysitter. Did the Romans remember the wolf?

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They obsessed over her. They literally built statues of the she-wolf all over the empire. Here is a crazy fact. Starting in the 1870s, modern Romans actually kept a live wolf in a special cage on the Capitoline Hill for about a hundred years to honour Luper.

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Wait, they had pet wolves right in the middle of the city. That is both awesome and slightly terrifying.

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Haha, they really did. Also, remember how Romulus and Remus argued over two hills? Eventually, as Rome grew, it expanded to cover exactly seven hills. It became famous worldwide as the City of Seven Hills. Alright, Finn, it is time for the quiz! Are you ready to test your Roman knowledge?

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My sword is drawn and I am totally ready. Let's do this!

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Okay, first question. What exact year is celebrated as the founding of Rome? Next one. What is the name of the river where the twins were abandoned? Question three. What kind of wild animals saved the babies and fed them? Here's number four. Which brother ultimately won the argument and named the city? Last question. Which hill did Romulus build his wall on? Great job everyone! Let's see how you did. The first answer is 753 BC, specifically April 21. For question 2, the river is the Tiber River. Number 3, the answer is a she wolf. They called her Lupa. Question 4. The brother who won was Romulus. And the final answer is the Palatine Hill.

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It's absolutely mind-blowing that a city of a million people started with just two brothers and a wolf. History is so wild.

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It really is. It just shows that big things can start in the most surprising and smallest ways.

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Hey, if you had fun travelling back to ancient Rome with us, please leave us a five-star review. Just scroll down on your app and tap the five stars.

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Yes, do it for Romulus and Lupa the Wolf. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and awesome activities there for you to explore.

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And if you want to shout out on the show or just want to say hi, send us an email at hello at kidopoly.com.

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We love hearing from you. Thanks for exploring with us today. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye, everyone!