Romulus (Roman myth)
In mythology, Romulus was the first king of Rome. According to tradition, he was the son of Mars and the vestal virgin, Rhea Silvia. On the birth of Romulus and his twin brother Remus, the king ordered the vestal virgin to be executed and the twins thrown into the Tiber. The boys were placed in a cradle and set afloat. Instead of overturning, however, it floated to the roots of a wild fig tree, where it rested after the subsidence of the waters, leaving the twins on dry land. They were suckled and brought up by a she-wolf, until they were found by a shepherd who took them to his wife. On growing up, the secret of their birth was discovered and they together inherited the throne of their grandfather, Numitor. Romulus founded Rome in 753 B. C. He was worshiped as a divinity under the name of Quirinus.
