Romulus and Titus Tatius
In a previous post, I covered the first part of Rome’s foundation myth, from the Twins’ birth to Remus’ death at the hands of Romulus. Furthermore, we discussed the infamous Rape of the Sabine Women, the subsequent war, and the resulting unification of the Sabines and the Latin inhabitants of Rome under the joint leadership of Romulus and Titus Tatius.
So, how did the two get along?
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Romulus and Titus Tatius
The story of the famous twins, Romulus and Remus, will always be associated with the founding of Rome, whether it describes a historical event or not.
Most modern scholars believe Romulus wasn’t a real-life person but the embodiment of Rome’s first rulers. Simply put, all the essential accomplishments of the days’ before time were attributed to one legendary figure.
Even the name Romulus doesn’t sound authentic to linguists. It likely derives from the city’s name in a similar fashion to some of the mythical heroes of ancient Greece. By that logic, if a place is called Roma, its founder must have been named something starting with Rom.
Be that as it may, I am with Mark Twain on this one, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
The War against Cameria
During their joint kingship, the city of Rome enjoyed a period of growth. They also led a successful war against Cameria.
A colony of Alba Longa, Cameria was founded by the Latins centuries before Rome.
The Camerini must have been a restless bunch, for they regularly robbed travelers and farmers on the outskirts of Rome. Furthermore, when Rome asked them to cease their criminal activities, the Camerini ignored the kind request.
Having no other choice, Romulus and Tatius assembled the Roman army, defeated the Camerini in battle, and then stormed their town. The Camerini were disarmed in the aftermath, and Rome took one-third of their territory.
Some people never learn, though. Instead of behaving, the Camerini harassed the Romans who settled on the conquered lands.
Once again, Romulus and Titus Tatius led an army against their troublesome neighbors. This time around, the Romans annexed all the remaining Camerini lands. Moreover, they created a Roman colony in the city of Cameria while resettling four thousand of its original inhabitants to Rome. Once in Rome, the Camerini refugees were distributed among the existing curiae.
On the face of it, the Romans treated their defeated foes fairly. Of course, they didn’t do it out of the kindness of their hearts. The idea was to expand their population and territory by forcefully assimilating their former enemies. Also, remember that the Camerini were Latins, meaning they spoke the same language as the Romans and had the same ethnic background as some Romans.
Trouble with the Laurentes
Apart from the war with the Camerini, the period of joint kingship by Romulus and Titus Tatius was one of peace. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. But first, a short reminder.
Five centuries earlier, King Latinus, Aeneas’ father-in-law, ruled Latium from his capital, Laurentum. When Latinus died, Aeneas moved the capital to Lavinium. His son, Julus, moved to Alba Longa. Then, the irresistible urge to move dimed for a while, and Julus’ capital remained Latium’s top city for almost half of a millennium.
Back to Tatius, when a delegation from Laurentum visited Rome, they were molested by the Roman co-ruler’s relatives for some reason. Naturally, the ambassadors complained, but Tatius prevented Romulus from handing over the perpetrators.
To make things worse, a group of Tatius’ kin attacked the ambassadors on their way home to forestall any potential retribution. Some escaped, though, and the shameful events caused outrage in Laurentum. When word came back to Rome, Romulus was far from amused.
Attempting to nip the issue in the bud before things got out of hand, Romulus promptly arrested those responsible, including one of Tatius’ relatives, and handed them over to the Laurentes. Incensed, Tatius followed the group outside the city and freed the troublemakers by force.
The Death of Titus Tatius
There are different versions of what happened next.
Some say Romulus and the Roman Senate ordered Titus Tatius to go and apologize to the victims in Laurentum. To his credit, Tatius obeyed and presented himself to the Laurentes. However, since he came alone, with none of the perpetrators in tow, the victims considered his apology unsincere and stoned Tatius to death.
According to another version, when Romulus and Titius Tatius visited Lavinium to offer a sacrifice to the gods, Tatius was murdered in retribution for the Laurentum Affair. It is unclear to me how the murderer(s) made it past the lictors, not to mention the presence of Romulus and his entourage.
My money is on Romulus being fed up with his colleague’s irresponsible behavior and getting rid of him.
In any event, after Tatius’ early death, Romulus went on to rule for many years to come, but that is a tale for another day.
Was Tatius a Historical Figure?
As mentioned, the twins are undoubtedly fictitious, but what about Titus Tatius?
Some scholars suggested Tatius might have been the first historical King of Rome. Since we know the Titii Sodales, a cult dedicated to preserving Sabine religious practices, existed for many centuries, a certain Titus likely lived in the early days of the Kingdom. Was he a warrior, a priest, or even the King of legend? It is anyone’s guess.
Others believe the dual kingship to be a metaphor for the dual consulship of later times. A tale meant to lend authority to the Republican system. Hence, the myths depict a period of internal harmony and growth but also successful expansion through war.
Lastly, the conflict leading to Tatius’ death could be a cautionary tale against vendetta.
To this day, there are cultures where a slight against a family member must be answered in kind. Naturally, these kinds of things tend to escalate and devolve into generations-long clan-based conflicts.
Since Romans were organized in clans, an endless cycle of revenge actions between different family members would have led to societal dissolution.
Viewed in this light, the moral of Titus Tatius’ demise is that he should have let things go instead of doing stupid things in the name of family “honor.”
Looking Beyond the Myth
Irrespective of the historical authenticity of the dual kingship and the ulterior motives behind the Republican establishment’s propaganda depicting it, the account of Romulus and Tatius’ partnership shines a light on the early Romans.
We learn of the Roman policy of assimilation through conquest and population exchange, for instance. Granted, the Camerini were Latins, the same as Romulus’ followers, but they weren’t of Rome.
We also witness the gradual amalgamation of different ethnicities into one unified nation. What was once a patchwork of Latins and Sabines (and Etruscans) gave birth to Romans.
Even more interestingly, we glimpse the extraordinary process of blood-based clans shedding their savage customs and learning how to live together within the framework of civilized society.
The remarkable result of this process serves as the basis for our way of life, from Europe to the Americas and Australia. Pretty impressive, right?
