Romulus after Titus Tatius
The last time we left Romulus, he became the sole ruler of Rome once again after the untimely death of his colleague. So what happened to Romulus after Titus Tatius left the worldly scene?
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Romulus after Titus Tatius
If the previous period of joint kingship was described as a time of relative peace and growth, the next couple of decades witnessed various conflicts. What else would you expect from the son of Mars, the god of war?
The most consequential conflict of Romulus’ later reign proved to be the prelude to a centuries-long rivalry.
The Beginning of the Etruscan – Roman Rivalry
Remember the Etruscans?
People of Etruscan ethnicity dominated several city-states and small kingdoms in a region spreading from the right bank of the Tiber—just on the other side of Rome—to what is now Tuscany to the north.
These lands were collectively called Etruria, the land of the Etruscans, although they weren’t a unified realm by any means. On the contrary, the various Etruscan polities were often rivals.
Also, the geographical boundaries between the different ethnicities weren’t as clear-cut as some might imagine. For instance, while the city of Rome was in Latium (a.k.a. the land of the Latins), a group of Etruscans were among the founding tribes of Rome alongside a bunch of Sabines and Latins. (Spoiler alert! Half of Romulus’ successors were Etruscans).
With this in mind, when you read about the early Roman-Etruscan Wars, you shouldn’t imagine a clash of two ethnically homogeneous and all-encompassing entities. In other words, the Romans weren’t battling the entire Etruscan nation, so to speak.
Instead, it was an on-and-off conflict between the inhabitants of Rome and some of their (better-off) relatives from neighboring communities.
To use a metaphor, imagine the people of Arlington clashing with those in Bethesda, just across the Potomac River, for a few hundred years.
It all began during the time of Romulus!
War with Fidenae
A two-hour walk from Rome, Fidenae was an Etruscan settlement on the “wrong” bank of the Tiber (i.e., in Latium instead of Etruria). Weary of their southern neighbor’s expansion, the Fidenates laid waste to Roman lands.
Understandably, Romulus wasn’t thrilled, so he marched the Roman army within a mile of Fidenae. There, the Roman King hid part of his army in the shrubs while moving the others in front of the gates.
Seeing the Romans’ diminished numbers, the defenders sallied out, confident in an easy victory. Imagine their surprise when the hidden troops charged them from the bushes.
Realizing their mistake, the Fidenates ran back toward the protection of their walls, but the Romans followed in pursuit. The defenders failed to shut the gates in the ensuing mayhem, so Romulus’ troops flooded in, routing the Fidenates and occupying their town.
Per their official policy, Romulus relocated a group of Roman colonists to the city of their defeated foe.
Enters early Rome’s archenemy!
Veii Steps In
Veii was an important Etruscan city on the right bank of the Tiber, around 10 miles west of Fidenae and 15 miles northwest of Rome. As you might expect, they weren’t happy with the upstart Romans defeating their kin, the Fidenates.
Moreover, by conquering Fidenae, Roman territory expanded too close for comfort as far as the Veientes were concerned. So, they took the customary actions of the time, raiding Roman territory.
After some pillaging and raping, the Veientes hauled their booty home.
Encouraged by his recent victory over Fidenae, Romulus pursued the Veientes and pushed their army back into their city. However, the walls of Veii were too much for the Romans, so they, too, proceeded to rob the surrounding area.
Eventually, the Veientes sued for peace, and the sides agreed to a hundred years-long peace treaty.
It was Romulus’ last major war, but as far as the two cities were concerned, it was only the first act in a long drama.
Romulus Joins his Divine Father
Having secured his newly established city—and the emerging nation—it was time for Romulus to move on to the afterlife.
As befitting a mythical hero, Romulus was said to have been raised to the heavens by Mars by means of a sudden whirlwind. How about that, Wright brothers?
A more down-to-earth version claims that envious senators assassinated the first Roman King.
Romulus’ Place in the Roman Psyche
Since the entire Romulus myth is made up, the different versions of his death reflect the propaganda goals of later spin doctors. Some might had reasons to push the age-old narrative of the good ruler murdered by scheming underlings. Others desired a divine founder who joined his godly father after his job on Earth was done.
Ironically, in later times, Romulus was assimilated with Quirinus, the Sabines’ early god. It was a strange way of honoring a murderer and rapist, but let’s remember the standards of conduct were different in those days.
Still, given some of the morally abhorrent choices of Rome’s mythical founder, some historians suggested the Greeks of southern Italy fabricated the stories to make their emerging rival look bad.
Later, Romulus’s behavior was heavily featured in anti-pagan propaganda. Unsurprisingly, the early Christians had no trouble blackening Rome’s pagan founding father’s record. I mean, the guy murdered his twin because he made fun of him.
The Romans embraced it regardless of who shaped the slanderous narrative of Rome’s founding myth. I can’t emphasize this point enough.
Here was a nation saying to the world, “Look at our founder and the outrageous things he did to accomplish his goals. Are you sure you want to mess with us?”
