Early Myths

The earliest myth would be of Rome's beginning, the birth of Romulus and Remus. They were raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned by their mother. They were considered the two founders of Rome, who quarreled for a  reason varying in each myth, but it always ended with Remus dying. In certain aspects this myth alone foreshadowed the downfall of Rome due to the unyielding desire for power and violence. Another interesting aspect of this myth involves the god Mars, who was often considered the father of Romulus and Remus. Often in Rome, power was associated to gods and some men were born with power due to being the child of a certain god.

Mosaic depicting the She-wolf with Romulus and Remus, from Aldborough, about 300-400 AD, Leeds City Museum

Another myth involves the early stages of Rome, where they found a lack of women to help with the population. To change this, Romans invited their close neighbors the Sabines to a party, and later abducted the Sabine women to be their wives. This myth is called "The Rape of the Sabine Women". It is said that Romulus convinced the Sabine women to accept the Romans as their husbands.

The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence