Editing Dionysius of Halicarnassus (section)

===Romulus and Remus===

====Origins and survival in the wild====
Dionysius claims that the twins, Romulus and Remus, were born to a [[Vestal virgins|vestal]] named [[Rea Silvia|Ilia Silvia]] (sometimes called Rea), descended from [[Aeneas]] of Troy and the daughter of [[Latinus|King Latinus]] of the [[Latins (Italic tribe)|Original Latin tribes]], thus linking Rome to Trojans and Latins both.  Dionysius lays out the different accounts of her pregnancy and the twins' conception, but declines to choose one over the others.

Citing [[Fabius]], [[Lucius Cincius Alimentus|Cincius]], [[Cato the Elder|Porcius Cato]], and [[Calpurnia gens#Calpurnii Pisones|Piso]], Dionysius recounts the most common tale, whereby the twins are to be tossed into the [[Tiber]]; are left at the site of the [[ficus Ruminalis]]; and rescued by a she-wolf who [[Breastfeeding|nurses]] them in front of her lair (the ''[[Lupercal]]'') before being adopted by [[Faustulus]].<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book I, Chapter 79</ref> Dionysius relates an alternate, "non-fantastical" version of Romulus and Remus' birth, survival and youth. In this version, [[Numitor]] managed to switch the twins at birth with two other infants.<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book I, Chapter 84</ref> The twins were delivered by their grandfather to Faustulus to be fostered by him and his wife, Laurentia, a former [[Prostitution in ancient Rome|prostitute]].  According to Plutarch, ''lupa'' (Latin for "wolf") was a common term for members of her profession and this gave rise to the she-wolf legend.

====Falling out and Foundation of Rome====
The twins receive a proper [[Education in ancient Rome|education]] in the city of [[Gabii]], before eventually winning control of the area around where Rome would be founded. Dispute over the particular hill upon which Rome should be built, the [[Palatine Hill]] or the [[Aventine Hill]] for its strategic advantages saw the brothers fall out and Remus killed.

When the time came to actually construct the city of Rome, the two brothers disputed over the particular hill upon which Rome should be built, Romulus favoring the [[Palatine Hill]] and Remus favoring what later came to be known as [[Remoria]] (possibly the [[Aventine Hill]]). Eventually, the two deferred their decision to the gods at the advice of their grandfather. [[Augury|Using the birds as omens]], the two brothers decided "he to whom the more favourable birds first appeared should rule the colony and be its leader."<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book I, Chapter 85</ref> Since Remus saw nine vultures first, he claimed that the gods chose him and Romulus claimed that since he saw a greater (the "more favorable") number of vultures, the gods chose him. Unable to reach a conclusion, the two brothers and their followers fought, ultimately resulting in the death of Remus. After his brother's death, a saddened Romulus buried Remus at the site of Remoria, giving the location its namesake.<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book I, Chapter 87</ref>

Before the actual construction of the city began, [[Romulus]] made sacrifices and received good omens, and he then ordered the populace to ritually atone for their guilt. The city's fortifications were first and then housing for the populace.  He assembled the people and gave them the choice as to what type of government they wanted - monarchy, democracy, or oligarchy - for its constitution.<ref>T P Wiseman, ''Remembering the Roman Republic'' (2011) p. xviii-ix</ref>  After his address, which extolled bravery in war abroad and moderation at home, and in which Romulus denied any need to remain in power, the people decided to remain a kingdom and asked him to remain its king.  Before accepting he looked for a sign of the approval of the gods. He prayed and witnessed an auspicious lightning bolt, after which he declared that no king shall take the throne without receiving approval from the gods.

====Institutions====

Dionysus then provided a detailed account of the 'Romulus' constitution, most probably based on the work of [[Terentius Varro]].<ref name="P Wiseman, 2011">T P Wiseman, ''Remembering the Roman Republic'' (2011) p. xviii</ref> Romulus supposedly divides Rome into 3 [[Roman tribe|tribes]], each with a [[Tribune]] in charge. Each tribe was divided into 10 [[Curia]], and each of those into smaller units. He divided the kingdom's land holdings between them, and Dionysus alone among our authorities insists that this was done in equal lots.<ref name="P Wiseman, 2011"/>  The [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|Patrician]] class was separated from the [[Pleb]]eian class; while each curiae was responsible for providing soldiers in the event of war.

[[File:Bernard van Orley - Romulus Gives Laws to the Roman People - WGA16696.jpg|thumb|left|400px|[[Bernard van Orley]], ''Romulus Gives Laws to the Roman People'' – WGA16696]]

A system of [[Patronage in ancient Rome|patronage]] (''clientela''), a [[Roman senate|senate]] (attributed by Dionysius to Greek influence) and a personal bodyguard of 300 of the strongest and fittest among the nobles were also established: the latter, the ''celeres'', were so-named either for their quickness, or, according to [[Valerius Antias]], for their commander.<ref>T P Wiseman, ''Remembering the Roman Republic'' (2011) p. ii</ref>

A [[Separation of powers|separation of power]] and measures to increase manpower were also instituted, as were Rome's religious customs and practices, and a variety of legal measures praised by Dionysius.

Again, Dionysius thoroughly describes the laws of other nations before contrasting the approach of Romulus and lauding his work.  The Roman law governing marriage is, according to his ''Antiquities'', an elegant yet simple improvement over that of other nations, most of which he harshly derides. By declaring that wives would share equally in the possessions and conduct of their husband, Romulus promoted virtue in the former and deterred mistreatment by the latter.  Wives could inherit upon their husband's death.  A wife's adultery was a serious crime, however, drunkenness could be a mitigating factor in determining the appropriate punishment. Because of Romulus' laws, Dionysius claims that not a single Roman couple divorced over the following five centuries.

Romulus' laws governing parental rights, in particular, those that allow fathers to maintain power over their adult children were also considered an improvement over those of others; while Dionysius further approved of how, under the laws of Romulus, native-born free Romans were limited to two forms of employment: farming and the army. All other occupations were filled by slaves or non-Roman labor.

Romulus used the trappings of his office to encourage compliance with the law. His court was imposing and filled with loyal soldiers and he was always accompanied by the [[lictor|12 lictors]] appointed to be his attendants.

====The Rape of the Sabine Women and death of Romulus====
[[File:The Intervention of the Sabine Women.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''The Intervention of the Sabine Women'', by [[Jacques-Louis David]], 1799]]
Following his institutional account, Dionysus described the famous [[Bride kidnapping|abducting]] of the Sabine women and suggesting thereby that the abduction was a pretext for alliance with the [[Sabines]].<ref>R Hexter ed., Innovations of Antiquity (2013) p. 164</ref> Romulus wished to cement relations with neighboring cities through intermarriage, but none of them found the fledgling city of Rome worthy of their daughters. To overcome this, Romulus arranged a festival in honor of Neptune (the [[Consualia]]) and invited the surrounding cities to attend. At the end of the festival, Romulus and the young men [[The Rape of the Sabine Women|seized all the virgins]] at the festival and planned to marry them according to their customs.<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book II, Chapter 12</ref><ref>G Miles, Livy (2018) p. 197</ref> In his narrative, however, the cities of [[Caenina (town)|Caecina]], [[Crustumerium]], and [[Antemnae]] petition for [[Tatius]], king of the [[Sabines]] to lead them to war; and it is only after the famous intervention of the Sabine women that the nations agreed to become a single kingdom under the joint rule of Romulus and Tatius, both declared ''[[Quirites]]''.<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book II, Chapter 46</ref>

After the death of Tatius, however, Romulus became more dictatorial, until he met his end, either through actions divine or earthly. One tale tells of a "darkness" that took Romulus from his war camp to his father in heaven.<ref name=":0">Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'' Book II, Chapter 56</ref> Another source claims that Romulus was killed by his Roman countrymen after releasing hostages, showing favoritism, and excessive cruelty in his punishments.<ref name=":0" />