The Vanishing of Romulus
Rome's legendary founder was reviewing his army when a sudden storm wrapped him in a cloud, and he was never seen again.
What was reported
Roman tradition said that Romulus, the city's founder and first king, was holding a review of his army on the Campus Martius when a violent storm broke, with thunder and darkness. A dense cloud covered him, and when it lifted, his seat was empty.
A senator later swore that Romulus had appeared to him, taller and more splendid than in life, and announced that he had become a god. Romulus was worshipped afterwards as Quirinus.
Explanations offered
Romulus is a legendary figure, and even the Roman historians who told the story reported a darker version, in which senators had done away with him in the confusion of the storm. Whether there was a real king behind the legend is unknown.
- When
- Said to be 716 BC
- Where
- Campus Martius, Rome, Italy
- Witnesses
- Roman tradition, recorded by Livy and Plutarch
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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