In this legend, Mars plays a major role on how Rome came to be, according to Roman mythology the founders of Rome were Romulus and Remus. The twin brothers parents again according to mythology was the god Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. Rhea’s father was Numitor; his brother Amulius removed him from office in Albalonga. Amulius then made Rhes a vestal virgin meaning she was forbidden to marry because she was now a priestess to the goddess Vesta.
The God Mars sought out Rhea and impregnated her with the twins. After their birth, her husband abandons the twins in a remote location (according to legend). This infanticide was tolerated by the ancient cultures of the time including the Greeks and Romans. Their uncle feared the boys would grow up and take revenge on him for his action against their family. In desperation the uncle threw the boys into the Tiber River, hoping the river would do the evil deed for him. The boys were found by a she-wolf and along with the help of a woodpecker tended to the twins until the shepherd Faustulus found them.
When the twins grew up Amulius worst, fear materialized when the boys took their revenge on him and reinstated their grandfather as king of Alba Longa.
Romulus and Remus decided to build their own town and chose the place where the she-wolf found them near Palative Hill. When the boys started to build their town an argument erupted between them and like the Bible story of Cain and Abel, Romulus in anger struck his brother and killed him. When the city was built Romulus in his egotistic way named it after himself, Roma (Rome). Its first inhabitants were rouges and outlaws.
As with any new city there are times of shortages and Rome was no different but their shortage was unique, their shortage was women. Romulus put on a mock festival and invited the neighboring Sabina tribe in order to steal their women. At the height of the festival, the Romans put their plan in motion, rushed in, and took many of the women. The Sabine’s declared war on Romulus and attacked them in order to retrieve their women. During the warring a strange thing happened, the women who were captured walked right into the middle of the battle and declared they have fallen for their captors. Titus Tatius and Romulus brokered a peace treaty and ruled together until Titus died in battle.
According to Greek legend Romulus never died, he was taken to heaven during a violent storm and is worshipped under the name Quirinus (the Sabine’s god of war).
