In an Extraordinary Discovery, Archaeologists May Have Just Located the Tomb of Romulus, the Legendary Founder of Rome

A newly discovered stone tomb, found on the site of an ancient
temple in the Roman Forum, has experts excited: Could the
sarcophagus be the final resting place of Romulus, said to be the
founder of the Eternal City?

The find, a hypogeum—or underground temple—which is believed to
date to the 6th century BC, was announced at a press conference in
Rome on Friday. It is located just a few meters from the Lapis
Niger, a site closely associated with Romulus, alternately thought
to be the site of his tomb or perhaps the scene of his murder at
the hands of the senate.

“This is an amazing discovery,” said Colosseum Archaeological
Park director Alfonsina Russo, according to Italian news
wire Agenzia Nazionale Stampa
Associata. “The Forum never ceases to yield amazing fresh
treasures.”

The four-and-half-foot-long tufa tomb bears a Greek inscription
warning that this is sacred ground, not to be disturbed. “It
refers to the burial site of a holy king and the oldest and most
important king is Romulus,” Andreas Steiner, editor of the magazine
Archeo, told the Australian
Times. Together with the location, that leads
archaeologists to believe that the newly discovered tomb and altar
is indeed linked to Romulus.

But the experts are stopping short of officially declaring this
to be Romulus’s burial site. “It’s only a suggestion based on
ancient sources, all of which speak of the presence of the tomb of
Romulus in this area of the Forum,” head archaeologist Patrizia
Fortini told Agence France
Presse.

There were no bones found inside the tomb—and there’s no proof
that Romulus was even a real historic figure, even though his story
was told by the ancients, such as Livy, Plutarch, and Virgil.

“This is not the tomb of Romulus per se,” Russo told the
Daily Beast. “It is a
place of memory where the cult of Romulus was celebrated.”

Romulus was the twin bother of Remus. According to legend, the
pair were abandoned as babies and suckled by a kindly wolf. It’s a
striking image, and one that has been a symbol of Rome since
ancient times—as depicted in one of Ancient Rome’s most famous
artworks, the 5th-century Etruscan bronze The Capitoline
Wolf. The brothers are said to have disagreed over which of
Rome’s seven hills to settle; Romulus killed Remus before founding
the city and ruling as its king.

Later events might cast doubt on the presence of a corpse in the
newly discovered tomb. The senate, for instance, is said to have
torn Romulus’s body to pieces, so it might not have been possible
to have buried his remains in the first place. (Plus, legend has it
that his body was assumed into heaven.)

The tomb was first unveiled in 1898 by archaeologist Giacomo
Boni, but he didn’t connect it to Romulus, and it was covered up by
work done by Benito Mussolini in the 1930s. The rediscovered site,
beneath the marble stairs leading to the Curia—a public meeting
place for senators in the Forum—will probably not be open to the
public until 2022, according to the BBC.

The excavations, which began a year ago, are set to continue,
with Russo telling CNN to expect “further
surprises.”

The post In an Extraordinary Discovery, Archaeologists May
Have Just Located the Tomb of Romulus, the Legendary Founder of
Rome appeared first on artnet News.