In the Roman foundation myth, the She-Wolf ( in Latin) was an

Italian wolf The Italian wolf (''Canis lupus italicus'' or ''Canis lupus lupus''), also known as the Apennine wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, though it is unde ...

who nursed and sheltered the twins

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...

after they were abandoned in the wild by decree of King Amulius of

Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latins (Italic tribe), Latin city in Central Italy in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. The ancient Romans believed it to be the founder and head of the ...

. She cared for the infants at her den, a cave known as the

Lupercal The Lupercal (from Latin ''wikt:lupa, lupa'' "female wolf") was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Temple of Cybele (Palatine), Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In t ...

, until they were discovered by a shepherd,

Faustulus In Roman mythology, Faustulus was the shepherd who found the infant Romulus (the future founder of the city of Rome) and his twin brother Remus along the banks of the Tiber River as they were being suckled by the she-wolf, Lupa. According to l ...

Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...

would later become the founder and first king of Rome and both twins became famous throughout history as the founders of the Rome we know today. The image of the She-Wolf suckling the twins has been a symbol of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

since ancient times and is one of the most recognizable icons of ancient mythology.

Origins

There is evidence that the wolf held a special place in the world of the ancient peoples of Italy. One legend claims that the

Hirpini The Hirpini (Latin: ') were an ancient Samnite tribe of Southern Italy. While generally regarded as having been Samnites, sometimes they are treated as a distinct and independent nation. They inhabited the southern portion of Samnium, in the more ...

people were so-called because, when they set out to find their first colony, they were led to its location by a wolf (from the

Osco-Umbrian The Osco-Umbrian, Sabellic or Sabellian languages are an extinct group of Italic languages, the Indo-European languages that were spoken in central and southern Italy by the Osco-Umbrians before being replaced by Latin, as the power of ancient Rom ...

word for wolf: ''hirpus''). The tale of the Lupercal is central to that of the twins, and probably predates theirs. To the Roman god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, the wolf is a sacred animal. There is an ongoing debate about a connection to the ancient Roman festival of the

Lupercalia Lupercalia, also known as Lupercal, was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments ...

. In

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

's mother

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; ) is a childhood goddess, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe (Titaness), Phoebe, the sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis.Hesiod, ''Theogony' ...

is reported to have given birth to him as a she-wolf, to evade

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

Literary sources

The 3 "canonical" versions of the myth—those of

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

and

Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus (, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary style was ''atticistic'' – imitating Classical Attic Greek in its prime. ...

—all draw heavily on

Quintus Fabius Pictor Quintus Fabius Pictor (born BC, BC) was the earliest known Roman historian. His history, written in Greek and now mostly lost besides some surviving fragments, was highly influential on ancient writers and certainly participated in introducing Gre ...

. He is considered one of Rome's earliest historians and his now lost work describes the She-Wolf and her episode with the twins. The twins were abandoned at the order of Amulius. Some tales claim that they were to be left along the riverbank, others that they were to be cast into the water. The servant charged with the task either thought better of it, or could not get close enough to do the deed because of the flooding. Instead, he left them in the standing water that had formed at the foot of

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; Classical Latin: ''Palatium''; Neo-Latin: ''Collis/Mons Palatinus''; ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the ...

. The twins were found either after their basket had been left at the foot of the fig tree, or came to rest there after floating in the water. In each case, the She-Wolf rescued them and gently cared for them in or near the Lupercal. Later, they were discovered by local shepherds. Dionysius reports that the rains had raised the water so much so that Amulius' servant had to abandon the twins, before the intended spot (where the current was stronger). The basket, containing the twins, gently went with the receding water until it struck a stone, flipping the twins and the basket into the mud. The She-Wolf then arrived and lowered her teats to the crying babes, and licked them clean of the mud. After a shepherd happened upon the scene in the course of tending his flock, he ran to tell his companions, and a group gathered to witness the remarkable sight. The twins were clinging to her as she was their true mother. The She-Wolf was nonplussed when the men began making a ruckus to scare her off. She withdrew into a cave that was sacred to the Greek colonists who had formerly lived in the area and held an altar to the nature god Pan. Livy claims that the servants of Amulius dropped the twins in the standing water out of simple laziness. The fig tree just happened to be the first spot they came to and they figured the twins would drown no matter what. The twins cried in their basket until the waters receded and left them back on land. The She-Wolf arrived from the hills looking for a drink of water when she heard their cries. The servant was too afraid of the torrential waters to fully carry out the king's orders, according to Plutarch. After being left on the bank, the waters rose further and swept the twins away. It gently carried them along and then dropped them at the fig tree. The three relay accounts wherein the term "lupa" refers not to a she-wolf, but is a slang word for

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

. Plutarch tells two other stories not involving the She-Wolf or abandonment. In one, the twins are fathered by

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

after he wins a dice game. Their mother is the unwitting "prize". In another, the twins are switched at birth by their grandfather for a different pair of infants and secreted out of the city to be raised by shepherds and later, educated in nearby

Gabii Gabii was an ancient city of Latium, located due east of Rome along the Via Praenestina, which was in early times known as the ''Via Gabina''. It was on the south-eastern perimeter of an extinct volcanic crater lake, approximately circular i ...

Iconography

Earliest representation

The Etruscan "Bolsena Mirror" features a depiction of the She-Wolf and the twins surrounded by human and animal figures. Differences in interpretation have precluded virtually any consensus regarding many of its features. This includes its age. However, it is consistent with other such mirrors, made as bridal gifts, in 4th century BC Euritria, perhaps circa 330–340. The famous

Capitoline Wolf The Capitoline Wolf (Italian language, Italian: ''Lupa Capitolina'') is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a She-wolf (Roman mythology), she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders ...

may be of

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

Old Latin Old Latin, also known as Early, Archaic or Priscan Latin (Classical ), was the Latin language in the period roughly before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. A member of the Italic languages, it descends from a common Proto-Italic ...

origin. But, a discovery during its restoration in 2000 and

radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...

has cast doubt on an ancient origin.Adriano La Regina
''Roma, l'inganno della Lupa è "nata" nel Medioevo''
"Rome: the phony She-Wolf wasn't born until the Middle-ages" La Republica. 17 November 2006, accessed 1 December 2016 An Etruscan

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

from

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, dated to between 350 and 400 BC, depicts an animal, possibly a wolf, nursing a single infant. By 269 BC, the silver didrachm is the earliest depiction of the complete icon, with the characteristic "turning of the She-Wolf's head" backward and downward at the twins.Rissanen p.336 The distinctive imagery of the She-Wolf and the twins made it more recognizable than other symbols of the city, such as

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, the patron deity of the city, or the Roman eagle. That was useful as the Roman world expanded and symbols of Rome became more important in maintaining unity. By the 1st century AD, the She-Wolf was common in both Rome and the provinces. She and the twins were featured on the elaborate

Ara Pacis The (Latin, "Altar of Augustan Peace"; commonly shortened to ) is an altar in Rome dedicated to the Pax Romana. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 BC to honour the return of Augustus to Rome after three years in Hisp ...

, built in honor of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

and dedicated to Pax, the goddess of peace. Coins with their depiction were minted and widely circulated. They were also produced in Roman Colonies as a way to express their own "Roman-ness". They have been found on personal items such as swords, buckles, lamps and statuettes as well as monuments, mosaic floors and funerary stones that date from the 1st through the 3rd centuries AD. File:Bolsena mirror Roscher Lexikon p1465.jpg, The controversial Mirror of Bolsena. File:Cr 20-1-Reverse.jpg, Romulus and Remus. An early silver didrachm (6.44 g). c. 269–266 BC File:Capitoline she-wolf Musei Capitolini MC1181.jpg,

. Its ancient origin is now in doubt.

Early middle ages

The

Franks Casket The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Casket) is a small Anglo-Saxon whale's bone (not "whalebone" in the sense of baleen) chest (furniture), chest from the early 8th century, now in the British Museum. The casket is densely decorated with knife-cut ...

, an ornately carved

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

chest from the 8th–9th century, probably crafted in Northumbria, features the She-Wolf and twins, along with a

Runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see '' futhark'' vs ''runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were primarily used to represent a sound value (a ...

account of the Romulus and Remus story. Other Anglo-Saxon artifacts and coins from the same period also feature them. The

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

s continued to use the image, and coins attributed to them have been found in various locations in

central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

at sites located in modern

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

and

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

along with an 8th-century Sogdian painted mural with a she-wolf, head turned back and down, suckling two infants.

Sports

The Italian

football clubs A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

A.S. Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: ) is a professional football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its exis ...

and

S.S. Robur Siena Siena Football Club Società Sportiva Dilettantistica, commonly referred to as Siena, is an Football in Italy, Italian football club based in Siena, Tuscany. The club was re-incorporated in 2020 after the bankruptcy of the previous legal entity ...

use the imagery in their respective team logos.

Mussolini

The

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

government of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

used the She-Wolf as a symbol while in power.

Coats of arms and emblems

File:Blason Es famille Ariño (Navarre).svg, The coat of arms of the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

Family Ariño of

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

''El Solar Vasco-Navarro'', A. et A. Garcia Caraffa, 6 vol. San Sebastian, 1966–1967 File:Blason Es famille Artolaguirre (Donostia).svg, The coat of arms of the

Family Artolaguirre of Donostia File:CoA mil ITA grp artiglieria 009.png, The coat of arms of the 9th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group ("Brennero") of the

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

File:Blason Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf.svg, The coat of arms of the Commune of

Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf (, literally ''Caudebec near Elbeuf'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A residential and light industrial town situated by the banks of the river Seine, s ...

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, France File:Actual Cluj county CoA.svg, The coat of arms of

Cluj County Cluj County () is a county () of Romania, in Transylvania. Its seat is Cluj-Napoca. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian it is known as ''Kolozs megye''. Under the Kingdom of Hungary, a county with an identical name (Kolozs County, ) existed s ...

, Romania File:Blason Antoine Dubois (1756-1837).svg, The emblem of

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Antoine Dubois, (1756–1837) File:Blason Estillac.svg, The coat of arms of the Commune of

Estillac Estillac (; ) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. Population File:Estillac - Château -3.JPG, Château de Monluc, Estillac File:Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Estillac 01.jpg, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church S ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

, France File:CoA mil ITA rgt fanteria 080.png, The coat of arms of the 80° Infantry Regiment of the

. File:CommunesBelgique-La-Louviere.svg, The coat of arms of La Louviere,

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

File:Interbelic Nasaud County CoA.png, The coat of arms of

Năsăud County Năsăud County is one of the historic counties of Transylvania, Romania. The county seat was Bistrița. Geography Năsăud County was located in the north-central part of Greater Romania, in the north of Transylvania, covering . Currently, the te ...

, Romania File:Antico Stemma Piacenza.jpg, The ancient coat of arms of the city of

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, Italy File:CoA mil ITA rgt genio 08.png, The coat of arms of the 8° Engineer Regiment of the

File:La lupa municipale 051214-01.JPG, Emblem of the Capital Police of the Municipality of Rome File:Blason ville Rome-Empire.svg, Reconstruction of the coat of arms of Rome under

File:CoA mil ITA scuola genio.png, The coat of arms of the Combat Engineer School of the

. File:CoA mil ITA scuola trasmissioni.png, The emblem of the Italian Army Signal School File:Blason ville fr Villeloin-Coulangé (Indre-et-Loire).svg, The coat of arms of the Commune of Villeloin-Coulangé,

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...

, France

Siena She-Wolf

The Sienese have a traditional tale that the city was founded by Senius and Aschius, another pair of twins who were also suckled by a she-wolf. They were the sons of Remus and fled Rome after his death at the hands of their uncle Romulus. The legend cannot be attested to prior to the Renaissance. However, depictions of a she-wolf and twins are common in the city and some can be dated earlier. File:Toscana Siena6 tango7174.jpg, ''Ruota della Fortuna'' "The Wheel of Fortune" is the Centerpiece of the mosaic inlaid floor of the

Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral () is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Since the early 13th-century the Siena Cathedral has been an important pa ...

(c.1372)

Notes and coins

The She-Wolf and twins appeared on what may have been the earliest silver coin ever minted in Rome. File:Sextans 2710029.jpg, Sextans from c.215 BC File:Satriena1.jpg, The She-Wolf on a coin from c.77 BC With the head of Mars on the other side. File:Romania LeuBanknote 1915.jpg, 1

Romanian leu The Romanian leu (, plural lei ; ISO code: RON; numeric code: 946) is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 (, singular: ), a word that also means "money" in the Romanian language. Etymology The name of the currency means "lio ...

banknote, 1915.

Lupercalia

The

was a very ancient festival even during Roman times. Roman historians speculated as to its origins. It may be associated with the god Lupercus, the god of

shepherds A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

and protector of flocks. Some historians link it to the She-Wolf and the Lupercal.

Depictions in art

Late antiquity

File:Mosaic depicting the She-wolf with Romulus and Remus, from Aldborough, about 300-400 AD, Leeds City Museum (16025914306).jpg, Mosaic depicting the She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus, from Aldborough (c.300 AD), Leeds City Museum (16025914306)

Middle ages

File:Perugia - Fontana Maggiore - 6 - La lupa e la Vestale (copie) - Foto G. Dall'Orto 5 ago 2006.jpg, Replica of ''Fontana Maggiore'' of Perugia, Nocolai and

Giovanni Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

Pisano (1275), photo by G. Dall'Orto (August 5, 2006) File:Romulus and Remus - British Library Royal MS 19 E v f32r (detail).jpg, From ''Romuleon'', an illuminated manuscript (British Library (1480)

Renaissance

File:Peter Paul Rubens - Romulus and Remus - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Romulus and Remus'',

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

(1616) File:Wenceslas Hollar - Romulus and Remus, after Giulio Romano.jpg, ''Romulus and Remus''

Wenceslas Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as (). He is partic ...

after

Giulio Romano Giulio Pippi ( – 1 November 1546), known as Giulio Romano and Jules Romain ( , ; ), was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the ...

, (16c.) File:Quattro Fontane - The River Tiber.jpg, ''The River Tiber'' from the Quattro Fontane by

Muzio Mattei Muzio Mattei (died 1596) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei. He helped the Mattei rise to prominence by supporting political and cultural initiatives of the Pope and the Church in Rome. Political activity Mattei and his family were Ro ...

and

Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian"Domenico Fontana."
''

Father Tiber on the right.

18th-20th Centuries

File:La lupa con Romolo e Remo di Domenico Parodi e Francesco Biggi.JPG, ''La lupa con Romolo e Remo'' "The She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus", Domenico Parodi and Francesco Biggi (1874) File:Rome Liddell 1860 Lupa Capitolina.jpg, Scanned from "History of Rome", published 1860, by Henry Liddell (6 February 1811 – 18 January 1898) with illustrations provided by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (5 October 1797 – 29 October 1875). Scanned by Man vyi File:David Ozeransky from Ten Tribes (1932).jpg, ''Romulus and Remus'' from Ten Tribes, sculptor:

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

, photo by David Ozeransky (1932) File:Comic History of Rome Table 01 Romulus and Remus discovered by a gentle shepherd.jpg, ''Comic History of Rome Table 01'', featuring a matronly she-wolf and

Picus Picus was a figure in Roman mythology, the first king of Latium. He was the son of Saturn (mythology), Saturn, also known as Stercutus. He was the founder of the first Latin tribe and settlement, Laurentum, located a few miles to the Southeast o ...

, the woodpecker overhead. John Leech (c.1850)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{Authority control 8th century BC in the Roman Kingdom Female legendary creatures Female mammals Heraldic charges Legendary creatures in Roman mythology Romulus and Remus Wolves in folklore, religion and mythology