Silver brooch depicting Remus, Romulus unearthed in Spain

A second-century silver brooch depicting Romulus and Remus with a she-wolf discovered in a possible Roman postal site in Spain

During excavations at Vilanova d’Alcolea, the site of an ancient public building used for postal services during the Roman period in Spain, archaeologists unearthed a remarkable artifact: a 4-centimeter (1.57-inch) silver brooch. This artifact dates back to the second century A.D. and portrays the iconic scene of Remus and Romulus being suckled by a she-wolf.

Remus and Romulus, twin brothers in Roman mythology, are central to the legend of Rome’s founding. 

The twins, born to Rhea Silvia in Alba Longa, were the grandchildren of the deposed King Numitor. Fearing their potential claim to power, King Amulius, Numitor’s brother, ordered the infants to be abandoned by the river Tiber, seeing them as a threat to his own reign.

According to mythology, the twins were rescued by a she-wolf who suckled them in a cave known as Lupercal, located at the southwestern foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome.

Upon learning their true heritage, Remus and Romulus killed King Amulius, reinstating their grandfather, Numitor, as the rightful king of Alba Longa.

Following a quarrel between the brothers, Romulus fatally wounds Remus, cementing his sole leadership. Romulus then proceeds to found the city of Rome, establishing himself as its first ruler.

Source: Newsroom