They say there are often two versions of a story of the origin of a place. One story is the boring believable one while the other is the amazing, legendary one. In the case of Rome, archeological findings seem bent on marrying humdrum reality and legend.

It has been theorized that Rome was born gradually with the coming together of separate settlements from each of the Seven Hills of Rome. Another theory says that Rome may have been built first as a humble settlement before others came to join it.

As many would already know, Roman legend states that the god of war, Mars, had twin sons, Romulus and Remus. The twins were abandoned on the Tiber River. A she-wolf found them and fed them her milk in the Lupercal, a cave underneath the Palatine Hill. After killing Remus, Romulus established Rome in the 8th century B.C. and became its first king.

In 1988, archeologist Andrea Carandini unearthed remnants of a fortified wall on the Palatine Hill. Testing revealed that the wall was constructed at about the same time that legend says Romulus established Rome. Just this week a cave which was found 52 feet underneath the Palatine Hill was discovered. Archeologists believe it is Romulus’ Lupercal although other experts also dispute the find. Are these discoveries proof that there really was a Romulus who founded Rome?

Of course, other specialists caution that the findings do not necessarily mean that the legend is true or that Romulus really existed.

Fact of Fiction?
Fact- about the finding one POSSIBLE location of the Lupercal. The debate continues about Romulus’ existence and alternative locations of the Lupercal.