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61-456: The hills, especially around the shores of the lakes, have been popular since prehistoric times. From the 9th to 7th century BC, there were numerous villages (see the legendary Alba Longa and Tusculum ). The area was inhabited by the Latini during the 5th to 3rd centuries BC. The ancient Romans called Monte Cavo Albanus Mons . On the summit was the sanctuary of Jupiter Latiaris, in which

122-461: A centre which may well have been Castel Gandolfo, whose significantly larger necropolis suggests a larger town. In the later republican period the territory of Alba (the Ager Albanus ) was settled once again with many residential villas , which are mentioned in ancient literature and of which remains are extant. Since the 16th century, the site has been at various times identified as that of

183-560: A dispute erupted between a group of Romans and Albans, he seized upon the mutual accusations of robbery as a pretext for conflict. Both sides sent emissaries to demand redress. When the Alban delegation arrived in Rome, Tullus purposefully gave them such a warm greeting that they delayed making their demand. The Roman delegates, however, immediately addressed the Albans and were refused. By virtue of

244-461: A former prostitute . According to Plutarch, lupa (Latin for "wolf") was a common term for members of her profession and this gave rise to the she-wolf legend. The twins receive a proper education in the city of Gabii , before eventually winning control of the area around where Rome would be founded. Dispute over the particular hill upon which Rome should be built, the Palatine Hill or

305-447: A personal bodyguard of 300 of the strongest and fittest among the nobles were also established: the latter, the celeres , were so-named either for their quickness, or, according to Valerius Antias , for their commander. A separation of power and measures to increase manpower were also instituted, as were Rome's religious customs and practices, and a variety of legal measures praised by Dionysius. Again, Dionysius thoroughly describes

366-472: A powerful state in the area of the Alban Hills at this time". It is unlikely, in the opinion of classicist Tim Cornell, that there was any urbanised city-state capable of holding hegemony in the region at the time. Nor is there any convincing evidence to connect the modern town of Albano Laziale with the ancient Alba Longa. Much of the prominence of Alba Longa in the ancient world was due to its status as

427-513: A religious centre, as it hosted the annual Latin Festival on the mons Albanus in honour of Jupiter Latiaris . Archaeological data show the existence of a string of villages in the Iron Age , each with its own necropolis , along the south-western shore of Lake Albano. At the time it was destroyed by Rome, these villages must have still been in a pre-urban phase, beginning to group around

488-653: A ridge. Dionysius of Halicarnassus repeated the story, but added that Ascanius, following an oracle given to his father, collected other Latin populations as well. Noting that alba means "white" and longa means "long", he translated the name into the Greek language as "long white town". Dionysius placed the town between the Alban Mount and the Alban Lake , thus beginning a long controversy about its location. There is, however, "no archaeological evidence of

549-413: A sign of the approval of the gods. He prayed and witnessed an auspicious lightning bolt, after which he declared that no king shall take the throne without receiving approval from the gods. Dionysus then provided a detailed account of the 'Romulus' constitution, most probably based on the work of Terentius Varro . Romulus supposedly divides Rome into 3 tribes , each with a Tribune in charge. Each tribe

610-508: A source for their material. The works of Appian , Plutarch and Livy all describe similar people and events of Early Rome as Dionysius. In the preamble to Book I, Dionysius states that the Greek people lack basic information on Roman history, a deficiency he hopes to fix with the present work. Because his prime objective was to reconcile the Greeks to Roman rule, Dionysius focused on

671-616: A source text by an earlier author. It shows marked similarities with Quintilian 's view of imitation, and both may derive from a common source. Dionysius' concept marked a significant departure from the concept of mimesis formulated by Aristotle in the 4th century BC, which was only concerned with "imitation of nature" and not "imitation of other authors." Latin orators and rhetoricians adopted Dionysius' method of imitatio and discarded Aristotle's mimesis . Dionysius carried out extensive research for his Roman history, selecting among authorities, and preserving (for example) details of

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732-689: A vassal state of Rome. Not long afterwards, war did indeed break out with Veii and also with the Fidenates. Mettius and the Albans were ordered to march to battle with Tullus and the Romans, and they met the Etruscans on the far side of the Anio , on the banks of the Tiber . However, when the battle commenced, Mettius led his troops away from the battle, leaving the Romans to fight the Etruscans alone. Rome

793-464: A volcanic event and instead the account is considered to be a description of a forest fire . The volcano emits large amounts of carbon dioxide which can potentially reach lethal concentrations if it accumulates in depressions in the ground in the absence of wind. The asphyxiation of 29 cows in September 1999 prompted a detailed survey, which found that concentration of the gas at 1.5 m above

854-492: Is connected with the early Roman traditions, for Silvia the mother of Romulus was a priestess. They were finally established in Rome during the reign of Numa , where they would remain until the institution was disestablished with the rise of Christianity during the late Roman Empire. On the top of the Monte Cavo (Mons Albanus) was a very ancient shrine consecrated to Jupiter Latiaris. Florus (2nd century) states that

915-545: Is implausible, likely anachronistic, and "cannot be historically true in a literal sense". Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of small villages in the area of the Alban hills during the late Bronze and early Iron Ages, but they failed to develop into cities and "are certainly unlikely to have founded Rome". Silver serrate denarius struck by C. Sulpicius C. f. Galba in Rome 106 BC. ref.: Sulpicia 1., Sydenham 572., Craw. 312/1 According to Roman mythology , after

976-475: The Aventine Hill for its strategic advantages saw the brothers fall out and Remus killed. When the time came to actually construct the city of Rome, the two brothers disputed over the particular hill upon which Rome should be built, Romulus favoring the Palatine Hill and Remus favoring what later came to be known as Remoria (possibly the Aventine Hill ). Eventually, the two deferred their decision to

1037-651: The Julii , Servilii , Quinctii , Geganii , Curiatii and Cloelii . Tullus built a new senate house, the Curia Hostilia , to house the enlarged Roman senate . He also recruited ten new turmae of equites from amongst the Albans, and new legions. The Alban immigrants lived on the Caelian Hill in Rome. The temple of Vesta which stood at the foot of the Palatine hill outside Rome presumably predated

1098-543: The Servian Census . His first two books present a unified account of the supposed Greek origin for Rome, merging a variety of sources into a firm narrative: his success, however, was at the expense of concealing the primitive Roman actuality (as revealed by archaeology). Along with Livy , Dionysius is thus one of the primary sources for the accounts of the Roman foundation myth, and that of Romulus and Remus , and

1159-611: The consuls celebrated the Feriae Latinae , and several generals celebrated victories here during times when they were not accorded regular triumphs in Rome. The foundations and some of the architectural fragments of the temple were still in existence until 1777, when they were used to build the Passionist monastery by Cardinal York , but the Via Triumphalis leading up to it can still be seen. In Roman times,

1220-587: The fall of Troy in 1184 BC, Aeneas led a group of surviving Trojans through the Mediterranean Sea to Sicily , Carthage , and eventually the Italian Peninsula . On landing in Italy he was welcomed by Latinus , king of the early Latins . Soon, Aeneas married king Latinus' daughter, Lavinia , and founded the city of Lavinium in her name. Latinus later fell in war, making Aeneas king of

1281-486: The Alban's first refusal, Tullus was justified in declaring war. Livy describes the war as being akin to a civil war because the Romans were said to be descended from the Albans. The king of the Albans, Cluilius, marched with his army into Roman territory, established a camp, and dug a huge trench around Rome, which became known as the Cluilian trench . However, Cluilius died in the camp of unspecified causes, whereupon

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1342-402: The Albans appointed Mettius Fufetius as dictator to lead the army in his place. Tullus emerged from Rome with his army, passed the Alban camp at night and marched into Alban territory. Mettius followed, camped near the Roman army, and then sent a representative to invite Tullus to confer before any engagement. Tullus accepted the invitation. However, both sides were drawn up for battle while

1403-587: The Convent of St. Paul at Palazzola near Albano , Coste Caselle near Marino , and Castel Gandolfo . The last named of these places in fact occupies the site of the Villa of Domitian which, according to Juvenal , was situated on the arx of Alba. The Roman tradition held that Alba Longa was an urbanised city-state which founded a number of Latin colonies which it then organised into a Latin League . This narrative

1464-474: The Latins and his son Ascanius (also called Iulus) his successor. A few years later, Aeneas was killed in battle, like Latinus, and Ascanius became king of the Latins . Ascanius is said to have built Alba Longa as his capital on the slope of Mount Alba, resettling six hundred families there as a colony of Lavinium in 1151 BC, only thirty years after Lavinium itself was founded. His descendants then ruled

1525-567: The Latins for another five hundred years. According to Festus , these kings were considered the source of the red or Tyrian purple calceus mulleus later worn by the Roman patricians . Alba Longa was reportedly the leading city of the roughly thirty cities, its colonies, that it led in the Latin League . The league's conferences were held by the Ferentine spring , in the scenic part of

1586-945: The Light " takes place in Alba Longa at the crucial time of Rome's founding. Alba Longa is described as seen by Flavia Herosilla, a well-educated woman who lived in Imperial Rome and was hurled a thousand years back in time, and who is concerned to ensure that Rome will be founded on schedule – for which purpose she successfully instigates a bloody regime change in Alba Longa. 41°44′49″N 12°39′01″E  /  41.74691°N 12.65026°E  / 41.74691; 12.65026 Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( Ancient Greek : Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς , Dionúsios Alexándrou Halikarnasseús , ''Dionysios (son of Alexandros) of Halikarnassos''; c.   60 BC – after 7 BC)

1647-494: The Romans called Penates . Roman mythology claims that the Penates were Trojan gods first introduced to Italy by Aeneas. Among these household gods must have been Vesta who has been referred to as Vesta Iliaca (Vesta of Troy), with her sacred hearth being named Iliaci foci (Trojan hearth). The priestesses of Vesta, known as Vestal Virgins , administered her temple and watched the eternal fire. Their existence in Alba Longa

1708-561: The area was often used by the rich as a way to escape the heat and crowds of Rome, as it is today as shown by the many villas and country houses present. The towns and villages in the Alban Hills are known as the Castelli Romani . Examination of deposits have dated the four most recent eruptions to two temporal peaks, around 36,000 and 39,000 years ago. The area exhibits small localised earthquake swarms, bradyseism , and release of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide into

1769-532: The arrival of Aeneas. Roman tradition held that Rome itself was founded as a colony of Alba Longa, by Romulus and Remus, two of the city's princes, who had been banished at birth in a dynastic struggle. The ancient Romans dated this event to the middle of the eighth century BC. In the seventh century BC, the Roman king Tullus Hostilius succeeded Numa Pompilius . During his reign, Rome's attitude toward its neighbours no longer reflected Numa's peaceful nature. Now it reflected Tullus's own predilection for war. When

1830-424: The atmosphere. The uplift and earthquake swarms have been interpreted as caused by a slowly growing spherical magma chamber 5-6 kilometres below the surface; some think that it may erupt again; if so, there is risk to Rome , which is only 25 to 30 km away. There is documentary evidence which may describe an eruption in 114 BC, but the absence of Holocene geological deposits has largely discredited it as

1891-462: The bloodline of Aeneas , a son of Venus . According to Livy , Roman patrician families such as the Julii , Servilii , Quinctii , Geganii , Curiatii and Cloelii originated in Alba Longa. Livy said of Alba Longa that it was founded by Ascanius to relieve crowding at Lavinium . He placed it at the foot of the Alban Mount and said that it took its name from being extended along

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1952-472: The city, which at the time of its founding only occupied the top of the hill: the hearth of Vesta would not ordinarily be built outside a city's walls. Worship of Vesta in Italy began in Lavinium , the mother-city of Alba Longa. From Lavinium worship of Vesta was transferred to Alba Longa. Upon entering higher office, Roman magistrates would go to Lavinium to offer sacrifice to Vesta and the household gods

2013-466: The daughter of King Latinus of the Original Latin tribes , thus linking Rome to Trojans and Latins both. Dionysius lays out the different accounts of her pregnancy and the twins' conception, but declines to choose one over the others. Citing Fabius , Cincius , Porcius Cato , and Piso , Dionysius recounts the most common tale, whereby the twins are to be tossed into the Tiber ; are left at

2074-525: The end of the festival, Romulus and the young men seized all the virgins at the festival and planned to marry them according to their customs. In his narrative, however, the cities of Caecina , Crustumerium , and Antemnae petition for Tatius , king of the Sabines to lead them to war; and it is only after the famous intervention of the Sabine women that the nations agreed to become a single kingdom under

2135-480: The famous abducting of the Sabine women and suggesting thereby that the abduction was a pretext for alliance with the Sabines . Romulus wished to cement relations with neighboring cities through intermarriage, but none of them found the fledgling city of Rome worthy of their daughters. To overcome this, Romulus arranged a festival in honor of Neptune (the Consualia ) and invited the surrounding cities to attend. At

2196-493: The first nine have survived. Dionysius' opinion of the necessity of a promotion of paideia within education, from true knowledge of classical sources , endured for centuries in a form integral to the identity of the Greek elite. He was a Halicarnassian . At some time after the end of the civil wars he moved to Rome , and spent twenty-two years studying Latin and literature and preparing materials for his history. During this period, he gave lessons in rhetoric , and enjoyed

2257-407: The gods at the advice of their grandfather. Using the birds as omens , the two brothers decided "he to whom the more favourable birds first appeared should rule the colony and be its leader." Since Remus saw nine vultures first, he claimed that the gods chose him and Romulus claimed that since he saw a greater (the "more favorable") number of vultures, the gods chose him. Unable to reach a conclusion,

2318-477: The good qualities of their conquerors, and also argued that – based on sources ancient in his own time – the Romans were genuine descendants of the older Greeks. According to him, history is philosophy teaching by examples, and this idea he has carried out from the point of view of a Greek rhetorician. But he carefully consulted the best authorities, and his work and that of Livy are the only connected and detailed extant accounts of early Roman history. Dionysius

2379-573: The ground in a residential area on the northwestern flank sometimes exceeded the occupational health threshold of 0.5%. Eight sheep were killed in a similar incident in October 2001. Writers and artists who have produced work about this area include: Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy in

2440-459: The joint rule of Romulus and Tatius, both declared Quirites . After the death of Tatius, however, Romulus became more dictatorial, until he met his end, either through actions divine or earthly. One tale tells of a "darkness" that took Romulus from his war camp to his father in heaven. Another source claims that Romulus was killed by his Roman countrymen after releasing hostages, showing favoritism, and excessive cruelty in his punishments. It

2501-543: The latter. Wives could inherit upon their husband's death. A wife's adultery was a serious crime, however, drunkenness could be a mitigating factor in determining the appropriate punishment. Because of Romulus' laws, Dionysius claims that not a single Roman couple divorced over the following five centuries. Romulus' laws governing parental rights, in particular, those that allow fathers to maintain power over their adult children were also considered an improvement over those of others; while Dionysius further approved of how, under

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2562-446: The laws of Romulus, native-born free Romans were limited to two forms of employment: farming and the army. All other occupations were filled by slaves or non-Roman labor. Romulus used the trappings of his office to encourage compliance with the law. His court was imposing and filled with loyal soldiers and he was always accompanied by the 12 lictors appointed to be his attendants. Following his institutional account, Dionysus described

2623-416: The laws of other nations before contrasting the approach of Romulus and lauding his work. The Roman law governing marriage is, according to his Antiquities , an elegant yet simple improvement over that of other nations, most of which he harshly derides. By declaring that wives would share equally in the possessions and conduct of their husband, Romulus promoted virtue in the former and deterred mistreatment by

2684-408: The leaders met between the two forces. At the conference, Mettius proposed that the dispute be resolved by some means other than mass bloodshed, citing the concern that the nearby Etruscans would fall upon the two Latin states if these were weakened by war and unable to defend themselves. It was agreed that a set of triplets from each side, three brothers Horatii and three Curiatii, would battle for

2745-548: The mythical period to the beginning of the First Punic War in twenty books, of which the first nine remain extant while the remaining books only exist as fragments, in the excerpts of the Roman emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus and an epitome discovered by Angelo Mai in a Milan manuscript. Dionysius is the first major historian of early Roman history whose work is now extant. Several other ancient historians who wrote of this period, almost certainly used Dionysius as

2806-566: The plebs: others become Latin cities. The others were ceded to the Latins to maintain a consistent thirty townships, thirty being of great importance among the Latin kingdoms as twelve was to the Ionians (or 4 divided into 3 parts each). Accordingly, the Latin kingdom of Latinus , and the Rutulian kingdom of Turnus must have had thirty cities each with Laurentum as the Latin capital prior to

2867-409: The populace. He assembled the people and gave them the choice as to what type of government they wanted - monarchy, democracy, or oligarchy - for its constitution. After his address, which extolled bravery in war abroad and moderation at home, and in which Romulus denied any need to remain in power, the people decided to remain a kingdom and asked him to remain its king. Before accepting he looked for

2928-512: The site of the ficus Ruminalis ; and rescued by a she-wolf who nurses them in front of her lair (the Lupercal ) before being adopted by Faustulus . Dionysius relates an alternate, "non-fantastical" version of Romulus and Remus' birth, survival and youth. In this version, Numitor managed to switch the twins at birth with two other infants. The twins were delivered by their grandfather to Faustulus to be fostered by him and his wife, Laurentia,

2989-561: The site was selected by Ascanius , who, having founded Alba, invited all the Latins to celebrate sacrifices there to Jupiter , a custom which eventually led to the annual celebration there of the Feriae Latinae , at which all the cities that belonged to the Latin Confederation would gather under the aegis of Alba, sacrificing a white bull, the flesh of which was distributed among all the participants. After Alba Longa

3050-416: The society of many distinguished men. The date of his death is unknown. In the 19th century, it was commonly supposed that he was the ancestor of Aelius Dionysius of Halicarnassus . His major work, entitled Roman Antiquities ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἀρχαιολογία , Rhōmaikē Archaiologia ), frequently abbreviated Ant. Rom. ( Latin : Antiquitates Romanae ), narrates the history of Rome from

3111-435: The two brothers and their followers fought, ultimately resulting in the death of Remus. After his brother's death, a saddened Romulus buried Remus at the site of Remoria, giving the location its namesake. Before the actual construction of the city began, Romulus made sacrifices and received good omens, and he then ordered the populace to ritually atone for their guilt. The city's fortifications were first and then housing for

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3172-402: The valley between Albano and Marino , until the middle of the fourth century. The sacrifices of the league were offered on the Alban mountain from which all the country of Latium might be seen. The colonies of Alba Longa were distinct from the Alban townships which must have consisted of Albani plebs , as the genuine Albans were the populus . Among the Alban colonies some become part of

3233-585: The vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills . The ancient Romans believed it to be the founder and head of the Latin League , before it was destroyed by the Roman Kingdom around the middle of the 7th century BC and its inhabitants were forced to settle in Rome. In legend, Romulus and Remus , founders of Rome, had come from the royal dynasty of Alba Longa, which in Virgil 's Aeneid had been

3294-531: The victory of the two states. Livy refers to conflict amongst his own sources as to which set of brothers represented which state, but prefers the view that the Horatii were the Romans, and the Curiatii Albans. Vows were entered into in a most solemn form by each of the Romans and the Albans as to this agreement by which the future of each state would be bound by the outcome of the fight. Marcus Valerius

3355-406: 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. He is known for his work Rhōmaikē Archaiologia (Roman Antiquities), which describes the history of Rome from its beginnings until the outbreak of the First Punic War in 264 BCE. Out of twenty books, only

3416-435: Was also the author of several rhetorical treatises, in which he shows that he had thoroughly studied the best Attic models: The last two treatises are supplemented by letters to Gn. Pompeius and Ammaeus (two, one of which is about Thucydides). Dionysian imitatio is the literary method of imitation as formulated by Dionysius, who conceived it as the rhetorical practice of emulating, adapting, reworking, and enriching

3477-427: Was appointed Fetial , and Spurius Fusius Pater Patratus , for the purposes of binding Rome by the treaty. The combat commenced. Two of the Romans were the first to fall. Then the remaining Roman, Publius Horatius, slew the three Albans, and thus won victory for Rome. Afterwards, Tullus ordered Mettius to return with his army to Alba, but to be prepared in the event of war with Veii . The Albans became, in substance,

3538-487: Was destroyed and her leadership role was assumed by Rome, tradition records the building of a full-scale temple to Jupiter Latiaris on the Alban Mount in the reign of Tarquinius Superbus ; of which only a few courses of perimeter wall remain today, now removed off site. There are, however, substantial remains of the paved road that connected it to the Via Appia near Aricia . Much of the science fiction story " To Bring

3599-501: Was divided into 10 Curia , and each of those into smaller units. He divided the kingdom's land holdings between them, and Dionysus alone among our authorities insists that this was done in equal lots. The Patrician class was separated from the Plebeian class; while each curiae was responsible for providing soldiers in the event of war. A system of patronage ( clientela ), a senate (attributed by Dionysius to Greek influence) and

3660-508: Was relied on in the later publications of Plutarch , for example. He writes extensively on the myth, sometimes attributing direct quotations to its figures. The myth spans the first 2 volumes of his Roman Antiquities , beginning with Book I chapter 73 and concluding in Book II chapter 56. Dionysius claims that the twins, Romulus and Remus, were born to a vestal named Ilia Silvia (sometimes called Rea), descended from Aeneas of Troy and

3721-413: Was victorious against the Etruscans. After the battle, Tullus executed Mettius for his perfidy. Then, on Tullus' orders, the Roman soldiers demolished the 400-year-old city of Alba Longa, leaving only the temples standing, and the entire population of Alba Longa was transported to Rome, thereby doubling the number of Roman citizens. Tullus enlisted the leading families of Alba amongst the patricians , namely

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