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Wednesday, 21 November 2007 |
The Cave of Romulus and Remus
Legend has it that Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who were raised on the milk of a she-wolf in her cave lair. For many hundreds of years archaeologists have lived in hope of finding the grotto and now, by sheer luck, they believe they have. The cave, known as the Lupercal - Luper is Latin for wolf - was discovered facing the Circus Maximus underneath the palace of the first emperor, Augustus.
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Presenting the discovery, Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said archaeologists were "reasonably certain" that the newly unearthed cave could be the Lupercal. "This could reasonably be the place bearing witness to the myth of Rome, one of the most well-known cities in the world - the legendary cave where the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus, saving them from death," he said.
 "Italy and Rome never cease to astonish the world with continual archaeological and artistic discoveries, and it is incredible to think that we have finally found a mythical site which, by our doing so, has become a real place."
Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome, added: "It is amazing to think that this legendary place has finally become real before our eyes. Rome never ceases to stun the world with this sort of discovery."
According to Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus - the sons of a mortal priestess, Rhea Silvia, and Mars, the Roman god of war - were born around 770BC. The boys were abandoned at birth and thrown into the Tiber in a cradle. They washed up near the Palatine hill and were rescued by a she-wolf, who took them to her cave lair and suckled them.
After being found by the shepherd, Faustulus, and raised to adulthood, the twins decided in 753BC to establish a city. However, they argued about who had the support of the gods, and Romulus killed Remus in a fight on what became the Palatine hill.
 The cavern, now buried 16 meters, or 52 feet, under the ruins of Emperor Augustus's palace on the Palatine Hill, has a height of 7.1 meters and a diameter of 6.5 meters. Photographs taken of the cave by a camera probe show a domed cavern decorated with extremely well-preserved colored mosaics and seashells. At the center of the vault is a painted white eagle, a symbol of the Roman Empire.
The cave played a significant role in ancient Roman life. Dogs and goats were sacrificed every February and the blood smeared on the foreheads of two noble boys as part of a festival. Women would also go there to pray for a pregnancy. The cave was a sacred location where the priests of Lupercus celebrated certain ceremonies until A.D. 494. At that time Pope Gelasius put an end to the practice.
 The presence of the cave was first announced in January by Irene Iacopi, the archaeologist in charge of the Palatine hill. It was found during restoration work on the palace of Augustus, Rome's first emperor, after workers took core samples from the hill and were then alerted to the possible presence of the cave.
Since the discovery of the cavity, exploration was hampered by fears that it might collapse and damage the foundations of the surrounding ruins. Archaeologists therefore used endoscopes and laser scanners to study it, ascertaining that the circular structure was 8m (26ft) high and 7.5m (24ft) in diameter. A camera probe later sent into the cave revealed a ceiling covered in shells, mosaics and coloured marble, with a white eagle at the centre.
"You can imagine our amazement - we almost screamed," said Professor Giorgio Croci, the head of the archaeological team working on the restoration of the Palatine, told reporters.
The Palatine hill is covered in palaces and other ancient monuments, from the 8th Century BC remains of Rome's first buildings to a mediaeval fortress and Renaissance villas. After being closed for decades due to risk of collapse, parts of the hill will re-open to the public in February after a 12m-euro restoration program.
 "This is one of the most important discoveries of all time," Andrea Carandini one of Italy's most renowned archaeologists, said Tuesday. Carandini has long held that the myths of ancient Rome, at least in some slightly altered iteration, could quite possibly be true, and so he derived added satisfaction from the find.
"The fact that this sanctuary is under the lower part of the house of Augustus is significant because Augustus was a kind of Romulus himself who refounded Rome and he did it in the place where Romulus had been," he said.
The positioning of the cave, discovered at the base of a hill between the Temple of Apollo and the Church of St. Anastasia, could prove to be problematic for continued excavation. Archaeologists are now searching for the cave's original entrance, and will shortly build scaffolding to secure the interior.
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