is wife to raise them. As they grew up, being sons of Mars, they turned out to be very athletic and natural leaders, especially of the local boys. When the boys grew up, they heard the story of Numitor and Amulius. With their local friends, they attacked Alba Longa, killed Amulius, restored their grandfather to the throne, and freed their mother.After restoring Numitor to the throne, the boys decided to found a city on one of the seven hills near where their basket wasfound by the wolf. This was a natural spot for a city. Accounts Livy,"Not without good reason did gods and men choose this spot as the site of a city, with its bracing hills, its [spacious] river by means of which the produce of inland countries may be brought down and inland supplies obtained; a sea near enough for all useful purposes, but not so near as to be exposed to danger from foreign fleets; a district in the very center of Italy, in a word, a position singularly adapted by a nature for the growth of a city." (Nardo, 12)The two boys couldn't decide between themselves which hill to start on, so they decided that whoever saw a vulture first could pick. Remus saw the first vulture and five others, and Romulus saw twelve. Remus had rightfully won, but Romulus claimed he should pick since he saw more vultures. He borrowed a plow and team, and plowed a furrow around the Palatine hill. He told his brother that was where the city would be, and if Remus crossed the line, he would be killed. Contemptuous Remus immediately crossed the line, and Romulus killed him. Romulus later said he regretted killing his brother, but life goes on. Hebuilt his city on the Palatine Hill, and called it Rome.When Romulus founded Rome in 753 BC, he made himself the king. Being a brand new city, it had very few people. Romulus built up the population by allowing anybody who wanted to live there, including criminals who flocked to the city. This caused a shortage of women. To get some, the Romans...
