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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;rrdenarius, post: 2791849, member: 75525&quot;]I have read the story of R&amp;R, but did not remember Rhea Silvia&#039;s name. According to Wikipedia: </p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Silvia (also written as Rea Silvia or Ilia /ˈɪliə) was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Her story is told in the first book of Ab Urbe Condita of Livy and in fragments from Ennius, Annales and Fabius Pictor.</p><p>According to Livy&#039;s account of the legend she was the daughter of Numitor, king of Alba Longa, and descended from Aeneas. Numitor&#039;s younger brother Amulius seized the throne and killed Numitor&#039;s son, then forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, a priestess of the goddess Vesta. As Vestal Virgins were sworn to celibacy for a period of thirty years, this would ensure the line of Numitor had no heirs.</p><p>However, Rhea Silvia conceived and gave birth to the twins Romulus and Remus. She claimed that the god Mars was the father of the children. Livy says that she was raped by an unknown man, but &quot;declared Mars to be the father of her illegitimate offspring, either because she really imagined it to be the case, or because it was less discreditable to have committed such an offence with a god.&quot;</p><p>When Amulius learned of the birth he imprisoned Rhea Silvia and ordered a servant to kill the twins. But the servant showed mercy and set them adrift on the river Tiber, which, overflowing, left the infants in a pool by the bank. There, a she-wolf (lupa), who had just lost her own cubs, suckled them. Subsequently Faustulus rescued the boys, to be raised by his wife Larentia. The god of the Tiber, Tiberinus, rescued Rhea Silvia and took her to be his bride.</p><p>Romulus would go on to found Rome, overthrow Amulius, and reinstate Numitor as King of Alba Longa.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]648717[/ATTACH] </p><p>Mars advancing on Rhea Silvia from museum in Rome.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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