The Capitoline Wolf

The Capitoline Wolf is placed in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. It is one of the most characteristic and recognizable symbols of the city.

There is a legend relating to the wolf and describing how the city was planted. According to it, King Alba Longa, because of the fear of loosing the trone, forced his niece, the only woman in the family able to give birth to a child (and thereby put in danger his royal position) to live in celibacy as a vestal virgin. However, the god of war, Mars, fell in love with the girl. They had two children: Romulus and Remus. The king sentenced the vestal virgin to death while the children were ordered to be drown in the Tiber. The twins were saved by the wolf which fed them with its own milk. When the brothers grew up, Romulus killed his twin and founded his own city on the Palatine Hill. Following the tradition he became the first ruler of the city-state and from his name comes 'Rome'.

It was thought that the sculpture depicting the wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, originated from Etruscan times, around 470BC. Recently the thesis was questioned as there are circumstances now suggesting that it comes from the Medieval times. What is certai is that sculptures of the boys were added in the end of the 15th century because, due to sources, original ones were destroyed by a thunderstroke.

Nowadays the sculpture is located in the Capitoline Museum, whereas its copy can be found behind the palace complex on the Capitaline Hill.

Source of description: planerGO

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Neighbourhood IX Circus Flaminius (14 regioni di Roma augustea)
Price definition of price normal : 12.00 youth : 10.00 (age 7<) student : 10.00 (age <26)
UNESCO 91
Geographical coordinates 41.8933671, 12.4829384
Address 00186 Rome, Piazza Campidoglio

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