> According to legend, which city was founded by twin brothers named Romulus andRemus?And the answer: Rome. According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 BCE by Romulus and Remus, twinbrothers whose father was thought to be Mars, the god of war. Romulus went on tobecome the first king of Rome, which is named after him.Romulus and Remus. Photo credit: public domain.According to the legend, the twotwin brothers were abandoned soon after their birth. They were discovered by ashe-wolf on the banks of the Tiber, who took them in and raised them intoadulthood. Eventually, the boys grew up to found a city, but as brothers do,they argued about who would be the ruler of their new city. When the smokecleared, Romulus remained. He became ruler and named the city after himself:Rome.Stories aside, the history of Rome is long and complex: a village grew into theEternal City (which remains a wonder today); Italy was conquered before Europe,parts of Africa, and the Middle East were incorporated into an empire that hadaround a quarter of the world’s population under its governance; and finally, amonarchy became a republic and then an empire. Over 1,000 years of history, thestory of Rome is varied and detailed, but much of it comes from a single source:a man named Titus Livius or Livy (59 BCE – 17 CE). Some 200 years after theconquest of Italy had been completed, he wrote 142 books on Rome’s earlyhistory, but only 54 survive as complete volumes.What remains today of Rome is astounding. As great structures were an importantmeans of stating Roman power, emperors cemented their reputations with grandpublic works such as the Arch of Constantine or the Pantheon. Many Romanbridges, sculptures, and commemorative buildings remain a staple product of thislong-lived, powerful empire. Learn more about the history and culture of ancient Rome below.