various authors
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NOTE |
Many myths arose in the Roman Empire to explain what happened after Romulus killed Remus during the founding of Rome. One of the more unusual is the tale of how Romulus regretted the murder and pretended Remus still lived, issuing all proclamations in the name of both men. The story first appears in Servius' commentary on Vergil, from which John Malalas expanded the story markedly, embroidering into it an elaborate story about a golden bust of Remus that took the dead brother’s place. An author posing as Diocles, writing in Syriac, seems to have poorly understood Malalas’s text when translating and adapting it, rendering colors into people, for instance. By the time we reach al-Biruni, who seems to have been working from an Arabic translation of Malalas or one of his later derivatives, we can see how the story, particularly Malalas’s passage on the chariot-racing factions, has become hopelessly corrupt as we move farther in time and space from Rome and Byzantium and the cultural context necessary to understand it. (Chariot-racing ended in the West in 549; in the East it had significantly reduced significance after the seventh century and ended altogether in the 1100s.) The translations from Servius and Malalas are my own; the others are as indicated.
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Servius, Commentary on Vergil’s Aeneid (late 4th century CE)
1.276. Namely, following the murder of Remus, after whose death it is known that a plague broke out, the oracles were consulted; they said that the spirit of the deceased brother must be appeased, for which reason the curule chair with the scepter and crown and other regalia were always placed next to Romulus when he was sanctioning something, so that they would seem to rule together. Hence it is said, “Remus and his brother Quirinus will give the laws.”
6.779. Romulus did this in all things, that he might seem to reign with his brother, lest he should be judged guilty of parricide: whence he had all things double, as if in common with his brother. For Romulus held the Palatine hill for the purpose of catching auguries, and Remus the Aventine. The former saw six vultures, after Romulus twelve. And when the one contended for the time, the other for the number, of the city to be founded, a dispute arose among the army about the name of the city, and Remus was killed by Romulus’ soldiers. For it is a legend that he was killed by his brother for the sake of the walls.
6.779. Romulus did this in all things, that he might seem to reign with his brother, lest he should be judged guilty of parricide: whence he had all things double, as if in common with his brother. For Romulus held the Palatine hill for the purpose of catching auguries, and Remus the Aventine. The former saw six vultures, after Romulus twelve. And when the one contended for the time, the other for the number, of the city to be founded, a dispute arose among the army about the name of the city, and Remus was killed by Romulus’ soldiers. For it is a legend that he was killed by his brother for the sake of the walls.
John Malalas, Chronicle 7:1-5 (late 6th century CE)
1. … But the brothers, ruling jointly, suffered from mutual hatred; and so Remus was killed by his brother, and Romulus reigned alone.
2. From then on, after the murder of his brother, the whole city of Rome was agitated by earthquakes, and his kingdom was in turmoil with internal seditions. So he went to the Oracle and asked: “Wherefore, when now I rule alone, do these things happen?” The Pythia replied: “Unless your brother sits beside you on the royal throne, the city of Rome will not be able to be freed from earthquakes, nor will there be an end to the popular commotions or wars.” So he ordered a statue to be made of gold, which would express the form and face of his brother, which he placed on the same throne where he himself sat. From then on, therefore, while he reigned, a statue of his brother made of solid gold sat beside him: and thus the shaking of the city ceased, and the seditions of the people were put to rest. But the king, if he issued anything, used this formula as if he were doing it in his own name and in the name of his brother: “We have decreed and we have sanctioned.” Whence arose this custom, which still prevails among kings, of proposing edicts under this formula; “We have decreed and we have sanctioned.” He also sent statues of himself and his brother, made of solid gold, to the cities under Roman rule, so that they might be placed near the magistrates of the city.
3. The same king Romulus, having surrounded the city with walls and adorned it, also erected a temple to Ares: and he named the month, which was formerly called the First, March, after Ares (Mars). He also instituted a solemn festival in the same month, in which the sacred rites to Ares were performed: which the Romans also celebrate to this day with an anniversary rite; calling that day the Feast on the Campus Martius
4. Not long after, he built the Hippodrome in the city; in order to disperse the agitation of the tumultuous people: for still, because of his brother’s slaying, seditions were continually being attempted against him. Therefore, Romulus was the first, under Roman rule, to establish the chariot-races, in honor of the sun, (as he said,) and the four Elements subject to it; Earth, Sea, Fire, and Air, for he thought that the warlike expeditions of the Persian kings had always succeeded happily because they had held these four Elements in veneration. […]
5. Romulus himself was also the first to introduce this contest into Rome for the worship of the sun and the four elements that are subject to it: he was also the first in the West, that is, in Italy, to conduct it with the quadrigas (four-horse chariots), corresponding to the Earth, Sea, Fire, and Air. Romulus also gave names to these four Elements, and from the Earth he called the Green (Latin: prasina) Faction due to its greenness; from the Sea, Blue (Latin: venetia), because of the sky-blue color of the waters; from Fire, Red, because of its reddish color; and from Air, White, because of its whiteness. Hence those four Factions in Rome. But he called the Prasina Faction by that name for this reason: because the green land with its trees always stands firm. For Prasina means Permanent in Latin. But he called the Veneta Faction by that name after the Venetia province, subject to Rome, whose metropolis is Aquileia, where Venetian cloths, which are dyed in a sky-blue color, are brought. But to the Prasina Faction of the land he joined the White of the air; from the fact that air is adapted to the earth, watering it, and subservient to it. But to the Venetian Faction, or to the waters, he assigned Red, that is, Fire; because Water extinguishes fire, as if subject to it. The Romans were thus divided into factions in support of their side, and each desired that the faction he himself most favored should be superior. They were no longer in harmony with each other, for each one championed his own faction as if it were a religion. […]
2. From then on, after the murder of his brother, the whole city of Rome was agitated by earthquakes, and his kingdom was in turmoil with internal seditions. So he went to the Oracle and asked: “Wherefore, when now I rule alone, do these things happen?” The Pythia replied: “Unless your brother sits beside you on the royal throne, the city of Rome will not be able to be freed from earthquakes, nor will there be an end to the popular commotions or wars.” So he ordered a statue to be made of gold, which would express the form and face of his brother, which he placed on the same throne where he himself sat. From then on, therefore, while he reigned, a statue of his brother made of solid gold sat beside him: and thus the shaking of the city ceased, and the seditions of the people were put to rest. But the king, if he issued anything, used this formula as if he were doing it in his own name and in the name of his brother: “We have decreed and we have sanctioned.” Whence arose this custom, which still prevails among kings, of proposing edicts under this formula; “We have decreed and we have sanctioned.” He also sent statues of himself and his brother, made of solid gold, to the cities under Roman rule, so that they might be placed near the magistrates of the city.
3. The same king Romulus, having surrounded the city with walls and adorned it, also erected a temple to Ares: and he named the month, which was formerly called the First, March, after Ares (Mars). He also instituted a solemn festival in the same month, in which the sacred rites to Ares were performed: which the Romans also celebrate to this day with an anniversary rite; calling that day the Feast on the Campus Martius
4. Not long after, he built the Hippodrome in the city; in order to disperse the agitation of the tumultuous people: for still, because of his brother’s slaying, seditions were continually being attempted against him. Therefore, Romulus was the first, under Roman rule, to establish the chariot-races, in honor of the sun, (as he said,) and the four Elements subject to it; Earth, Sea, Fire, and Air, for he thought that the warlike expeditions of the Persian kings had always succeeded happily because they had held these four Elements in veneration. […]
5. Romulus himself was also the first to introduce this contest into Rome for the worship of the sun and the four elements that are subject to it: he was also the first in the West, that is, in Italy, to conduct it with the quadrigas (four-horse chariots), corresponding to the Earth, Sea, Fire, and Air. Romulus also gave names to these four Elements, and from the Earth he called the Green (Latin: prasina) Faction due to its greenness; from the Sea, Blue (Latin: venetia), because of the sky-blue color of the waters; from Fire, Red, because of its reddish color; and from Air, White, because of its whiteness. Hence those four Factions in Rome. But he called the Prasina Faction by that name for this reason: because the green land with its trees always stands firm. For Prasina means Permanent in Latin. But he called the Veneta Faction by that name after the Venetia province, subject to Rome, whose metropolis is Aquileia, where Venetian cloths, which are dyed in a sky-blue color, are brought. But to the Prasina Faction of the land he joined the White of the air; from the fact that air is adapted to the earth, watering it, and subservient to it. But to the Venetian Faction, or to the waters, he assigned Red, that is, Fire; because Water extinguishes fire, as if subject to it. The Romans were thus divided into factions in support of their side, and each desired that the faction he himself most favored should be superior. They were no longer in harmony with each other, for each one championed his own faction as if it were a religion. […]
Pseudo-Diocles Fragmentum (9th century CE)
And there happened a quarrel between the two brothers, and Armelaus arose and slew Romus, his brother; and at once the city began to quake. And when the sons of Rome saw that their city quaked, they feared with great fear, and all its inhabitants sought to flee from it. And when Romulus saw that the sons of Rome were in commotion, he entered the temple of the goddess Pythonia, asking her to reveal to him why the city trembled; and she replied, “Because thou didst murder thy brother the city trembles and laments, for he built it with thee, and it will not cease quaking till it sees thy brother sit with thee on the throne of the kingdom, and command, and write, and summon with thee as before.” And when this saying was heard in all the city, they met to stone Romlaus with stones, because he slew his brother. And he fled from them and went up to Athens; and when Punitus, the philosopher, heard it, he came and heard the words of Romlaus, and he promised him that if he would write Athens free, that the King of the Romans had no authority over it, he would go to Rome and pacify the sons of the city and their forces. And he confirmed this covenant which he made with him. And Punitus went to Rome, and talked with them, and said to them, “If ye receive your king in peace, this trembling will at once cease from your city, and it will quake no more; but if ye will not receive him, all your city will be destroyed.” And at once the sons of Rome all met, and went up after their king to Athens, and when they arrived and came and reached Rome all the city went out to meet him. And they answered and said to him, “If thou knowest that at thy entering our city the quaking will cease from it, come, enter with pomp and glory, and sit on the throne of thy kingdom; but if the trembling does not cease from us, thou shalt not enter.” Now he promised them that the quaking should cease from the city. And this philosopher made an image of gold, like his brother, and set it with him upon the throne of his kingdom, and bade them that everything should be done and written as from the mouth of both of them. And they did so, and at once the trembling ceased from their city, and this quaking ceased by the wisdom of this man, and its inhabitants were at peace with their king. Hence the Romans took for a custom to write and command, “We say,” “We command.” And from that time Athens received its freedom, that the king had no authority over it, to do in it anything by force.
And this Romulus introduced equestrian representations (?) of pleasure, and he introduced gladiators (?) (martios), and he first introduced Veneti and Prasii, because he was afraid of the sons [of the Romans that] they might kill him as he had killed his brother. He first set up two men who were hostile to one another, one from the Veneti and one from the Prasii, and said, ‘If the Veneti conspire against me, the Prasii will inform me: and if the Prasii conspire against me, the Veneti will let me know.’ He [therefore set] two men before [an assembly] of the city as for pleasure, and clothed one in the Venetian clothing of the sea (i.e. blue) and the other in clothing of Prasian (i.e. green) like the grass of the earth. And he said if the one clothed in Venetian (blue) conquers, the sea will be quiet and the barbarians will not enter and get authority in the islands of the sea, because those who dwell in the sea gain the victory and those who dwell on the dry land are conquered. But if he that is clothed in Prasian (green) conquers, those who dwell in the dry land conquer and defeat those who dwell in the water. And as soon as these two men come together to fight one with another, those who dwelt in the sea prayed that the Venetian might conquer; and those who dwelt on the land, that the Prasian might conquer. And from that time till now there have been these two factions of the kingdom of the Romans, the Venetian and the Prasian.
(trans. B. H. Cowper)
And this Romulus introduced equestrian representations (?) of pleasure, and he introduced gladiators (?) (martios), and he first introduced Veneti and Prasii, because he was afraid of the sons [of the Romans that] they might kill him as he had killed his brother. He first set up two men who were hostile to one another, one from the Veneti and one from the Prasii, and said, ‘If the Veneti conspire against me, the Prasii will inform me: and if the Prasii conspire against me, the Veneti will let me know.’ He [therefore set] two men before [an assembly] of the city as for pleasure, and clothed one in the Venetian clothing of the sea (i.e. blue) and the other in clothing of Prasian (i.e. green) like the grass of the earth. And he said if the one clothed in Venetian (blue) conquers, the sea will be quiet and the barbarians will not enter and get authority in the islands of the sea, because those who dwell in the sea gain the victory and those who dwell on the dry land are conquered. But if he that is clothed in Prasian (green) conquers, those who dwell in the dry land conquer and defeat those who dwell in the water. And as soon as these two men come together to fight one with another, those who dwelt in the sea prayed that the Venetian might conquer; and those who dwelt on the land, that the Prasian might conquer. And from that time till now there have been these two factions of the kingdom of the Romans, the Venetian and the Prasian.
(trans. B. H. Cowper)
Al-Biruni, India 11 (p. 54) = Sachau i, p. 112
Romulus and Romanus [!] the two brothers from the country of the Franks, on having ascended the throne, built the city of Rome. Then Romulus killed his brother, and the consequence was a long succession of intestine troubles and wars. Finally, Romulus humiliated himself, and then he dreamt that there would only be peace on condition that he placed his brother on the throne. Now he got a golden image made of him, placed it at his side, and henceforward he used to say, “We (not I) have ordered thus and thus,” which since has become the general use of kings. Thereupon the troubles subsided. He founded a feast and a play to amuse and to gain over those who bore him ill-will on account of the murder of his brother. Besides, he erected a monument to the sun, consisting of four images on four horses, the green one for the earth, the blue for the water, the red for the fire, and the white for the air. This monument is still in Rome in our days.
(trans. Eduard Sachau)
(trans. Eduard Sachau)
