Myth and history in the seven kings of Rome

Rome

The Seven Kings of Rome

The period of Roman history known as the period of kings is one in which myth and legend play a great part. Myths and stories of this early and originating period of Roman history were assimilated and incorporated into the histories and historical records of writers on the period, such as Livy and Plutarch. Therefore, the history that we have of the seven kings of Rome is one that is a combination of legend and myth, with some actual historical record. As one commentator notes, "There is evidence which supports the period of Kings, but exact rulers, dates, events and accomplishments will likely forever be unknown. The growth of the city and development of its culture during this period, however, is widely accepted."

The seven kings of Rome refer to the commonly accepted succession of kings who traditionally ruled Rome before it became a Republic. These include the following: the founder and first King of Rome was Romulus, followed by Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus.

There is also much scholarly debate and conjecture about how much of the history of the early Roman Kings is myth and just how much bears a relationship to actual historical fact. This debate can be seen in the following view from one scholar."The general tendency of scholars is to admit that the first four kings of Rome were mythical beings. On the other hand, the view prevails that the last three kings belong to authentic history -- in particular, to that period during which Rome and Latium were subject to the domination of the Etruscans."

However, some scholars feel that all the seven kings are mythical and have little if any basis in historical reality. Nevertheless, despite this debate, the kings of Rome constitute an important part of Roman culture and provide insight into its heritage and traditions.

The seven Kings of Rome

1. Romulus (753-715 BC)

One should bear in mind that because of the combination of myth and historical fact there are different variations of the 'history' of early Rome. For example, the story or history of the first King, Romulus, varies in the Roman and Greek version of the history of the period. Thomas Africa in his work the Immense Majesty: A History of Rome and the Roman Empire ( 1991) states that, "Roman tradition ascribed it to Romulus, whose name means simply 'man of Rome', but Greek writers from at least the fifth century BC attributed it to the Trojan exile Aeneas."

In the accepted version of the origins of Rome, an epic history was created in which Aeneas left for Italy after the heroic deeds of Troy, where he would become the progenitor of Roman stock.

According to the Legend, in time a descendent of Aeneas bore two twin boys, Romulus and Remus, who were also considered to be children of the god Mars. However, the story goes that a wicked uncle "…set the boys adrift in a basket on the Tiber."

They were later rescued by a wolf and raised in relative poverty. The legend continues that Romulus found his own town or group of villages which he named Rome. According to the myth he kills his brother in a fit of rage. Rome was then established and populated by the dubious method of the forceful capture and rape of the Sabine Women. In time the warring groups were reconciled and the successor or Romulus was the Sabine, Numa.

There are many mythical records of the famous founder of Rome. For example Romulus was said to have "… have vanished in a thunderstorm and was later worshiped as the god Quirinus."

He was also known as being effective in terms of warfare and is referred to as the "….warrior King who developed Rome's first army while expanding Rome's territory."

He is also said to have been responsible for the establishment of a citizen class and for the creation and basic formation of the Roman Senate, although this is ascribed to some of the later kings by some scholars.

2. Numa Pompilius ( 715-673)

The second King, Numa Pompilius, the Sabine, ruled from 715-673 BC. A central aspect of his rule was that he ensured peace and stability for forty years. Furthermore, he is credited with establishment and formalization of the religious and spiritual dimensions of early Rome. He "…created priestly and religious orders to Jupiter and Mars as well as other gods. He created a religious figurehead called the pontifex maximus and to this day that title is still used by the Pope."

He is also known as the founder of the Roman state cult.

An important aspect of the concept of early Roman Kingship was the idea of divine right and the connection between the King and divine law. The laws and edicts of the Roman King were said to have been given by the Gods. This claim is treated with circumspection and even doubt by the ancient historians like Livy, who consider the 'fact' of divine kingship to be a 'deception'.

Livy stated that, Numa Pompilius attempted

…to inculcate fear of the gods as the most powerful influence that could act upon ... A barbaric people.... [H]e pretended that he had nocturnal interviews with the divine nymph Egeria; and that it was on her advice that he was instituting the religious ritual most acceptable to Heaven, and was appointing special priests for each major deity."

However, these laws, whether created through divine intervention or not, are recorded as being a long period of peace and harmony to early Rome. Furthermore, the reign of Numa Pompilius is also said to have led to other positive aspects of early Roman development, such as the foundation of the colleges of craftsmen."

Livy also suggests that the reign of Numa Pompilius was one that was characterized by peace and the growth of religious reflection. He states that,

Once Rome's Neighbors had considered her not so much as a city as an armed camp in their midst threatening the general peace; now they came up to revere her so profoundly as a community dedicated wholly to worship, that the mere thought of offering her violence seemed like sacrilege." (Livy, History I, xxi)

3. Tullus Hostilius (672-641 BC)

Tullius Hostilius who succeeded Pompilius is described by chroniclers and historians as being in many ways the direct opposite of the second king of Rome. Livy describes this ruler as follows; "In his view, Rome had been allowed to lapse into senility, and his one object was to find cause for renewed military adventure." (Livy, History I, xviii)

His warmongering attitude is linked to his perception of the decline of the state. His period of rule was therefore characterized by warfare, conquest and expansionism. His warlike posture and his neglect of the Roman Gods that had been established by his predecessor is, according to legend, the reason for the plague that infected the city of Rome during this period and is ascribed to his neglect of the Roman Gods.

6. Servius Tullius

The legend goes that the sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius, "…had been marked out for a great future by a miraculous fire which played round his infant head as he slept in the palace."

He became prominent in society and married one of the daughters of Tarquinas.

When he became ruler of Rome he completed the establishment of the city walls and was responsible for initiating many permanent institutions. The wall that he built, "extended for about three-quarters of a mile from the Colline gate, and the townwall which enclosed the seven hills, and remained, with its pomoerium, the legal limit of the city, with some minor enlargements, until the erection of the wall of Aurelian (about a.D. 270)

7. Tarquinius Superbus (534-510 BC. )

The seventh king of Rome was a tyrant who by all accounts was concerned mainly with control and power. The name Superbus is correctly translated as ?arrogant, and he was also known as Tarquin the Proud.

After having seized the throne, Tarquinius initiated a period of bloodshed and oppression. As one historian notes, "As Tarquinius gained his power by violence and bloodshed, so he exercised it with cruelty and oppression."

Among his first actions was to put to death senators who had supported the cause of the previous King. Furthermore, he

… revoked the good laws of Servius Tullius, and destroyed the tablets on which they were engraved. He held trials on capital causes in secret and without assessors, in which he could fine, banish, or put to death his opponents. He depressed the Senate, refused to fill up vacancies, and seldom consulted it

Another commentator notes that "He repealed several earlier constitutional reforms and used violence and murder to hold his power."

In the end his bloody tyranny led to intense dissatisfaction among the Roman people. When he was implicated in the rape of Lucretia, a Roman patrician, he and his family were exiled from Rome. As a result of his cruel and divisive rule, the Roman Senate decides never again to appoint a monarch and rather to form a Republic government, which was established in 509 B.C. The new and democratic government would be "Free from the rule of Kings, the Romans developed a strict social status hierarchy that would set in motion the conquest of the Western World."

Conclusion

The allegations directed at despots and tyrants such as Supervbus are commonly accepted as being true. Historians point out that, "There is nothing improbable in them. All we can say against them as historical facts is that there are no authorities to support them within at least two centuries and a half."

Others argue that that the history that we have of the kings of Rome tend to fit into traditional mythical pattern or model. An example of this would be the pattern of evil being replaced by good or excessive power being mitigated by reason, order and compassion. This pattern can be discerned in the myths of the seven kings which tends to follow a sequence of bad rulers being replaced and superseded by good, until the last bad ruler is replaced by a more open and democratic system. Another aspect or theme evident in the history of the kings is the importance of an adherence to the gods and to religion in order ort archive happiness and social stability.

Nevertheless, while the debate about myth or actual factual history continues, what is clear is that in this history we encounter major themes and values that became an intrinsic part of the ethos of Rome. The theme of tyranny as opposed to humane governance and the adverse consequences of power are themes that have shaped not only our view of the power and glory of Roman civilization, but also its moral and ethical growth and development as one of the founding civilizations of the modern world.