The Myth of Ancient Rome Built on Top of Another City

No, ancient Rome was not built on top of another city. Early Rome was a small hamlet on the Palatine in the 9th-8th centuries BC, evolving into a town towards the end of the 7th century BC and becoming an ascendant city during the 6th century BC. Archaeological evidence does not support the theory that Rome was built on top of any previous urban formation.

The questions that arise are fascinating in their own right. Instead of speculating about Rome being built on top of another city, it is more compelling to explore the conditions of the development of early Rome in relation to the surrounding settlements of the Latin League. What were the factors that influenced its growth?

The Role of the Etruscans in Rome's History

Contrary to popular belief, the development of Rome is not primarily attributed to Romulus. While he is a central figure in Roman mythology, archaeological and historical evidence suggests that Romulus may not have played a significant role as the first Roman ruler. It was the Etruscans, who controlled central Italy at the time, that expanded Rome into a strategic center of central Italy.

They shaped the city according to their own and Greek models. Archaeological research has shown that the first settlements emerged on two of Rome's seven hills as early as the 10th century BC: the Palatine and the Esquiline. The area between these hills was marshy, and it would take another 200 years before another hill, the Capitol, was built on this reclaimed land. By the middle of the 8th century BC, a small walled city had emerged from the accumulation of poor peasant huts.

The Etruscan Legacy

The Etruscans also built the "Cloaca Maxima," a sophisticated sewage system to drain the marshes between the hills and laid out the city's main square, which later became the Roman Forum. This square served as the site for shrines, assemblies, and courts, reflecting the civic structure of the Etruscan civilization.

Romulus and the Palatine Hill

According to myth, the palatine hill was built on by Evander, an exile from Arcadia in Greece. He and his fellow exiles had lived in a Greek polis called Pallantium, which is where the name "Palatine" comes from. Exile from a polis was often a 10-year sentence, so it made sense to build something new. The huts on the Palatine were probably constructed with cruck construction, made from wood and mud.

The Romans gave the Arcadian Pallantium honor as a mother city of Rome. One of the Arcadian foundation legends was that twin brothers, Parrhasius and Lycastus, had founded the capital Parrhasia after being cast into a river as babies and suckled by a she-wolf and brought up by a shepherd. This story is found in the writings of Plutarch. The teenage boys who took over these huts after Evander and his group returned home were boys who had to leave their group due to overpopulation in the Alban hills. They reworked the Parrhasius myth and invented an eponymous leader called Romulus, making the biggest wooden house, the Casa Romuli, the house of Romulus.

Exploring these myths and legends provides fascinating insights into the early development of Rome and the cultural influences that shaped the city's growth. Instead of focusing on whether Rome was built on top of another city, we can better understand the city's historical context and the people who shaped it.