Romulus

Romulus was the founder and first king of Rome. Romulus was the son of Mars and Ilia (or Rea Silvia), daughter of Numitor of Alba Longa. Romulus was the brother of Remus.

Romulus and his small group of followers first settled on the Palatine Hill. The city grew larger, due to the people flocking to the city. Romulus realised that he didn't have enough people in his new city, and offered asylum for refugees. Most of them were runaway slaves and outlaws seeking refuge. But it was a city without women.

Romulus tried to persuade the Sabines to allow his people to marry their women, which was rejected. Romulus devised a plan in which he invited the Sabines to a festival. Then the Romans took the Sabine women by force.

Titus Tatius, the king from the Sabine town of Cures, brought his army in and attacked Rome, capturing the Capitoline. The Sabine women intervened during the battle, bringing peace between their Roman husbands and Sabine relatives. It was decided that the Romans and Sabines would live together, ruling jointly between the two kings. The Romans occupied the Palatine, while the Sabines settled in the Capitoline.

Tatius didn't rule long. A quarrel broke out between the two kings, and Romulus killed Tatius. Romulus ruled the city until he was taken to heaven in a chariot belonging to his father, Mars.

Hersilie mourned for Romulus' disappearance. Taking pity on the queen, Juno (Hera) spirited Hersilie away to Olympus to be with her husband. Romulus became the god Quirinus, while Hersilie became the goddess Hora.

It was said that Romulus was deified as Quirinus, a god of obscure function. Quirinus was possibly the god of war.

It was said that Romulus was involved in organising political and military institutions, such as the establishment of the Senate. The Senate advised the king in civil matters, which would later become advisers to the magistracies in the Roman Republic. This was definitely fictional.

Romulus was also said to have created the Roman calendar. One calendar year has 304 days, and the year was divided into ten months, beginning on the month of March.