Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Christianity & Papal Power
For much of its history Rome has been ruled by the pope and today the Vatican still wields
immense influence over the city.
The ancient Romans were remarkably tolerant of foreign religions. They themselves
worshipped a cosmopolitan pantheon of gods, ranging from household spirits and former
emperors to deities appropriated from Greek mythology (Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Minerva
etc). Religious cults were also popular - the Egyptian gods Isis and Serapis enjoyed a mass
following, as did Mithras, a heroic saviour-god of vaguely Persian origin, who was wor-
shipped by male-only devotees in underground temples.
ROMULUS & REMUS, ROME'S LEGENDARY TWINS
The most famous of Rome's many legends is the story of Romulus and Remus, and the foundation of the city on 21
April 753 BC.
According to myth, Romulus and Remus were the children of Rhea Silva, a vestal virgin, and Mars, god of war.
While still babies they were set adrift on the Tiber to escape a death penalty imposed by their great-uncle Amulius,
who at the time was battling with their grandfather Numitor for control of Alba Longa. However, they were dis-
covered near the Palatino by a she-wolf, who suckled them until a shepherd, Faustulus, found and raised them.
Years later the twins decided to found a city on the site where they'd originally been saved. They didn't know
where this was, so they consulted the omens. Remus, on the Aventino, saw six vultures; his brother over on the Pal-
atino saw 12. The meaning was clear and Romulus began building, much to the outrage of his brother. The two
subsequently argued and Romulus killed Remus.
Romulus continued building and soon had a city. To populate it he created a refuge on the Campidoglio,
Aventino, Celio and Quirinale Hills, to which a ragtag population of criminals, ex-slaves and outlaws soon de-
camped. However, the city still needed women. Romulus therefore invited everyone in the surrounding country to
celebrate the Festival of Consus (21 August). As the spectators watched the festival games, Romulus and his men
pounced and abducted all the women, an act that went down in history as the Rape of the Sabine Women.
Emergence of Christianity
Christianity entered this religious cocktail in the 1st century AD, sweeping in from Judaea,
a Roman province in what is now Israel and the West Bank. Its early days were marred by
persecution, most notably under Nero (r 54−68), but it slowly caught on, thanks to its popu-
lar message of heavenly reward and the evangelising efforts of Saints Peter and Paul.
However, it was the conversion of the the emperor Constantine (r 306−37) that really set
Christianity on the path to European domination. In 313 Constantine issued the Edict of
Milan, officially legalising Christianity, and later, in 378, Theodosius (r 379−95) made
Christianity Rome's state religion. By this time, the Church had developed a sophisticated
