Jupiter - God of the Sky

Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of Zues. He is the king of the Gods, ruler of the sky and God of Thunder. He is the chief god of the Archaic Triad, Consisting of himself, Mars, and Quirinus. Jupiter is also the father of the god Mars with Juno.

Pictured is Jupiter perched on top of the previous site of the Temple of Jupiter in Terracina. Behind is an artists depiction from the 1900's of what the Roman temple of Jupiter would have looked like along the horizon.

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Mars - God of War

Mars, the Roman God of war, is the son of Jupiter and Juno. He is a highly worshiped military god praised by Roman soldiers. Originally Mars was a Roman god of agriculture, but as the Roman empire grew, Mars became more closely associated with military activity, and became known as the God of War.

According to legend, Mars is also the father of Romulus and Remus. Because of this, all Romans are said to be descendants of Mars (and therefore, Jupiter).

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She Wolf - Lupercal

Romulus and Remus were twin brothers who were ordered to be killed by Amulius, their grandfather's brother, who was afraid of losing his throne to the twins.

The servant responsible for the execution instead sent them down the Tiber river in a basket. According to legend, they were raised by a she wolf, who suckled them in a small cave beneath the Paletine Hill. This cave is known as the Lupercal, and as recent archaeological evidence shows, it may have actually existed.

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Capitoline Wolf/Campidoglio

The statue of the She Wolf is currently located in the Capitoline museum at the Campidoglio.
It's origins are widely debated, but it is probably most popularly said to be an Etruscan statue, dating back to the 5th century BCE.

The design of the Campidoglio, by Michelangelo in 1536, marked the transition from the Renaissance period to the Baroque. Michelangelo remodeled the surrounding palazzi and designed the piazza in such a way that he created a beautiful work of new architecture without destroying the existing buildings on site.

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Tiberinus - River God

Also located at the Campidoglio is the statue of Tiberinus, who's history is closely related to the legend of the She Wolf and the foundation of Rome.

Tiberinus, the God of the Tiber River, supposedly protected Romulus and Remus as they floated down the Tiber. He is also credited for bringing the twins to the She Wolf.

Romulus - Founder of Rome

Romulus and Remus set out to found a new city, and both argued where it's exact position should be. They acted as augurs, competing to see who could see more birds in the sky. Romulus saw more bird's, and thus earned the right to choose the founding place of the city.

According to legend, during the construction of the city walls, Remus jumped over a low wall, which was considered a sacrilege, and bad luck for the new city. Romulus was enraged and killed Remus.

After the founding of Rome, Romulus waged several wars and greatly expanded his territory.

When the king of Alba (Numitor, Romulus’ biological grandfather) died, the people of Alba offered the crown to Romulus, believing he was the rightful heir of the city. Romulus accepted, but greatly pleased the city’s populace by placing the government in the hands of the people within the city.

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Ascension of Romulus

According to legend, one day when Romulus and his people were at Campus Martius, there was an incredible storm and everyone fled for shelter. When the storm subsided, the people returned, but there was no sign of Romulus. It was said that his body had been seen ascending into the sky. It was decided that he would be worshiped as the God Quirinus, making him the third member of the Archaic Triad.

The Pantheon, constructed in 125 AD by Hadrian, was supposedly built on the site where Romulus ascended to the heavens. One can easily imagine Romulus' body slowly rising up towards the oculus of the dome, making his way towards his legendary father and grandfather.

It is probably more likely that the senate killed Romulus, because they had lost most of their political influnce as he bacame a more and more independent ruler.

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