Roman Founding and Monarchy

Key and Format (Adapted from Dante Minutillo's Ovid Outline):

Bold = major name/place/topic
Yellow = major story/name/detail that is entirely absent from Livy’s A.U.C. although it is sourced in other places such as Cary
& Scullard or Plutarch
[Bracket] = information or a name not found in Livy, but relevant to the current story.
Small font size = minor characters or details that are unlikely to show up

N.B.: Most of this guide will be from Livy’s A.U.C.

The Founding of Rome

N.B.: Ab Urbe Condita actually begins with Aeneas fleeing Troy

Aeneas’ Landing in Italy:

● Aeneas and his followers landed in Italy after venturing from Troy and Carthage
● He met a local king, King Latinus, and they either fought a battle or had a peaceful settlement
● He married King Latinus’ daughter, Lavinia and founded a city in her honor, Lavinium
● Aeneas and Latinus fought King Turnus of the Rutuli who had been previously betrothed to Lavinia
● Turnus appealed to the Etruscans led by Mezentius of Caere for help
● King Latinus died in a battle and afterward, Aeneas merged the old followers of Latinus and the Trojans into a single
group, the Latins
● The Latins fought the combined forces of the Rutuli and Etruscans
● Aeneas died in battle and was buried along the banks of the Numicus River and worshipped as Jupiter Indiges
Founding and Kings of Alba Longa:
● After the death of Aeneas, Lavinia acted as regent for Aeneas’ son, Ascanius/Iulus until he came of age
○ The gens Iulia of big man Julius Caesar himself claims descendance from this Iulus and thus Aeneas and Venus
● Ascanius left Lavinium to Lavinia and founded his own city on Mt. Alba and named it Alba Longa because it was on a
ridge
● There is a long list of Alban Longan kings after Ascanius’ death who eventually go to Numitor and Amulius
Ascanius ➜ Silvius ➜Aeneas Silvius ➜Latinus Silvius ➜A few generations later➜Capetus Tiberinus ➜Agrippa ➜Romulus Silvius ➜
Aventinus ➜ Proca ➜ Numitor ➜ Amulius
● The Tiber River is named after Capetus Tiberinus because he drowned in it (It had previously been called the Albula river) and the Aventine hill is
named after Aventinus
● Numitor became the king of Alba Longa, but was banished by his evil brother Amulius who became king
● Amulius wanted for descendants of Numitor to not have a claim to the throne so he made Numitor’s daughter, Rhea
Silvia, a Vestal Virgin
● However, Mars impregnated Rhea Silvia anyways and Rhea Silvia gave birth to Romulus and Remus
Early Life of Romulus and Remus:
● Romulus and Remus were the twin children of Rhea Silvia and Mars, and grandsons of Numitor, the former king of
Alba Longa
● Amulius ordered that Romulus and Remus be exposed on the banks of the Tiber river
○ They were placed at the foot of a Romularis/Rumilaris tree and fortunately saved by a low tide
● A she-wolf supposedly saved them and a shepherd, Faustulus found them and raised them.

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 ○ Some think that the she-wolf is a misattribution because Faustulus’ wife who took care of them later could have been a prostitute and the
word for she-wolf has a double meaning of prostitute too
● Romulus and Remus were brought up by Faustulus and his wife, Acca Laurentia, and eventually became active and
strong young men.
● Faustulus had suspicions that Romulus and Remus were of royal blood because he heard of Amulius’ order to
abandon the twins and the times matched up
● Romulus and Remus steadily gained followers and would attack bandits and take their loot (Like an ancient Robinhood!)
● The Palatine hill, named after an old Arcadian city, Pallanteum, was already occupied and the Lupercal already existed
on the hill.
● At one Lupercal festival, the bandits attacked Romulus and Remus for stealing their loot and Remus was captured
● The bandits brought Remus to Amulius with the charge that Remus was infringing on Numitor’s property and
Amulius ordered that Remus be brought to Numitor
● Romulus was told that he was a royal by Faustulus in a panic after Remus’ capture
● Remus was brought to Numitor and as Remus described his life more and more, Numitor became to have suspicions
that Remus and Romulus were his twin grandsons based on their age and virtue
● Romulus and Remus attacked Amulius and Romulus killed Amulius
● They restored Numitor to the Alban throne
Founding of the City:
● Afterward, Romulus and Remus and their respective followers wanted to found a new city on the stop of their
childhood adventures in the hills, but could not decide on the naming nor location of the city.
● Romulus favored the Palatine for defense and Remus favored the Aventine for trade. They each withdrew to their
own hills to wait for an omen
● Remus first saw 6 vultures (the symbol of Mars, their father) in the sky, but Romulus then saw 12 vultures. Remus’
claimed that the gods favored him because his symbol was first while Romulus said the gods favored him because he had
more vultures
● In the brawl, Remus mockingly jumped over the wall Romulus was constructing at the Palatine and Romulus killed
Remus saying, “So be it for any other who overleaps my walls!”
● Romulus became the sole ruler of their followers and named the city Rome after himself
● The Founding of Rome is dated to April 21, 753 B.C. with the Parilia festival

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Reign of Romulus (753 B.C. - 715 B.C.):
● Romulus was the legendary first king of Rome
● Plurtarch states that it was calculated that Romulus’ birth year was 771 B.C.
● Romulus ruled for 38 years, 6 of which were co-rule with Titus Tatius
● He fought 3 wars with the Sabines, Veii, and Fidenae
● He was supposedly taken up to the heavens by the gods while reviewing troops in the Campus Martius. More likely,
he was killed by jealous senators.
● A senator named Julius Proculus claimed Romulus came down to him in his divine form from the heavens
● Romulus was deified as the god Quirinus after his death and his wife, Hersilia, was deified as Hora

Institutions and Customs:

● Romulus first fortified the Palatine
● He instituted religious rites from Alba Longa and Hercules and Evander who previously had roamed the area
● In the story of Evander and Hercules, the Pontitii and Pinarii families had a feast, but the Pinarii arrived too late for
the entrails and so they were never given entrails. The Pontitii became priests until they taught the rites to public slaves.
This was the only foreign cult Romulus adopted
● Romulus made laws and started the tradition of 12 lictors, either from the amount of vultures or from Etruscan
tradition
● Romulus attracted new people to Rome by opening an asylum open to all men, free or slave, on the Capitoline. He also
made infanticide illegal for this purpose
● He chose 100 prominent citizens and made them Senators called patres (fathers) and their descendents became the
patrician class
● Romulus divided the population into 3 tribes led by someone called a tribune: the Ramnes, named after himself,
Tatienses, named after Titus Tatius who co-ruled with him, and Luceres after someone unknown.
○ Some say that the tribes were made later and actually named after the 3 defenders of the Pons Sublicius: Horatius Cocles, Titus
Herminius Aquilinus, and Spurius Larcius
● The population was further divided so each tribe had 10 curia (wards) each led by a curio. The land was divided between
the curia and each curia gave 100 foot soldiers and 10 cavalry. The 300 cavalry were called the Celeres (swift) and became
the bodyguard of Romulus
Rape of the Sabines:
● Rome did not have enough women to keep prospering as most of the population would die in one generation
● Romulus sent envoys to neighboring cities to ask for permission for Romans to marry the women, but the ambassadors
were rudely turned down everywhere
● He made a plan and invited the neighboring Sabines and the cities of Caenina, Crustumerium, and Antemnae
● When they arrived for the spectacles, the Romans seized the women and certain ones were taken to prominent citizens.
● One particularly beautiful girl was carried to a Roman named Thalassius and people in the crowd asked who the girl was
being brought to. Eventually, the carriers eventually started shouting “To Thalassius!”, starting the traditional wedding
chant.
● The citizens of the cities were outraged and prepared to attack Rome.
● Caenina, Antemnae, and Crustumerium all attacked but Caenina attacked first. They were all defeated. Romulus
granted the former citizens of Antemnae Roman citizenship to increase the population

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 ● Romulus defeated the king of Caenina, king Acron, in single combat, gaining the first spoila opima. He built the
temple of Jupiter Feretrius afterward.
● The Sabines attacked last and were led by Titus Tatius of Cures and Mettius Curtius
● Titus bribed Tarpeia, daughter of the commander of the Roman citadel, Spurius Tarpeius. Tarpeia asked for what
was on their left arms, intending to get the golden bands. Instead, Tarpeia had shields thrown at her and was crushed to
death. The Tarpeian rock, site of many executions is named after Tarpeia
● The troops under Mettius Curtius fought Hostus Hostilius’ forces in the hills afterwards and were nearly destroyed
when the Roman line broke. However, Romulus prayed to Jupiter saying he would build a temple to Jupiter Strator if
the city survived.
● Mettius Curtius himself was driven into a swampy area and got stuck. Some say the Curtian Lake in Rome is named
after him after he got stuck in it
● The Sabine women intervened, not wanting to see their husbands and fathers fighting
● A settlement was reached where Titus Tatius would co-rule with Romulus and afterward, the population doubled. The
newcomers were called Quirites after Cures. The Sabines were settled on the Quirinal hill
● Titus Tatius would eventually die in a disagreement at Lavinium and Romulus refused to avenge him either because he
did not trust Tatius or thought his killing was just
Other Wars:
● Fidenae and Veii had raided Roman territory
● Romulus fought Fidenae and defeated them in an ambush. The Romans eventually captured Fidenae
● Romulus also fought Veii and inflicted a defeat upon them.
● Romulus signed 100-year treaties with Fidenae and Veii

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Reign of Numa Pompilius (715 B.C. - 673 B.C.):
● Numa Pompilius was the second king of Rome, and a Sabine from Cures like Titus Tatius
● His father’s name was Pomponius, his daughter was the mother of Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome and he
was the grandfather of Ancus Marcius
● Numa Pompilius was married to Tatia, the daughter of Titus Tatius
● Numa Pompilius was not a warlike king, but instead focused on domestic matters and established many Roman
customs
● He was advised by a nymph called Egeria
● Was one of few kings who died peacefully and was buried on the Janiculum
● He was apparently taught by Pythagoras of Samos but Livy refutes this
● According to William Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, the prominent Aemilii family claimed descendance from Numa1

Accession to the Throne:

● After the death of Tatia, Numa Pompilius lived in the countryside at Cures until he was called to be King
● There were disputes on whether the next king should be a Sabine or a Roman
● During the dispute, there was a 1 year period, the interregnum, where the Senate ruled
● The Senate finally had a compromise with Numa Pompilius but he originally turned down the offer and only accepted
after an augury showed favorable omens
● Numa Pompilius wanted an augury to confirm him just how Romulus was chosen by the gods
Institutions and Customs:
● His first action was disbanding the Celeres
● Numa Pompilius imported many traditions from Alba Longa including the Vestal Virgins
● He also started the office of Pontifex Maximus of which the first was his son-in-law, Numa Marcius
● One day, the original Ancilia shield came to Rome and Numa interpreted it as from Jupiter. He ordered 11 other
identical Ancilia, so perfect that Numa could not even tell the difference.
● Numa also started the Salii, the jumping priests of Mars Gradivus who carried the Ancilia
● Numa made his own lunar calendar of 12 months, adding the 2 months of January and February. Januarius was named
after Janus and Februa after a Sabine festival
● He built the Temple of Janus where the doors were closed in times of peace and open in times of war. It was closed 3
times, first during Numa’s reign, second after the First Punic War, and third after the battle of Actium
● Numa instituted many priestly colleges like the flamen dialis (cult of Jupiter), flamen martialis (cult of Mars), the cult
of Terminus, fetiales, and the flamen quirinalis (cult of Quirinus/Romulus)
● Numa Pompilius also built the temple of Jupiter Elicius on the Aventine
● He also establish unlucky days (nefas) and lucky days (fas) for business
● He was also said to have written many religious books

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Smith, p. 30
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Reign of Tullus Hostilius (715 B.C. - 642 B.C.):
● Tullus Hostilius was the grandson of Hostus Hostilius.
● Tullus returned to the warlike ways of Romulus instead of following the peaceful Numa Pompilius. It is said he was
even more prone to war than Romulus
● The defining feature of his reign was the war with Alba Longa and duel between the Horatii and Curiatii
● He either died because Jupiter threw a lightning bolt because he performed religious rites wrongly or he died of
plague
● Some doubt his existence because his background and story is so similar to Romulus such as both being raised by shepherds

Accession to the Throne:

● Tullus Hostilius was raised by shepherds like Romulus
● After a brief interregnum, the people and Senate ratified him to be king
War with Alba Longa:
● Tullus Hostilius sought out war because he thought inaction was making Rome a weak state
● Alba Longa and Rome were conducting cattle raids on each others’ territory and each side sent envoys but while Tullus
Hostilius treated the Alban delegates kindly, he also sent impossible terms to the Albans knowing a war would start
● Gaius Cluilius was currently the king at Alba Longa, but he died and a man named Mettius Fufetius took over (yes,
that really is his name). Mettius held an Oscan magistry called a meddix
● Neither side wanted a full battle because they would both be weakened and they were connected as Alba Longa was the
parent city of Rome. Another factor were the strong Etruscans nearby
● Each side happened to have a rare set of triplets, each of whom were evenly matched and it was decided that the 3 would
duel and the side that won would win the entire war
● It is commonly accepted that the Roman triplets were the Horatii and the Alban ones were the Curiatii but Livy claims
this is not definite and it could be the other way around
● This was the first war that used the Fetiales that had 33 days of debate and restitution
● In the fighting that followed, 2 of the Horatii were killed but one was left uninjured while all 3 Curiatii became injured
● The final Horatii, Publius Horatius, cleverly separated the Curiatii and easily picked them off as they were weaker
than he was
● Tullus Hostilius, instead of imposing harsh terms, told Mettius to keep his army in case he needed the troops in a war
with Veii
● At the Carpena gate, Publius Horatius saw his sister, Horatia also called Camilla, crying because she had been betrothed
to one of the dead Curiatii. In a rage, Publius killed her
● Publius Horatius was put on trial and convicted, but saved by the pleas of his father and his personal popularity and
respect with the populace

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Continued Dispute with Alba Longa & War:
● Mettius Fufetius was still resentful of his defeat and soon induced Fidenae, a Roman ally, to rebel with the promise of
help. Veii also joined them
● Tullus Hostilius called Mettius Fufetius to help him, but during the battle, Mettius Fufetius held back his troops
until the battle was already decided, so he could join the winning side at the end
● Because of Mettius Fufetius’ betrayal, the Roman flank was exposed but Tullus Hostilius promised to consecrate 12
Salii and build shrines to Pallor and Panic (like Romulus’ promise to Jupiter Strator)
● Tullus Hostilius and the Romans routed the Fidenae and Veientes
● Tullus Hostilius invited the Albans to celebrate the victory with the Romans, but tricked Mettius Fufetius and
punished him for his betrayal
● Mettius Fufetius was drawn and quartered (his legs and arms attached to horses, then the horses driven in opposing
directions). This was the only time in Roman history someone was drawn and quartered
● Tullus Hostilius ordered that Alba Longa be razed except for religious buildings and he resettled the Albans on the
Caelian hill, doubling the population
● Some noble Alban families that Hostilius integrated include the Iulii, Servilii, Quinctii, Geganii, Curiatii, and Cloelii
● Later, rocks started to rain at the deserted remains of Alba Longa because the religious buildings were falling into
disrepair and the Romans conducted 9 days of sacrifices to please the gods
● After the war with Fidenae and Veii, Tullus Hostilius also declared war on the Sabines for supposedly infringing on
Roman merchants at the shrine of Feronia
● Tullus Hostilius defeated the Sabines at the Malitosa Forest
Miscellaneous:
● Tullus Hostilius built his palace on the Caelian hill where he resettled the Albans
● He built the first Senate house, the Curia Hostilia, which lasted for many centuries
● A plague broke out and Tullus Hostilius became immensely unpopular as the people blamed his impiety and neglect of
the religious institutions of Numa Pompilius
● Tullus Hostilius consulted the books of Numa Pompilius and had to conduct sacrifices to Jupiter Elicius
● Tullus Hostilius was struck by a lightning bolt and died because he performed the rites incorrectly. His palace and
family were also destroyed by this lightning bolt

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Reign of Ancus Marcius (642 B.C. to 616 B.C.):
● Ancus Marcius was the grandson of Numa Pompilius and great-grandson of Titus Tatius
● Ancus Marcius was the third and final Sabine king of Rome (including Titus Tatius)
● He balanced the warlike nature of the Romans and the peacelike needs of the populace
● He also contributed greatly to the expansion and architecture of Rome
● His name ‘Ancus’ means bent because he is supposed to have a crooked arm
● The gens Marcia from later in the Republic would claim descendance from him
● He died of natural causes

Accession to the Throne:

● The assembly once again elected Ancus Marcius king in the same fashion they did to Tullus Hostilius
● His mother was the daughter of Numa Pompilius
Wars:
● The Latins thought Ancus would be uninterested in war like his grandfather, so they raided Roman territory and
started a war
● Ancus Marcius took the Latin towns of Politorium, Tellenae, and Ficana and resettled their populations in Rome on
the Aventine (so far the Sabines were on the Capitoline, Romans on the Palatine, and Albans on the Caelian)
● The Latins retook Politorium, but then the Romans took it again and razed it
● The war came down to the town of Medullia and in the subsequent battle, Ancus Marcius won
● He resettled many Latins in Rome between the Aventine and Palatine in a place called the Admurciae
● He also conquered the Maesian Forest from Veii (Silva Maesia)
● Ancus celebrated at least 1 triumph for his victories
Institutions and Architecture:
● Ancus Marcius captured the Janiculum hill, across the Tiber from the traditional 7 hills of Rome
● He also built the first bridge across the Tiber River called the Pons Sublicius
● To ensure he would not suffer the same fate as Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius copied down all the religious acts of
Numa Pompilius and made them public as his first act
● Ancus Marcius established the fetial ritual of ius fetiale from the Aequiculi to settle disputes and restitution. This was
first used in the Senate to declare war on the Latins and the ritual consisted of throwing a spear into the ground after 33
days of senatorial debate
● Ancus Marcius built a defensive ditch, the Ditch of the Quirites (fossa quiritium)
● He also established Rome’s first port at Ostia and built salt works there
● The Tullianum (Mamertine Prison), Rome’s first prison, was also built by Ancus.
● He expanded the Temple of Jupiter Feretius (first built by Romulus)

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Reign of Tarquinius Priscus (616 B.C. to 579 B.C.):
● Tarquinius Priscus was the first of 3 Etruscan kings of Rome. His original name was Lucumo
● He was also the first king to actively lobby for the throne and receive it this way
● Tarquinius Priscus’ wife Tanaquil was clever and could interpret omens. She famously interpreted the omen of the
eagle taking Priscus’ cap and the flame on Servius Tullius’ head
● Like his predecessor, he balanced military and domestic affairs
● Tarquinius Priscus was the first of the kings to die by the hand of another mortal

Background and Accession to the Throne:

● Tarquinius Priscus was originally called Lucumo and was from the city of Tarquinii. He went to Rome from
Tarquinii because Tarquinii would not permit him to hold public office
● His father was called Demaratus of Corinth and migrated to Italy because of domestic struggles and he had 2 sons,
Lucumo and Arruns. However, Arruns died before he did, so Lucumo inherited the fortune
● When Arruns died, he left a pregnant wife and Demaratus had died before he could include his grandson in his will, so
the boy was called Egerius meaning “the Needy One”
● Lucumo married Tanaquil who was higher in society than he was, and they fled because the Etruscans shamed her for
marrying a lower foreigner
● When they were immigrating to Rome, near the Janiculum in their wagon, an eagle dropped and seized Lucumo’s cap
off his head but then returned it again. Tanaquil interpreted this as that Lucumo would be a king as the eagle
represented Jupiter and the cap represented a crown
● When they arrived in Rome, Lucumo changed his name to Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as a more prestigious name
● Tarquinius Priscus became an intimate friend of the current king, Ancus Marcius, and was appointed tutor
(guardian) of Ancus Marcius’ children in his will
● At Ancus Marcius’ death, Priscus sent his children hunting so he could address the public assembly and take the
throne for himself. The people duly elected him after a speech about acceptance of foreigners
Wars:
● Tarquinius Priscus fought a war with the Latins and stormed the city of Apiolae and celebrated public games with the
captured loot
● He next fought with the Sabines who crossed the Anio River. Rome was caught completely unprepared for this war
● Tarquinius Priscus decided he needed more cavalry so he added more centuries to the original Ramnes, Titienes, and
Luceres and named them after himself.
● He first consulted Attus Navius, an augur, before adding new centuries as Romulus had been sanctioned by the gods.
He doubled the amount of cavalry to 1,200. The new ones were called the ‘posteriores’ or supplementaries
● Attus Navius told Tarquinius Priscus that the birds needed to give their consent and Tarquinius angrily asked him if
what he was thinking of was possible and he was told it was. Tarquinius then told him that slicing a sharpening stone
with a razor was what he had in mind and without hesitating, Attus Navius immediately sliced the sharpening stone
with the razor. A statue now stands where Attus was
● Priscus ordered his men to burn wood on the river and this caused the Sabines to panic in the ensuing battle and he
chased the fleeing Sabines who tried to fight back but were against repelled and sued for peace
● He took charge of Collatia and the territory between the Sabines and Romans. Egerius, the son of Priscus’ brother
Arruns was put in charge of Collatia

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 ● He again fought the Latins and captured many Latin territories including Corniculum, Ficulea, Cameria,
Crustumerium, Ameriola, Medullia, and Nomentum
Institutions and Architecture:
● Tarquinius Priscus started building the Circus Maximus, the biggest stadium in Rome. He assigned seating to the
senatorial class and this special seating was called the fori
● He also started building the Cloaca Maxima, Rome’s first sewer system
● He vowed to build the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus in the Sabine war
● Priscus added 100 more senator called “minor gentes”
Transition:
● Priscus had a household slave called Servius Tullius. Tanaquil observed the head of Tullius bursting into flame, but
his head remaining unburned and being acquainted in interpreting omens, she told Priscus that the boy would become
king
● He thereafter treated Tullius as his own son and betrothed their daughter to him
● Priscus was assassinated by the 2 sons of Ancus Marcius who he took the throne from. However, the 2 sons then went
into exile at Suessa Pometia
● Tanaquil hid Priscus’ death until Servius Tullius’ succession was guaranteed

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Reign of Servius Tullius (578 B.C. to 535 B.C.):
● Servius Tullius was the sixth and penultimate king of Rome. He was the second Etruscan king of Rome and the
son-in-law of Tarquinius Priscus
● He built many of the institutions of Rome while also fighting wars and greatly expanded the city
● He had obscure origins, either as a slave and son of an enslaved princess, Ocrisia, or an adventurer called Mastarna
who ventured with Caelius Vibenna
● Possibly the Caelian hill is named after this Caelius Vibenna
● He was also the first king to accede to the throne without an election

Background and Accession to the Throne:

● As a slave, Tanaquil saw a flame around his head while his head remained unburned and interpreted this as a sign that
Servius Tullius would become king
● From then on, Tarquinius Priscus and Tanaquil treated him as their successor and married their daughter to him
● At Tarquinius Priscus’ assassination, Tanaquil covered up his death for a while, saying it was a minor wound, to ensure
Servius’ accession
● Servius Tullius became king without an election, but he had the support of the Senate
Wars:
● Servius Tullius fought a war with Veii and other Etruscan cities and won which augmented his respect among the
populace.
● He signed a treaty with the Gabii
Institutions and Architecture:
● Servius Tullius created the first census
● He created the classes of Rome based on wealth. The First Class had 80 centuries for those with >100,000 asses, Second Class with 20 centuries with
those with 75,000-100,000 asses, a Third Class with 20 centuries with those with >50,000 asses, a Fourth Class with 20 centuries for those with
>25,000 asses, a Fifth Class with 30 centuries for those with >11,000 asses, and a single century for everyone else
● The first census had 80,000 men
● He also created 12 centuries of equestrians
● The classes and equestrian status determined who would vote first in elections. The equestrians voted first, then the
first class, and rarely did it ever go to the second class and below.
● He established the Comitia Centuriata
● He divided the city into 4 parts according to the hills and population called the Suburana, Esquilina, Collina, and
Palatina.
● Servius Tullius expanded Rome by adding the Quirinal and Viminal hills and extending the Esquiline hill. He built
his palace on the Esquiline. With this, he also expanded the Pomerium
● Servius Tullius built the first wall to completely encircle the city, the Servian Wall
● He also built a Temple to Diana on the Aventine hill
● He also established the first coinage of Rome
Miscellaneous:
● Servius Tullius had 2 daughters, Tullia the Elder and Tullia the Younger whom he married to the sons/grandsons of
Tarquinius Priscus, Arruns and Tarquinius Superbus

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Reign of Tarquinius Superbus (535 B.C. to 510 B.C.):
● Tarquinius Superbus was the tyrannical final king of Rome.
● He was the only king to gain the throne by directly killing his predecessor
● He was driven out of Rome and fought several battles to regain the throne, but eventually retired to the court of
Aristodemus at Cumae where he died
● He was either the son or grandson of Tarquinius Priscus, but Livy states that most people of his era thought him to
be the son rather than grandson

Background and Accession to the Throne:

● Tarquinius Superbus and his brother Arruns married the daughters of Servius Tullius
● Superbus originally married the mild Tullia the Elder while Arruns married the hotheaded Tullia the Younger.
However, the fierce Tullia the Younger was more attracted to the likewise ambitious Superbus and it was reciprocal
● Superbus and Tullia the Younger plotted, then killed Arruns and Tullia the Elder and married each other
● Tullia the Younger incited Superbus to take the throne from her father, Servius Tullius
● He secretly gained the support of the senators to replace Servius Tullius
● Superbus went to the Senate house with armed supporters, claimed the throne and gave a speech railing against Servius
Tullius’ reign. Particularly, he attacked Servius Tullius for being born a slave, becoming king without an election, and
establishing the census which he claimed targeted the rich
● Servius rushed to the Curia when he heard of Superbus’ speech, but Superbus carried the old king and threw him
down the steps of the Senate where he was killed
● Tullia the Younger was the first to hail Superbus as king, but Superbus commanded that she return home, afraid that
the worked-up crowd could harm her
● As her chariot was nearing Urbius street near the Esquiline hill, she took the reins of the chariot and ran over her own
father’s body. The street where this occurred was renamed Vicus Sceleratus
● He refused to bury the body of Servius Tullius saying that Romulus had not had a burial either
Violent Rule:
● Tarquinius Superbus killed off many senators whom he believed supported Servius Tullius and surrounded himself
with a bodyguard, afraid that the fate of Servius Tullius would also befall ahim
● He made himself judge and jury and tried many people on capitol charges, often times just so he could gain their wealth
after their death
● He did not consult the senate, rather he ruled by tyranny
● One day, he called a meeting of the Latins at the Grove of Ferentia, but he arrived late
● At his absence, a man name Turnus Herdonius from Aricia attacked him and accused him of being a tyrant
● Superbus then arrived and began to plot to murder Turnus. He bribed one of Turnus’ slaves to plant a stash of swords
and then accused him of planning to murder all the Latin leaders. He pointed to the stash of swords in Turnus’
possession as evidence. He threw Turnus into the waters at Ferentia and threw rocks at him to kill him
● At this meeting he terrified the Latin leaders into signing a treaty
Wars:
● He fought the first war against the Volsci and took the city of Suessa Pometia. He built most of the Temple of Jupiter
Optimus Maximus that Priscus had vowed to build with the loot

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 ● He fought a war with the city of Gabii but could not take the city directly by storm. He instead decided to trick the
Gabii
● He sent one of his sons, Sextus Tarquinius, to the city of Gabii, claiming that he was fleeing from the evils of
Tarquinius Superbus. Eventually, Sextus Tarquinius earned the respect of the Gabii so much that they elected him
commander-in-chief. However, Sextus then killed off the leaders of the Gabii and gave the city of Superbus after
Superbus signalled to him by chopping the heads of the tallest poppies in a garden
● He also fought a war against the Rutuli and sieged Ardea to gain Ardea’s wealth for himself
Institutions and Architecture:
● To build the magnificent Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, he had to destroy old shrines. The only shrine that the
augural birds would not allow to be destroyed was the shrine to Terminus, the god of boundaries. This was interpreted
as Rome would have a stable and secure future
● Another omen that occurred during the construction was that a fully intact head was found in the digging of the
foundation. This was interpreted as Rome would be the head of a great empire
● He renovated the Circus Maximus and Cloaca Maxima
● He also established 2 defensive colonies, Signia and Circeii
● During construction, a snake darted out from a wooden column. He sent 2 of his sons, Arruns and Titus along with his
nephew Lucius Iunius Brutus to the Oracle of Delphi to inquire about what this meant. Brutus brought a staff to
Apollo
● Brutus was clever and seeing that his uncle, Superbus, had killed many leading men and Brutus’ brother, Brutus
feigned ignorance and stupidity to avoid being seen as a threat (like Claudius would do later)
● The Oracle of Delphi told them that the first to kiss their mother would hold supreme power in Rome. The 2 Tarquins
ordered Brutus not to say anything, intending to eliminate Sextus as a successor. Brutus interpreted mother to mean
mother earth so he pretended to fall, then kissed the ground
● The Sibyl of Cumae came to Superbus and offered to sell him the 9 prophetical Sibylline books but Tarquinius
refused at such a large price, so the Sibyl burned 3 books then offered to sell the 6 left at the same price. Once again, he
said no, so the Sibyl burned another 3. Then, disturbed, he bought the 3 left at the same price for all 9

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Rise of the Republic:
Excesses of the Tarquinii:
● At the military camp during the siege of Ardea, Sextus Tarquinius invited a relative, Tarquinius Collatinus to his
camp. Collatinus was the son of Egerius, the nephew of Tarquinius Priscus. They discussed whose wife was the most
virtuous and Collatinus claimed that when they saw his wife, Lucretia, they would all agree that she was the best
● They went to Collatia and when they saw Lucretia, they indeed agreed that she was the best.
● Sextus Tarquinius returned to Collatia alone a few days later and in the night, he raped Lucretia, threatening to kill
her and place her body with a slave’s if she mentioned it to anyone. Lucretia, not wanting to disgrace Collatinus did not
struggle
● After Sextus left, Lucretia called her father, Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus and her husband, Collatinus, and told
them to come with one trusted companion. Lucretius brought Publius Valerius and Collatinus brought Lucius
Iunius Brutus
● Lucretia revealed her rape at the hands of Sextus to them and made them swear to avenge her. Then, she took a knife and
stabbed herself in the breast, killing herself
● Taking the bloody knife from Lucretia’s body, Brutus cried:

“By this blood, so pure before defilement by prince Tarquin, I hereby swear--and you, O deities, I make my
witnesses--that I will drive out Lucius Tarquinius Superbus together with his criminal wife and all his progeny with
sword, fire, and whatever force I can muster, nor will I allow them or anyone else to be king at Rome”

● The 4 men returned to Rome and Brutus, who was also the leader of the Celeres, the king’s bodyguards, gave a speech
attacking Superbus and his family for his crimes.
● Leaving Lucretius to garrison and defend Rome in case Tarquinius Superbus came there, Brutus headed to the camp
at Ardea. Superbus did rush to Rome but found himself unwelcome and the gates closed by Lucretius. Brutus arrived
at camp and expelled the sons of Superbus
● Two of the sons, Arruns and Titus fled to Caere with Superbus while the third, Sextus went to Gabii, but the
outraged citizens of Gabii killed him
Institutions:
● Following the expulsion of the Tarquins and the Senate’s abolishment of Monarchy, it was decided that Rome would be
ruled by 2 to avoid the tyranny of the rule of a single person.
● These were called consuls and they were to be elected for 1 year terms. Each had the power of the veto to counter the
other in case one became tyrannical.
● However, only 1 consul held the fasces and insignia of the office at a single time to avoid intimidation of the public
● There were elections for the first 2 consuls in the Comitia Centuriata and the winners were Lucius Iunius Brutus, the
nephew of Tarquinius Superbus, and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, the grandnephew of Tarquinius Priscus
● Brutus made every citizen swear that they would allow no man to become a king of Rome
● Brutus also restored the Senate to 300 after the purges of Tarquinius Superbus had lessened the number. These new
senators were called conscripti
● Since there was no king to perform religious rites anymore, they established a new official called the rex sacrorum
● However, the public became discontent that one of their rulers still carried the name of Tarquinius, so Brutus forced
Tarquinius Collatinus to leave the consulship. Collatinus was stunned by the betrayal but Spurius Lucretius
convinced him to stand down. Collatinus left Rome and headed to Lavinium
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 ● The Comitia Centuriata then elected Publius Valerius to be consul
● After the deaths of Brutus and Lucretius, their successor Pulvillus finally consecrated the Temple of Jupiter
Optimus Maximus
Tarquinian Conspiracy:
● The Tarquinii sent envoys to Rome asking for repatriation of their property
● While the Senate debated, the envoys secretly made the rounds to young noblemen who longed for the carefree time of
the monarchy when they had more power and they proposed to sneak the Tarquins back into the city and re-establish
the monarchy
● The leaders were the Vitellii and Aquilii brothers, but the sister of the Vitellii brothers was married to Brutus
● Even the sons of Brutus, Titus and Tiberius were drawn into the plot by their uncles, the Vitellii
● The Senate voted to give the Tarquins back their property and in the time during the transport of the property, the
Vitellii held a feast for all of the conspirators
● However, a slave overheard the plotting and rushed to the consuls and reported what he had heard. The slave was
possibly called Vindicius and was rewarded handsomely with money, freedom, and citizenship.
● The word vindicta possibly comes from his name
● The consuls arrested all the traitors and the Senate now voted to overturn their previous act and seize all the property and
the plebeians looted it
● The personal land of the Tarquins was dedicated to Mars and called the Campus Martius. The grain that had been
growing on the land was thrown into the Tiber
● All the traitors including Brutus’ own sons were stripped, flogged, and beheaded in front of Brutus who did not show
any emotion
● Seems to be a recurring theme of noble Romans killing their sons without emotion such as with Torquatus later
Battle of Silva Arsia:
● The armies of Tarquinius Superbus and the new Roman Republic met near the Silva Arsia. The Roman infantry was
led by Valerius while the Roman cavalry was led by Brutus. Arruns led the enemy cavalry while Superbus led the
infantry
● Arruns saw Brutus and charged him killing each other
● The Veii and Tarquinii were repelled
● Valerius held a triumph for the victory and a funeral for Brutus. The women held a year of mourning for Brutus
● However, after the battle there were rumors that Valerius had monarchal ambitions as he did not replace Brutus’ empty
consulship and was building a house on the Velian hill
● Valerius repelled the rumors and took down his building materials. Afterwards, the public assigned him the cognomen
of Publicola/Poplicola meaning “People’s friend”. He then held an election and Spurius Lucretius became consul.
However, Lucretius was old and died a few days into his consulship and Marcus Horatius Pulvillus replaced him
Siege of Rome:
● Tarquinius then fled to king Lars Porsenna of Clusium. Porsenna, wanting to spread Etruscan power, agreed to help.
● Horatius Cocles defended the Pons Sublicius from the Etruscans until the Romans could break it. Some say he
defended it alone, while others say 2 colleagues, Spurius Larcius and Titus Herminius defended it with him. He
earned his agnomen, “Cocles”, meaning one-eyed in the battle because he lost an eye
● To end raiding, Valerius set an ambush with Titus Herminius and Spurius Larcius
● Gaius Mucius Scaevola was sent to assassinate Lars Porsenna, but he stabbed Porsenna’s secretary instead who was
dressed exactly identical to Porsenna. Porsenna ordered him to be burned in a fire, but Mucius said that even if he died,

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 there would be many more like him and thrust his right hand into the flame. Porsenna, impressed with his bravery,
released him and he earned his agnomen, “Scaevola”, meaning lefty because of the burning of is right hand
● Porsenna had many Romans as hostages and one was Cloelia. Cloelia led many of the hostages to swim to the Tiber
and return to Rome. Porsenna, impressed with her bravery, said that he wanted the hostages returned, but he would not
harm them and he would let Cloelia return to Rome with some hostages of her choosing. Cloelia chose Roman boys to
continue the war. She was rewarded with the first statue of a woman in the city on the Via Sacra
● Porsenna left Rome and attacked Aricia instead. Aricia had allies in Cumae and from the Latins
● Many refugees from the battle came to Rome and were given the Tuscan Quarter to live in
● Porsenna, impressed with Roman resolve, became an ally and gave back all territory and hostages taken in the war
Battle of Lake Regillus (496 B.C.):
● Tarquinius Superbus incited his son-in-law, Octavius Mamillius to go to war against the Romans.
● The Romans appointed Aulus Postumius as dictator with Titus Aebutius as his magister equitum (master of the
horse)
● The 2 forces clashed near Lake Regillus and almost all the nobles were wounded including Superbus but excluding
Postumius
● Mamillius and Aebutius duelled and greatly wounded each other
● Titus Hermilius killed Mamillus but was killed while trying to gain the spoils
● It is said that Castor and Pollux fought on the Roman side and a temple was built in their honor
● The Romans won and Postumius and Aebutius celebrated a triumph.