The Capitoline Wolf Statue: The Sculpture Depicting the Birth of Rome

The origins of Rome, Italy, are steeped in myth that simply unveils curiosity from many visitors to the city. The fact is many of those who visit the city will be intrigued at the sight of she-wolf sculptures built into many of the monuments of this delightful city of Rome. When you visit Rome, you will find many of these Capitoline wolf statues but if you happen to visit the Capitoline Museums, you will see the original life size bronze statue of a she-wolf nursing two human twin babies which started it all in one of the two Capitoline museums, the Palazzo Nuovo. This life size wolf statue which is said to be steeped in antiquity possibly even before the Etruscan era, was once housed in the famous Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. And the set of twin boy statues being nursed by the wolf were said to be the legendary founders of the city of Rome - Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned by their parents as infants and raised by the she-wolf.

What is the Capitoline Wolf Statue?

So, how did this statue known as the Lupa Capitolina, get found? What is so interesting is that when the Lupa Capitolina statue was found on the Palatine Hill, there were no human babies attached to the sculpture. According to the story, the famous Florence sculptor and painter Antonio del Pollaiuolo completed the look of the Capitoline Wolf by adding two twins who were fed by the she-wolf. The manner the twin children were added is a deliberate effort with one twin sitting with his feet splaying to either side, while the other is seen kneeling beside him. Both children face upwards, appearing to suckle off the she-wolf. The twins are not created to be chubby but are lean with no trace of baby fat.

The statue was then left near the gates of the Lateran where it was woven into the everyday life of Roman, presiding over elections, executions and other major political meetings. In 1471, the she-wolf was moved to the church of San Teodoro and then to the so-called Palazzo Nuovo which overlooks the Piazza del Campidoglio, a public square on the top of the ancient Capitoline Hill, by order of Pope Sixtus IV. It was to the piazza that housed the two famous Capitoline museums, that the pope donated a series of ancient sculptures which included the Capitoline Wolf as it is known today.

The Legend of Romulus and Remus

According to the ancient Roman literature, Romulus and Remus, were the twin sons of Rhea Silvia, a Vestal Virgin, and Mars, the Roman god of war. Their uncle, King Amulius, fearing their claim to the throne, ordered them to be drowned in the Tiber River. The twins were instead left in a basket and set adrift in the river where the Gods ensured that it safely got stuck in the branches that led to the Palatine Hill. There, they were found by a she-wolf who looked after them, nursing them until they were later found by a shepherd named Faustulus, who raised them with his wife, Acca Larentia.

Legend has it that the twins grew up and disagreed on the location of the new city with Romulus seeking the Palatine Hill and Remus, the Aventine Hill. They sought the help of the Gods for advice but each time, the signs were interpreted differently and it led to frequent disputes that caused Romulus to kill his jealous brother Remus, an act he would later regret as king. Romulus was then said to have founded the city on Palatine Hill where he became king and named it after himself.

The Birth of Rome

The legend of the Capitoline Wolf is intertwined heavily into the birth of the city of Rome. It is common place to see banners and statues of the Capitoline Wolf as part of the monuments of Rome, attesting to the greatness of the ancient Roman Empire. There are even some records that show that the she-wolf had appeared on ancient Roman coins in the third century B.C. Hence, it is little wonder why the Capitoline Wolf is a symbol of Rome. In all, it represents the city and its enduring spirit, finding its way as an emblem and poster for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. So engendered is the mark of the Capitoline  Wolf that it has been used on lamp-posts and even on trash cans! Certainly the Capitoline Wolf statue is a Roman mark that is stamped onto the everyday life of the Roman people and today, it has even found its way into widely populated Italian populated cities like Rome in Georgia, USA, where Italians in such cities continue to cling to their heritage recognizing the Lupa Capitolina statue that graces the city of Rome even till this day.