By . Sarah Griffiths . Rome is celebrating its official 2,767th birthday next week. But at least 100 more candles should be added to the Eternal City’s cake if experts are correct in thinking that Rome is between 100 and 200 years older than previously claimed. It has been said that the ancient city was founded on April 21 in the year 753BC, partly based upon the myth of Romulus and Remus. More ancient than thought: Rome is officially celebrating its 2,767th birthday next week,but archeologists ahve discovered a piece of wall that suggests the is between 100 and 200 years older than previously claimed. A view of the Roman Forum is pictured from the ancient Palatine Hill . Romulus and Remus were twins born of Rhea Silvia, daughter to Numitor, the king of Alba Longa. Before their birth, the king's brother Amulius seizes power and forces Rhea to become a vestal virgin, sworn to chastity. She conceives the twins by the god Mars and Amulius leaves them to die by the Rover Tiber when he finds out. They are saved by a she-wolf, are fed by a woodpecker and they are bought up as shepherds. Ignorant of their ancestry, they prove to be great leaders and when they find out the truth, kill Amulius and restore Numitor to his throne, before founding a new city - Rome. Romulus wants to found the city on Palatine Hill, while Remus prefers Aventine Hill. After an argument, Remus is killed and Rome is founded and named after the victorious twin, Romulus. The myth was developed into an 'official' story in the Late Republican and early Imperial era of Rome, with Roman historians dating the city to between 758 and 728BC. The official date of the formation of Rome is April 21 in the year 753BC. But archaeological evidence suggests that Rome could predate the popular establishment date by 100 or more years. Italian newspaper Il Messagero reported that Patrizia Fortini, the archaeologist who is responsible for Rome’s Forum, has discovered a wall that was constructed before the founding date of the city. It is made from blocks of volcanic tuff – a material made from compressed volcanic ash - and looks like it was built to channel water from an aquifer running from under the Capitoline Hill to the River Spino, which is a small tributary of Rome’s River Tiber, according to The Guardian. Archaeologists also found pottery fragments and the remains of food next to the wall, which is located close to the Lapis Niger, or Black Stone, which is a shrine that Romans visited to recognise the earliest days of the city. Dr Fortini said: ‘The examination of the ceramic material was crucial, allowing us today to fix the wall chronologically between the 9th century and the beginning of the 8th century.’ A bit of a howler? The discovery of the wall hints that the construction of the city in stone began earlier than documented by Roman historians, who based their version of events on the myth of Romulus and Remus who were said to be raised by a she-wolf (a famous statue is pictured) The discovery of the wall hints that the construction of the city in stone began earlier than previously imagined. The site near to where the wall was found includes a block of stone called 'Lex Sacra' with what is thought to be the earliest inscription in Latin, written in approximately 565BC. While the meaning of the engraving isn’t known, there is a rumour that anyone who damages the site will be cursed. Archaeologists have been excavating the site since 2009 using historic photos and research to make new discoveries. They include the work of famed archaeologist Giacomo Boni, who led the excavation of the Roman Forum from 1899 until 1925 when he died, The Telegraph reported. The site near to where the wall was found includes a block of stone called 'Lex Sacra' with what is thought to be the earliest inscription in Latin, written in approximately 565BC. The aquifer, of which the wall is thought to have been a part, ran from the Capitoline Hill (marked on the map) to a tributary of the River Tiber . From his images, Dr Fortuni's team made 3D models of the site and used laser scanners to determine the wall's exact location. The old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day is true and experts think the city started as a small settlement that grew over the years and that the traditional date for its foundation was merely invented by a writer later in the city’s Roman history. The wall could therefore hint at one of the earliest parts of the settlement, from which the rest of the city spread from. Historians have previously said there is evidence of people settling on the Palatine Hill – the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the city – as early as the 10th century BC.
Rome is celebrating its 2,767th birthday next week and could be between 100 and 200 years older than thought .
It has been claimed that the ancient city was founded on 21 April in the year 753BC, but new evidence appears to disprove the theory .
A wall made of volcanic tuff that looks like it was part of an aquifer near the Capitoline Hill suggests that the city predates its 'founding' date .
Back to Mail Online home .
Back to the page you came from .
By . Sarah Griffiths . Rome is celebrating its official 2,767th birthday next week. But at least 100 more candles should be added to the Eternal City’s cake if experts are correct in thinking that Rome is between 100 and 200 years older than previously claimed. It has been said that the ancient city was founded on April 21 in the year 753BC, partly based upon the myth of Romulus and Remus. More ancient than thought: Rome is officially celebrating its 2,767th birthday next week,but archeologists ahve discovered a piece of wall that suggests the is between 100 and 200 years older than previously claimed. A view of the Roman Forum is pictured from the ancient Palatine Hill . Romulus and Remus were twins born of Rhea Silvia, daughter to Numitor, the king of Alba Longa. Before their birth, the king's brother Amulius seizes power and forces Rhea to become a vestal virgin, sworn to chastity. She conceives the twins by the god Mars and Amulius leaves them to die by the Rover Tiber when he finds out. They are saved by a she-wolf, are fed by a woodpecker and they are bought up as shepherds. Ignorant of their ancestry, they prove to be great leaders and when they find out the truth, kill Amulius and restore Numitor to his throne, before founding a new city - Rome. Romulus wants to found the city on Palatine Hill, while Remus prefers Aventine Hill. After an argument, Remus is killed and Rome is founded and named after the victorious twin, Romulus. The myth was developed into an 'official' story in the Late Republican and early Imperial era of Rome, with Roman historians dating the city to between 758 and 728BC. The official date of the formation of Rome is April 21 in the year 753BC. But archaeological evidence suggests that Rome could predate the popular establishment date by 100 or more years. Italian newspaper Il Messagero reported that Patrizia Fortini, the archaeologist who is responsible for Rome’s Forum, has discovered a wall that was constructed before the founding date of the city. It is made from blocks of volcanic tuff – a material made from compressed volcanic ash - and looks like it was built to channel water from an aquifer running from under the Capitoline Hill to the River Spino, which is a small tributary of Rome’s River Tiber, according to The Guardian. Archaeologists also found pottery fragments and the remains of food next to the wall, which is located close to the Lapis Niger, or Black Stone, which is a shrine that Romans visited to recognise the earliest days of the city. Dr Fortini said: ‘The examination of the ceramic material was crucial, allowing us today to fix the wall chronologically between the 9th century and the beginning of the 8th century.’ A bit of a howler? The discovery of the wall hints that the construction of the city in stone began earlier than documented by Roman historians, who based their version of events on the myth of Romulus and Remus who were said to be raised by a she-wolf (a famous statue is pictured) The discovery of the wall hints that the construction of the city in stone began earlier than previously imagined. The site near to where the wall was found includes a block of stone called 'Lex Sacra' with what is thought to be the earliest inscription in Latin, written in approximately 565BC. While the meaning of the engraving isn’t known, there is a rumour that anyone who damages the site will be cursed. Archaeologists have been excavating the site since 2009 using historic photos and research to make new discoveries. They include the work of famed archaeologist Giacomo Boni, who led the excavation of the Roman Forum from 1899 until 1925 when he died, The Telegraph reported. The site near to where the wall was found includes a block of stone called 'Lex Sacra' with what is thought to be the earliest inscription in Latin, written in approximately 565BC. The aquifer, of which the wall is thought to have been a part, ran from the Capitoline Hill (marked on the map) to a tributary of the River Tiber . From his images, Dr Fortuni's team made 3D models of the site and used laser scanners to determine the wall's exact location. The old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day is true and experts think the city started as a small settlement that grew over the years and that the traditional date for its foundation was merely invented by a writer later in the city’s Roman history. The wall could therefore hint at one of the earliest parts of the settlement, from which the rest of the city spread from. Historians have previously said there is evidence of people settling on the Palatine Hill – the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the city – as early as the 10th century BC.
that Rome is between 100 and 200 years older than previously claimed. It has been said that the ancient city was founded on April 21 in the year officially celebrating its 2,767th birthday next formation of Rome is April 21 in the year 753BC. But archaeological evidence suggests that Rome founding date of the city. It is made from blocks of volcanic tuff – a material made from compressed volcanic ash - and looks like it was from under the Capitoline Hill to the River