Romulus, Remus, and the Latins

Twin Conflicts and Identity in Early Roman Tradition

Abstract

This article interprets the fratricide between Romulus and Remus within the broader context of Roman–Latin relations. It is based on the observation that Roman tradition connects several chronologically distant episodes through shared motifs – most notably the twin motif, the struggle between symmetrical opponents, and extreme violence. The study offers a detailed analysis of the story of Romulus and Remus, the duel of the Horatii and the Curiatii, and key episodes of the Latin wars, with particular attention to Livy’s narrative strategies. It argues that these mutually reflective narratives form a thematic ‘Latin logos’ within Roman cultural memory, in which Roman identity takes shape through the tension between essential sameness with the Latins and a violent assertion of separation from them. In this way, the mythical twin motif emerges as one of the fundamental interpretive frameworks of Roman self-definition.