What do you think?
Rate this book
Romulus: The Legend of Rome's Founding Father
“Hyden leans into a tone reminiscent of a bard regaling those around a campfire with stories of a hero’s great exploits… [He tells] a fascinating origin story.” – Booklist
According to legend, Romulus was born to a Vestal Virgin and left for dead as an infant near the Tiber River. His life nearly ended as quickly as it began, but fate had other plans. A humble shepherd rescued the child and helped raise him into manhood. As Romulus grew older, he fearlessly engaged in a series of perilous adventures that ultimately culminated in Rome’s founding, and he became its fabled first king.
Establishing a new city had its price, and Romulus was forced to defend the nascent community. As he tirelessly safeguarded Rome, Romulus proved that he was a competent leader and talented general. Yet, he also harbored a dark side, which reared its head in many ways and tainted his legacy, but despite all of his misdeeds, redemption and subsequent triumphs were usually within his grasp. Indeed, he is an example of how greatness is sometimes born of disgrace.
Regardless of his foreboding flaws, Rome allegedly existed because of him and became massively successful. As the centuries passed, the Romans never forgot their celebrated founder.
This is the story that many ancient Romans believed.
According to legend, Romulus was born to a Vestal Virgin and left for dead as an infant near the Tiber River. His life nearly ended as quickly as it began, but fate had other plans. A humble shepherd rescued the child and helped raise him into manhood. As Romulus grew older, he fearlessly engaged in a series of perilous adventures that ultimately culminated in Rome’s founding, and he became its fabled first king.
Establishing a new city had its price, and Romulus was forced to defend the nascent community. As he tirelessly safeguarded Rome, Romulus proved that he was a competent leader and talented general. Yet, he also harbored a dark side, which reared its head in many ways and tainted his legacy, but despite all of his misdeeds, redemption and subsequent triumphs were usually within his grasp. Indeed, he is an example of how greatness is sometimes born of disgrace.
Regardless of his foreboding flaws, Rome allegedly existed because of him and became massively successful. As the centuries passed, the Romans never forgot their celebrated founder.
This is the story that many ancient Romans believed.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2020
12 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Marc Hyden
4 books9 followersMarc Hyden is a Roman historian who has written extensively on various aspects of Rome's history. He is the author of "Gaius Marius: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Saviour" (Pen & Sword, 2017), "Romulus: The Legend of Rome’s Founding Father" (Pen & Sword, 2020), "Marcus Furius Camillus: The Life of Rome’s Second Founder" (Pen & Sword, 2023) and "Emperor Titus: The Right Hand of Vespasian" (McFarland, 2025).
Marc is also the Senior Director of State Government Affairs at a Washington DC-based think tank and a weekly newspaper columnist. He graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in philosophy.
Marc is also the Senior Director of State Government Affairs at a Washington DC-based think tank and a weekly newspaper columnist. He graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in philosophy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2024
Written by historian Marc Hyden, Romulus recounts the history of the almost mythical founder of not only the Roman people but also, the city of his name, Rome. Most modern scholars tend to throw the stories and legends surrounding Romulus into the realm of mythology. Not the ancient Romans. To them, he was more than a legend. He not only established the city of Rome (ca. April 21st in the 8th century BCE), he also gave it its governing bodies, religious structure and so much more.
The author, Marc Hyden, showcases a unique and wonderful talent, in that, he knows how to tell a story. I really enjoyed this book and despite the often contradictory sources, I really enjoyed how Hyden framed the entire story of the mythological founder of Rome into a single cohesive narrative.
This is not your typical research novel. It recounts a tale of epic proportions. However, the accounts written of its main protagonist do not stem from a single source. From Cicero to Pliny, Plutarch, Vergil and many more, Hyden relies on the ancient authors themselves to get as close to the source of the events as possible. And when there is doubt or a need to confirm any aspects to the narrative, the author provides the archaeological evidence.
Our story begins with Aeneas and his fleeing from the burning citadel of Troy. It was a place in which he once called home. He, his son, father and a band of Trojan refugees embark on an exodus West of the Anatolian mainland and through a series of trials and tribulations eventually lands on the Western regions of the Italian mainland.
Generations pass and we get to the events of when Alba Longa’s ruler Numitor was dethroned by the usurper and his brother, Amulius. Numitor’s sons were mysteriously executed and his daughter was sentenced to be a vestal virgin. It is there that she was impregnated (by the god Mars) and gave birth to the twins, Romulus and Remus. Upon discovery of this, Amulius sentences the young infants to death. However, they escape this fate and live a simple life as shepherds until they discover that Numitor is their grandfather, where they aid him in reclaiming the throne.
The very detailed events that follow focus on the twins and as soon as Remus is killed, on Romulus alone. The reader may take notice that many of his trials reflect that of his forefather, Aeneas.
Again, I immensely enjoyed reading Romulus and would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in either Roman history or general Greco-Roman mythology.
The author, Marc Hyden, showcases a unique and wonderful talent, in that, he knows how to tell a story. I really enjoyed this book and despite the often contradictory sources, I really enjoyed how Hyden framed the entire story of the mythological founder of Rome into a single cohesive narrative.
This is not your typical research novel. It recounts a tale of epic proportions. However, the accounts written of its main protagonist do not stem from a single source. From Cicero to Pliny, Plutarch, Vergil and many more, Hyden relies on the ancient authors themselves to get as close to the source of the events as possible. And when there is doubt or a need to confirm any aspects to the narrative, the author provides the archaeological evidence.
Our story begins with Aeneas and his fleeing from the burning citadel of Troy. It was a place in which he once called home. He, his son, father and a band of Trojan refugees embark on an exodus West of the Anatolian mainland and through a series of trials and tribulations eventually lands on the Western regions of the Italian mainland.
Generations pass and we get to the events of when Alba Longa’s ruler Numitor was dethroned by the usurper and his brother, Amulius. Numitor’s sons were mysteriously executed and his daughter was sentenced to be a vestal virgin. It is there that she was impregnated (by the god Mars) and gave birth to the twins, Romulus and Remus. Upon discovery of this, Amulius sentences the young infants to death. However, they escape this fate and live a simple life as shepherds until they discover that Numitor is their grandfather, where they aid him in reclaiming the throne.
The very detailed events that follow focus on the twins and as soon as Remus is killed, on Romulus alone. The reader may take notice that many of his trials reflect that of his forefather, Aeneas.
Again, I immensely enjoyed reading Romulus and would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in either Roman history or general Greco-Roman mythology.
October 19, 2025
Historian Marc Hyden Studies The Myths & Legends Of Rome's Legendary Founder, Romulus.
Throughout Rome's storied past, there is no historical or mythological figure who casts a larger shadow than that of its first monarch, Romulus. Reputedly descended from the bloodline of the legendary Aeneas of Troy, Romulus was, according to legend, born into a royal Alban family when he & his twin brother, Remus, were both spontaneously conceived into the womb of Rhea Silvia, beautiful daughter of the noble & just Numitor, king of Alba Longa, by the Roman god of war Mars. Numitor's wicked brother was the usurper, Amulius, who through treachery gains the throne by shamefully deposing his sibling upon the death of their sire, the wise Alban King Proca, from natural causes.
Romulus & Remus are abandoned on the banks of a river outside of Alba Longa, shortly after being born. The twins are found by an honest, caring shepherd named Faustulus, & his wife, Acca Larentia, who is stricken with grief after losing her own child in a miscarriage. Larentia & Faustulus find comfort in raising the orphaned twins as their own children, & such is how the life of the first Roman king, Romulus, begins. His saga is truly an epic tale, one abounding with action, intrigue, betrayal, tragedy, & mercy.
Chronicles of Romulus' life & achievements can be found in the writing of numerous classical scholars & historians from Greek & Roman antiquity. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, more commonly known as Plutarch, wrote a Life Of Romulus, probably the most famous of the ancient Romulean accountings. Titus Livius, in his legendary history of Rome, the Ab Urbe Condita Libri, or Books From The Founding Of The City provides a wonderful chronicle of his life & reign in the first book. And the ancient Greek scholar & rhetorician, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, features a version of the Romulus & Remus legend in the initial two volumes of his massive work, the Rhōmaïkḕ Arkhaiología, or 'Roman Antiquities'.
Marc Hyden has copiously referenced the writings of all three of these ancient scholars as well as others for his modern biography of the most famous of the eight kings of Ancient Rome, Romulus : The Legend Of Rome's Founding Father. He has woven all of this historical source material into a compelling 250-page narrative that is written in an accessible style which is very easy & enjoyable to read, especially if you aren't a history buff who is familiar with the works of Livius, Plutarch or the others. Hyden's writing style is unpretentious & direct, without any superfluous verbiage to bog down the pacing in his book, which is 29 exciting chapters in length. Through the course of reading it, you will learn all manner of interesting factoids related with Romuluean lore & history. Did you know that the ancient city of Troy is believed to be located on the site of Hisarlik, which in Turkish means 'Place Of Fortresses', in Asia Minor? And Romulus' twin, Remus, had originally wanted to found a city of his own, one he hoped to call Remoria, after hearing that his brother arrogantly intended to name their burgeoning settlement after himself.
Romulus was a monarch who was initially in a very vulnerable position, & over the course of his reign, he was forced to employ a number of diplomatic & military strategies if he was to remain in power. The middle chapters of Hyden's book were among my favorites, because he does such a compelling job of keeping the reader engaged as he explains how Rome's feared sovereign negotiated, intimidated, & subjugated the city-states of Old Latium to eventually bring them under Roman rule. In Chapter VII, Caenina, Rome leads her armies into an epic conflict with Acron, king of Caenina, culminating with the Caeninese ruler being slain by Romulus in single combat. Afterwards, he collects the fallen chieftain's armor as a trophy, & the brutal event gives birth to the ancient Roman custom of Spolia Opima, which means, 'The Noblest Spoils'. In the later chapters, Romulus must face the mighty Etruscan city-states, Fidenae & Veii, whose kings were shrewd, & their people, well-provisioned. The wealthy Latin towns in the Etruria region were powerful indeed, when compared to the fledgling, upstart, sovereign state of Rome. The small Roman settlement originally was a colony of Alba Longa, the realm of Romulus' grand-sire, Numitor. In English, 'Alba Longa' translates to 'Long White'.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving the dramatic events of Romulean legend into his biography's narrative, such as the abduction of the Sabine women, the 'Battle of the Lacus Curtius', & the tragedy of the Vestal Virgin, Tarpeia, when she betrays Romulus to Titus Tapius, king of Cures, & allows a Sabine army into the newly-constructed Roman stronghold on the Capitoline Mount. Hyden includes for reference a map of the Seven Hills Of Rome, as well as one of Ancient Latium, & they both are invaluable as you progress through his book.
After all of this time, we still don't know for sure if the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, was an actual person who lived, or just a myth that the Romans imagined to conceive of an appropriately dramatic genesis for their empire. What do you think? Was Romulus real, or was he just a Roman legend? As you read this book, I believe you will be asking yourself these same questions. Marc Hyden did an amazing job in composing this biography, which is the only one of its kind that I am aware of. His book will take you probably around a week of dedicated reading to complete, it's close to 250 pages, hardcover. I'm quite sure you will thoroughly enjoy it if you have any interest in Roman history, or Romulus. If you would like some suggestions on additional titles featuring Romulus, then I suggest the following which are all available from the Penguin Classics : Titus Livy's The Early History Of Rome, & Plutarch's The Rise Of Rome, a compendium of short biographies, called Lives, which he wrote on various Roman historical figures, among them Romulus & his successor, Numa Pompilius, whose fervent dedication to the Roman religion was as famed as Romulus' legacy as a conqueror. As far as the writing goes, Plutarch is very easy reading, for an ancient classical writer. Penguin really does a superb job overall in translating his work into something that's accessible & fun to experience as a modern reader. If you enjoyed Marc Hyden's book, I believe you will also like either Livy, or Plutarch for more on the myths & legends of Romulus. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the review!
Throughout Rome's storied past, there is no historical or mythological figure who casts a larger shadow than that of its first monarch, Romulus. Reputedly descended from the bloodline of the legendary Aeneas of Troy, Romulus was, according to legend, born into a royal Alban family when he & his twin brother, Remus, were both spontaneously conceived into the womb of Rhea Silvia, beautiful daughter of the noble & just Numitor, king of Alba Longa, by the Roman god of war Mars. Numitor's wicked brother was the usurper, Amulius, who through treachery gains the throne by shamefully deposing his sibling upon the death of their sire, the wise Alban King Proca, from natural causes.
Romulus & Remus are abandoned on the banks of a river outside of Alba Longa, shortly after being born. The twins are found by an honest, caring shepherd named Faustulus, & his wife, Acca Larentia, who is stricken with grief after losing her own child in a miscarriage. Larentia & Faustulus find comfort in raising the orphaned twins as their own children, & such is how the life of the first Roman king, Romulus, begins. His saga is truly an epic tale, one abounding with action, intrigue, betrayal, tragedy, & mercy.
Chronicles of Romulus' life & achievements can be found in the writing of numerous classical scholars & historians from Greek & Roman antiquity. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, more commonly known as Plutarch, wrote a Life Of Romulus, probably the most famous of the ancient Romulean accountings. Titus Livius, in his legendary history of Rome, the Ab Urbe Condita Libri, or Books From The Founding Of The City provides a wonderful chronicle of his life & reign in the first book. And the ancient Greek scholar & rhetorician, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, features a version of the Romulus & Remus legend in the initial two volumes of his massive work, the Rhōmaïkḕ Arkhaiología, or 'Roman Antiquities'.
Marc Hyden has copiously referenced the writings of all three of these ancient scholars as well as others for his modern biography of the most famous of the eight kings of Ancient Rome, Romulus : The Legend Of Rome's Founding Father. He has woven all of this historical source material into a compelling 250-page narrative that is written in an accessible style which is very easy & enjoyable to read, especially if you aren't a history buff who is familiar with the works of Livius, Plutarch or the others. Hyden's writing style is unpretentious & direct, without any superfluous verbiage to bog down the pacing in his book, which is 29 exciting chapters in length. Through the course of reading it, you will learn all manner of interesting factoids related with Romuluean lore & history. Did you know that the ancient city of Troy is believed to be located on the site of Hisarlik, which in Turkish means 'Place Of Fortresses', in Asia Minor? And Romulus' twin, Remus, had originally wanted to found a city of his own, one he hoped to call Remoria, after hearing that his brother arrogantly intended to name their burgeoning settlement after himself.
Romulus was a monarch who was initially in a very vulnerable position, & over the course of his reign, he was forced to employ a number of diplomatic & military strategies if he was to remain in power. The middle chapters of Hyden's book were among my favorites, because he does such a compelling job of keeping the reader engaged as he explains how Rome's feared sovereign negotiated, intimidated, & subjugated the city-states of Old Latium to eventually bring them under Roman rule. In Chapter VII, Caenina, Rome leads her armies into an epic conflict with Acron, king of Caenina, culminating with the Caeninese ruler being slain by Romulus in single combat. Afterwards, he collects the fallen chieftain's armor as a trophy, & the brutal event gives birth to the ancient Roman custom of Spolia Opima, which means, 'The Noblest Spoils'. In the later chapters, Romulus must face the mighty Etruscan city-states, Fidenae & Veii, whose kings were shrewd, & their people, well-provisioned. The wealthy Latin towns in the Etruria region were powerful indeed, when compared to the fledgling, upstart, sovereign state of Rome. The small Roman settlement originally was a colony of Alba Longa, the realm of Romulus' grand-sire, Numitor. In English, 'Alba Longa' translates to 'Long White'.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving the dramatic events of Romulean legend into his biography's narrative, such as the abduction of the Sabine women, the 'Battle of the Lacus Curtius', & the tragedy of the Vestal Virgin, Tarpeia, when she betrays Romulus to Titus Tapius, king of Cures, & allows a Sabine army into the newly-constructed Roman stronghold on the Capitoline Mount. Hyden includes for reference a map of the Seven Hills Of Rome, as well as one of Ancient Latium, & they both are invaluable as you progress through his book.
After all of this time, we still don't know for sure if the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, was an actual person who lived, or just a myth that the Romans imagined to conceive of an appropriately dramatic genesis for their empire. What do you think? Was Romulus real, or was he just a Roman legend? As you read this book, I believe you will be asking yourself these same questions. Marc Hyden did an amazing job in composing this biography, which is the only one of its kind that I am aware of. His book will take you probably around a week of dedicated reading to complete, it's close to 250 pages, hardcover. I'm quite sure you will thoroughly enjoy it if you have any interest in Roman history, or Romulus. If you would like some suggestions on additional titles featuring Romulus, then I suggest the following which are all available from the Penguin Classics : Titus Livy's The Early History Of Rome, & Plutarch's The Rise Of Rome, a compendium of short biographies, called Lives, which he wrote on various Roman historical figures, among them Romulus & his successor, Numa Pompilius, whose fervent dedication to the Roman religion was as famed as Romulus' legacy as a conqueror. As far as the writing goes, Plutarch is very easy reading, for an ancient classical writer. Penguin really does a superb job overall in translating his work into something that's accessible & fun to experience as a modern reader. If you enjoyed Marc Hyden's book, I believe you will also like either Livy, or Plutarch for more on the myths & legends of Romulus. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the review!
May 19, 2024
The start and the end included good examination of the historical bavkground of the myth. There was even a good analysis of Romulus's actions but this doesn't appear in the middle of the book.
When actually narrating the story of Rome's founder I felt there was no critical examination at that exact point for example the Sabine women issue or Herselia Romulus's wife barely talked about, The overwhelming focus on Romulus made me feel like the author had been swept away by the myth rather than analysed it.
When actually narrating the story of Rome's founder I felt there was no critical examination at that exact point for example the Sabine women issue or Herselia Romulus's wife barely talked about, The overwhelming focus on Romulus made me feel like the author had been swept away by the myth rather than analysed it.
June 19, 2022
Well written. I enjoyed reading it.
May 24, 2023
After reading Gauis Marius, I've been following Marc Hyden's works. I enjoyed the accessible approach and analysis of myth vs reality. Highly recommend.
December 19, 2024
Quite a refreshing perspective on history, that seems to have gotten lost in academia. The author represents a 180 from what you'll learn at most universities these days.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews