OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) — Myth and Religion
A burning city usually marks the absolute end of a civilisation, but for the Trojans, it was just the beginning. Aeneas, a prince born to the mortal Anchises and the goddess Venus, fled the Greek destruction of Troy. He famously carried his elderly father on his shoulders and led his young son Ascanius (also known as Iulus) by the hand, though tragically his wife Creusa died during the escape.
Guided by divine fate and the gods Jupiter and Mercury, Aeneas was tasked with leading the surviving Trojans across the Mediterranean to establish the Roman race in Italy. He ensured their cultural and religious survival by rescuing the Public Penates, the sacred household gods of the Trojan state.
Aeneas perfectly embodied Pietas, a core Roman virtue requiring devotion to the gods, the state, and the family. The visual of him carrying his father (representing the past) and leading his son (representing the future) became a powerful symbol of political continuity, widely used on Roman coins and Augustan monuments like the Ara Pacis.
Moving to an unknown land often brings immediate conflict alongside new opportunities. Upon arriving in Latium, Aeneas was initially welcomed by King Latinus, who offered his daughter Lavinia in marriage to fulfill an ancient prophecy. However, this sparked a fierce war with Turnus, a local king who had previously been promised Lavinia's hand.
After defeating Turnus, Aeneas married Lavinia and founded the city of Lavinium. Following Aeneas' death roughly three years later, his son Ascanius relocated to the Alban Hills to establish Alba Longa.
This new settlement became the ancestral mother city of Rome, ruled by the Silvian Dynasty for approximately 400 years. This line of kings provided the crucial genealogical link between the Trojan hero Aeneas and the eventual founders of Rome, culminating in the brothers Numitor and Amulius.
Royal succession is rarely peaceful, especially when an illegitimate ruler desperately wants to keep their stolen throne. The rightful king of Alba Longa, Numitor, was overthrown by his ambitious brother Amulius. To prevent any future challengers, Amulius forced Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, to become a Vestal Virgin, binding her to a strict thirty-year vow of chastity.
However, Rhea Silvia gave birth to twin boys, claiming the war god Mars was their father. This divine parentage gave Rome its martial pedigree, though the historian Livy suggests she may have named a god merely to excuse her broken vow. Fearing for his throne, Amulius ordered the infants to be drowned in the River Tiber.
This attempted Exposure failed when servants simply left the boys in a basket in the river's overflow pools. As the floodwaters receded, the basket safely settled beneath a wild fig tree at the foot of the Palatine Hill.
A helpless baby left in the wild would normally attract predators, but Roman mythology completely flips this expectation. The crying twins were discovered by a she-wolf, or Lupa, who miraculously nursed them in a sacred cave known as the Lupercal. A woodpecker, an animal sacred to Mars, also aided their survival by bringing them food.
Eventually, a royal shepherd named Faustulus found the boys and raised them alongside his wife, Acca Larentia. Once they reached adulthood and discovered their true heritage, Romulus and Remus returned to Alba Longa to kill the usurper Amulius and restore their grandfather Numitor to his rightful throne.
Even brothers who survive the most brutal hardships together can be torn apart by the lure of absolute power. Seeking to build their own city, the twins left Alba Longa but fiercely disagreed on the location; Romulus favoured the Palatine Hill, while Remus preferred the Aventine Hill.
To resolve the dispute, they used Augury, consulting the gods by watching the flight patterns of birds. Remus saw six vultures first, but Romulus saw twelve vultures shortly after, leading to a bitter argument over whether time or number was the superior divine sign.
The conflict tragically ended in Fratricide, with Remus being killed by his brother. According to Livy, Remus either died in the resulting bloody brawl or was struck down in a rage after mockingly jumping over Romulus' newly built city walls, allowing Romulus to found Rome as its sole ruler in 753 BC.
Students often confuse the achievements of the two founders. Remember that Aeneas is the founder of the 'Roman Race', whereas Romulus is the founder of the 'city of Rome' itself.
In 'Explain' questions about the augury dispute (Livy 1.7), examiners expect you to explicitly contrast the two claims: Remus claimed priority based on TIME (he saw birds first), while Romulus claimed priority based on NUMBER (he saw twelve birds compared to six).
When discussing Rome's martial pedigree, always highlight that claiming Mars as a father was used as mythological justification for the future military dominance of the Roman people.
You can earn higher marks by mentioning how Emperor Augustus used the Aeneas myth as propaganda, specifically linking his own Julii family to Ascanius (Iulus) to claim divine descent from Venus.
Ascanius
The son of Aeneas who led the Trojans after his father's death and later founded the city of Alba Longa. He was also known as Iulus.
Public Penates
Small statues representing the state and household gods of Troy, brought to Italy by Aeneas to ensure religious continuity.
Pietas
A core Roman virtue representing absolute duty and devotion to the gods, the state, and the family.
Latium
The region in central-western Italy where the Trojan refugees settled and where Rome was eventually built.
Alba Longa
The mother city of Rome, founded by Ascanius in the Alban Hills.
Silvian Dynasty
The line of kings ruling Alba Longa, descending from Ascanius and eventually leading to Numitor and Amulius.
Vestal Virgin
A priestess of the goddess Vesta who was sworn to thirty years of chastity; breaking this vow was punishable by death.
Exposure
The ancient practice of abandoning unwanted infants in the wild, which in mythology often serves as a test of divine protection.
Palatine Hill
The hill chosen by Romulus for his new city, where the twins originally washed ashore.
Lupa
The she-wolf who discovered the abandoned twins and suckled them to keep them alive.
Lupercal
The sacred cave located on the Palatine Hill where the she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus.
Aventine Hill
The hill chosen by Remus as his preferred site for the new city, which ultimately lost out to the Palatine.
Augury
The ancient practice of interpreting the will of the gods by observing the flight, sounds, or feeding habits of birds.
Fratricide
The act of killing one's own brother, which serves as a central moral theme in Rome's foundation myth.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Classical Civilisation
Ascanius
The son of Aeneas who led the Trojans after his father's death and later founded the city of Alba Longa. He was also known as Iulus.
Public Penates
Small statues representing the state and household gods of Troy, brought to Italy by Aeneas to ensure religious continuity.
Pietas
A core Roman virtue representing absolute duty and devotion to the gods, the state, and the family.
Latium
The region in central-western Italy where the Trojan refugees settled and where Rome was eventually built.
Alba Longa
The mother city of Rome, founded by Ascanius in the Alban Hills.
Silvian Dynasty
The line of kings ruling Alba Longa, descending from Ascanius and eventually leading to Numitor and Amulius.
Vestal Virgin
A priestess of the goddess Vesta who was sworn to thirty years of chastity; breaking this vow was punishable by death.
Exposure
The ancient practice of abandoning unwanted infants in the wild, which in mythology often serves as a test of divine protection.
Palatine Hill
The hill chosen by Romulus for his new city, where the twins originally washed ashore.
Lupa
The she-wolf who discovered the abandoned twins and suckled them to keep them alive.
Lupercal
The sacred cave located on the Palatine Hill where the she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus.
Aventine Hill
The hill chosen by Remus as his preferred site for the new city, which ultimately lost out to the Palatine.
Augury
The ancient practice of interpreting the will of the gods by observing the flight, sounds, or feeding habits of birds.
Fratricide
The act of killing one's own brother, which serves as a central moral theme in Rome's foundation myth.
