Romulus Silvius

Romulus Silvius is in Roman mythology, a descendant of Aeneas and eleventh king of Alba Longa.

Its predecessor was Agrippa Silvius. He ruled for 19 years. Taking the reigns given by Dionysius of Halicarnassus with a back calculation from the traditional year of the founding of Rome is based, this corresponds to the years 875-856 BC and was succeeded by Aventinus Silvius.

Conrad Trieber anticipates that was inserted to press the king lists in the Augustan period this king name to flatter Augustus by the kings Romulus Silvius Silvius Agrippa and Augustus and his friend and generals Marcus Agrippa Vipsanius were identified. When Agrippa Silvius the reference would be obvious when it comes to Romulus as the name of Augustus, as Suetonius reports, for example, that the Senate have fluctuated whether Octavian " Augustus " or " Romulus " was to be awarded an honorary name - " Romulus ", since Octavian certain sense, a second founder of the city was. One had but finally opted for " Augustus ".

In quite a different direction is what is reported in Dionysius over a appearing at the corresponding position of the king list Allodios or Alladius. This king was a hated tyrant, who knew no fear of God. He went so far as to build equipment with which he imitated thunder and lightning.

But the gods did not let her scoff: The lightning struck his house, rain came and left the Lake Albano swell until he devoured the house of Allodios with all residents. As is usual in such cases, one could, if the depths of the lake of sources and tributaries were undisturbed on some days, seeing the ruins of the house still. Relevant examples from the ancient world are the lost cities Sipylos, Helice and Bura.

This is consistent with what appears in Livy and Ovid in abbreviated form: Both report that Romulus Silvius ( Livy ) or Remulus ( Ovid ) was hit by lightning. To View a flattering representation of the Romulus / Augustus, seems implausible. Further, there is an obvious similarity with the myth of Salmoneus, who, in order to imitate thunder and lightning, bronze cauldron herschleifte behind his car and burning torches tossed into the air, for which Zeus killed him with his real flash.

Also in Diodorus there is a story about a sacrilegious king, who, however, says there Aramulius. Diodorus also explained how the king of the thunder was generated: If it had thundered threatening the harvest season, Aramulius had ordered his soldiers to beat simultaneously with the sword on the shields. He then boasted that such a tone is louder and more impressive than Jupiter's thunder, after which it killed Jupiter lightning.

See also: List of the Kings of Alba Longa

Swell

• Livy, Ab urbe condita 1.3
• Ovid, Metamorphoses, 14, 609-621. Fasti 4 Praefatio
• Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Antiquities Romanae 1.71