How did the myths of Aeneas and Romulus explain and glorify the foundation of Rome?
The foundation myths of Rome: Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and his role as ancestor of the Romans, the story of Romulus and Remus (the she-wolf, the founding of the city and the death of Remus), and how these myths expressed Roman values and identity.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Rome's foundation myths in Myth and Religion. Covers Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and his role as ancestor of the Romans, the story of Romulus and Remus (the she-wolf, the founding and the death of Remus), and how the myths expressed Roman values and identity, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
Rome had two great foundation myths, and OCR expects you to know both. Aeneas links Rome back to Troy and the gods; Romulus and Remus explain the actual founding of the city. You need the story of Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and his role as ancestor of the Romans, the story of Romulus and Remus (the she-wolf, the founding of Rome and the death of Remus), and how these myths expressed Roman values and identity. The paper tests precise knowledge (AO1) and analysis plus argument (AO2).
The answer
Aeneas: from Troy to Italy
Romulus and Remus: the she-wolf
The founding and the death of Remus
How the myths expressed Roman values
Together the two myths gave Rome:
- Divine ancestry - descent from Venus (through Aeneas) and Mars (through Romulus).
- A heroic past - a link to Troy and the world of Homer.
- Core values - pietas (Aeneas carrying his father), courage and the readiness to fight for the city (Mars, Romulus).
Emperors used them too: Augustus traced his family back to Aeneas and Venus, dressing his rule in Rome's founding myths.
Examples in context
A strong essay would argue the myths mainly presented Rome as divinely favoured and destined, while also teaching Roman virtues and warning (through Remus) about civil conflict.
Try this
Q1. Who were the divine parents of Aeneas and of Romulus and Remus? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Aeneas was the son of the goddess Venus; Romulus and Remus were the sons of the war-god Mars (and the princess Rhea Silvia).
Q2. Explain why the image of Aeneas carrying his father Anchises out of Troy was important to the Romans. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It embodied pietas, duty to family and the gods, a central Roman value, and showed Rome's founder-ancestor as a man who put loyalty and duty above his own safety.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J199/11 2018 (style)4 marksDescribe the story of Romulus and Remus as babies. [4]Show worked answer →
A short knowledge question (4 marks, AO1). Reward an accurate account of the abandonment and rescue.
Reward points. The twins were the sons of the war-god Mars and a princess (Rhea Silvia); a king who feared them ordered them to be drowned in the river Tiber; they were set adrift but survived; a she-wolf found and suckled them; and a shepherd then raised them.
Top marks. Four accurate points, including the divine father, the order to kill them, the she-wolf and the shepherd.
OCR J199/11 2021 (essay, true tariff 15)15 marks'Rome's foundation myths were designed to make the Romans look like a chosen people.' How far do you agree? Justify your response. [marked here out of 15; this is the true J199/11 tariff]Show worked answer →
The 15-mark extended response (AO1 and AO2). The marker rewards a clear argument supported by named myths.
Agree (chosen and divine). Aeneas was the son of the goddess Venus and was guided by fate (and the gods) from Troy to Italy to found the Roman race, giving Rome a Trojan and divine origin; Romulus was the son of Mars and was rescued by a she-wolf and later made a god, so Rome's founders were divinely descended and protected.
Other readings. The myths also taught Roman values (piety, duty, courage, the readiness to fight) and explained customs and the city's institutions; the killing of Remus is a darker, warning element about civil strife.
Judgement. The top band argues a clear line, for example that the central aim was to present Rome as destined and divinely favoured (heir to Troy, children of the gods), while also teaching Roman virtues. Support with named episodes.
Related dot points
- The nature of the gods (immortality, anthropomorphism, power and limitations), the major Olympian gods and goddesses and their Roman equivalents and spheres of influence, their symbols and attributes in literature and material culture, and myths showing the gods interacting with mortals.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the gods in Myth and Religion. Covers the nature of the gods (immortality, anthropomorphism, power and limits), the twelve Olympians and their Roman equivalents and spheres, their symbols and attributes in art, and myths of gods and mortals, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Heracles (Roman Hercules) as the universal hero: his birth and the hostility of Hera, the Twelve Labours, other exploits, his depiction in art, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, including his use in Roman ideology.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Heracles (Roman Hercules), the universal hero in Myth and Religion. Covers his birth and Hera's hostility, the Twelve Labours and other exploits, his depiction in art (lion skin, club), his apotheosis, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Theseus as the local hero of Athens: his journey to Athens and the bandits, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, Ariadne and the voyage home, his role as a unifier and king of Athens, and how his myths expressed Athenian values and civic identity.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Theseus, the local hero of Athens, in Myth and Religion. Covers his journey to Athens and the bandits, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, Ariadne and the tragic return, his role as unifier and king of Athens, and how his myths expressed Athenian civic identity, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Myth and the symbols of power: the use of gods, heroes and foundation myths to project political authority, with a focus on Augustus (his association with Apollo, Venus, Aeneas and Romulus) and monuments such as the Ara Pacis, and the use of mythic imagery on coins, statues and buildings.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of myth and symbols of power in Myth and Religion. Covers how rulers used gods, heroes and foundation myths for authority, focusing on Augustus (his links to Apollo, Venus, Aeneas and Romulus) and monuments such as the Ara Pacis, plus mythic imagery on coins and statues, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Greek and Roman attitudes to death and the afterlife, funerary and burial practices (rituals, tombs and offerings), beliefs about the underworld, and the mythic journeys to the underworld (katabasis) made by Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Orpheus.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of death and the underworld in Myth and Religion. Covers Greek and Roman attitudes to death and the afterlife, funerary and burial practices and offerings, beliefs about the underworld and its geography, and the mythic journeys (katabasis) of Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Orpheus, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Classical Civilisation J199 specification — OCR (2017)