This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.

Rome didn’t start with marble temples and mighty emperors. According to legend, it began with a jealous king, an abandoned pair of twins, a war god, and a wolf.

In this episode, we dive into the myth of Romulus and Remus — and why the Romans needed this story.

Here’s what we explore:

• 🏛️ Rome’s not-so-glamorous real beginnings — a collection of rough shepherd tribes along the Tiber

• ✍️ How the poet Virgil, under Emperor Augustus, invented a heroic origin linking Rome to the survivors of Troy

• 👶 The twins Romulus and Remus — born of a Vestal Virgin and the god Mars

• 🐺 The she-wolf who rescued and nursed them

• ⚔️ The brothers’ return to overthrow a tyrant — and the deadly fight that followed

• 👑 The founding of Rome, the Sabine Women, and Romulus’ rise as the first king

• 🌩️ His mysterious death (or ascension) and transformation into the god Quirinus

So… is any of it true? Maybe not.
But it tells us how the Romans wanted to see themselves — fierce, chosen by the gods, born from struggle and ambition.

This is Have To Know History — history you just have to know.
Thanks for being here.