Lupercale Cave Unearthed Below Rome
Friday August 10, 2007
This is slightly older news, but still worth mentioning. For any of you out there who dig Roman mythology and legend as much as I do, check this out: Sacred Cave of Rome's Founders Discovered.
The cave of the Lupercale is where, according to legend, a she-wolf suckled twins Romulus and Remus, who later went on to become the founders of Rome. Romulus later killed his brother in a dispute over leadership of the city. The cave later became the site of the annual Lupercalia festival, which included lots of merrymaking, debauchery, and animal sacrifice, until it was outlawed in 494 CE by Pope Gelasius. The Lupercale was found by accident in 2006, when archeologists were trying to excavate the palace of the Emporer Augustus Caesar.
What interests me about this particular discovery is that a lot of ancient ruins are being lost to the ravages of time -- which means that now this cave has been found, researchers can work to learn about it and hopefully preserve the rich heritage and history within.
A big thanks to Rosewelsh for forwarding me this info!
The cave of the Lupercale is where, according to legend, a she-wolf suckled twins Romulus and Remus, who later went on to become the founders of Rome. Romulus later killed his brother in a dispute over leadership of the city. The cave later became the site of the annual Lupercalia festival, which included lots of merrymaking, debauchery, and animal sacrifice, until it was outlawed in 494 CE by Pope Gelasius. The Lupercale was found by accident in 2006, when archeologists were trying to excavate the palace of the Emporer Augustus Caesar.
What interests me about this particular discovery is that a lot of ancient ruins are being lost to the ravages of time -- which means that now this cave has been found, researchers can work to learn about it and hopefully preserve the rich heritage and history within.
A big thanks to Rosewelsh for forwarding me this info!
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