Article: Rome's early years: according to the record, kings ruled Rome for the city's first 245 years. While the tale of each reign is steeped in tradition, it is certain that some ruled nobly and others were toppled by scandalous behavior.

Legend said that twin boys Romulus and Remus founded Rome and that their parents were Mars, the god of war, and Rhea Silvia, the daughter of Numitor. Numitor was the rightful ruler of Alba Longa, a town that lay southeast of Rome, but his brother Amulius had illegally seized the throne. Numitor and Amulius traced their ancestry to Aeneas, a Trojan hero and the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Determined to have his descendants rule Alba Longa, Amulius had made Rhea Silvia a Vestal Virgin, a priestess of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. By custom, vestals were not allowed to marry.

When Amulius learned Rhea Silvia had given birth to twins, he ordered ...

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