Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

, the Battle of the Lacus Curtius was the final battle in the war between the

Roman Kingdom The Roman Kingdom (also referred to as the Roman monarchy, or the regal period of ancient Rome) was the earliest period of Roman history when the city and its territory were ruled by kings. According to oral accounts, the Roman Kingdom began wi ...

and the

Sabines The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divid ...

following Rome's mass abduction of Sabine women to take as brides. It took place during the reign of

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

, near the

Lacus Curtius The Lacus Curtius ("Lake Curtius") was a mysterious pit or pool in the ground in the Forum Romanum. The area where the Forum would later be built was originally likely a lake, as the area it was in is known to have been surrounded by brooks and ...

, future site of the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

Background

Rome was founded on the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

. The settlement flourished and their strength and size came to rival those of their neighbors. The city needed more marriageable women and feared their growth couldn't be sustained if the female population did not increase. Romulus appealed to the other cities in the region:

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

''Roman History: Book I'', Chapter 9. With the Roman people outraged at the response, Romulus announced a

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

to be held in the city and invited the citizens of Caenina,

Antemnae Antemnae was a town and Roman colony of ancient Latium in Italy. It was situated two miles north of ancient Rome on a hill (now Monte Antenne) commanding the confluence of the Aniene and the Tiber. It lay west of the later Via Salaria and now l ...

Crustumerium Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber. In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...

, and Sabinia. Once the festivities were underway, Romulus' men abducted the daughters of the Sabines and the other visitors. Afterwards, hostilities broke out between them.

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

, ''Life of Romulus'', Chapter 14, paragraphs 2–6. Eutropius. ''Abridgment of Roman History: Book I'', Chapter 2. Rome defeated three of their enemies, at which point the Sabines declared war.Livy. ''Roman History: Book I'', Chapter 10.Plutarch, ''Life of Romulus'', Chapter 14, paragraph 1. The two sides spent a year preparing. During this time Rome improved its defenses and were reinforced with Albans soldiers sent by King Numitor and mercenaries under the command of the Romulus' friend and renowned commander Lucumo. After a final effort to resolve the matter peacefully, the Sabine army marched forth.

Battle

The

Vestal Virgin In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

Tarpeia In Roman mythology, Tarpeia (), daughter of the Roman commander Spurius Tarpeius, was a Vestal Virgin who betrayed the city of Rome to the Sabines at the time of their women's abduction for what she thought would be a reward of jewelry. She w ...

, the daughter of the commander of the citadel in Rome

Spurius Tarpeius Spurius Tarpeius is a mythological/historical character. He was the commander of the Roman citadel under King Romulus. His daughter, Tarpeia, betrayed the city to the fathers of the kidnapped Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all ...

, betrayed Rome to the Sabines, offering them entry into the city.Livy. ''Roman History: Book I'', Chapter 11.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...

. ''Book VII'', Chapter 35.Dionysius of Halicarnassus. ''Book VIII'', Chapter 78, paragraph 5. Quoting

Fabius In Roman mythology, Fabius was the son of Hercules and an unnamed mother. In "The Life of Fabius Maximus" from the ''Parallel Lives'' by Plutarch, Fabius, the first of his name, was the son of Hercules by a nymph or a woman native to the country, ...

and

Cincius Cincius, whose ''praenomen'' was likely Lucius and whose ''cognomen'' goes unrecorded, was an antiquarian writer probably during the time of Augustus. He is frequently confused with the annalist Lucius Cincius Alimentus, who fought in the Second ...

writes that Tatius tricked the daughter of the commander of the city's walled citadel to open the gates to his men by offering her what she thinks will be the gold bracelets they wear on their left arms, instead they crushed her to death when they heaped their shields on top of her as her reward.

Lucius Piso Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

claimed that she was motivated not by greed, but a plan to trick the Sabines and that she was killed only after they came to suspect her of treachery.

writes that the girl was simply bribed, but also cites the trickery account related by Dionysius. The Sabine and Roman armies gathered at the Palatine and

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. Th ...

s; the Sabines were commanded by Mettius Curtius and the Romans by

Hostus Hostilius Hostus Hostilius was a Roman warrior in the time of Romulus, and the grandfather of Tullus Hostilius, the third Roman king. Legend In reprisal for the Rape of the Sabine Women, the Romans were attacked by forces sent by several Sabine towns. Th ...

. The river had recently flooded and left a thick mud in the area,Plutarch, ''Life of Romulus'', Chapter 18. After several skirmishes and minor engagements, the armies fought two pitched battles featuring valor and losses to both sides. The Intervention of the Sabine Women

In the second and final battle between them, the armies met in between the two hills they occupied. Romulus and Lucumo were successfully attacking from both wings, but were forced to disengage when the center of the Roman line broke in order to stop the Sabines' advance under their general Mettius Curtius. After being turned back, the Sabines made an orderly retreat; Mettius and Romulus engaged one another directly until Mettius fell, wounded. A marshy lake prevented his escape but he plunged into it and stymied his enemy's pursuit. Once Romulus turned to face the remaining Sabines, the Sabine general pulled himself out of the mire and safely returned to his camp. When Romulus was struck in the head with a stone, the tide reversed again as the soldiers lost heart without their commander. The army was in full-flight after a javelin felled Lucumo. Romulus recovered, and with the support of fresh reserves from within the city, the Romans regained the upper hand and the lines moved back against the Sabines. With the sun setting, the Sabines made an arduous retreat to the citadel and the Romans broke off their pursuit. In Livy's account, the Romans assembled at the foot of the hill beneath the citadel, but the Sabines refused to emerge and engage them. Finally, in spite of their lack of the high ground, the frustrated Roman army attacked. Initially inspired by the heroics of their general

on the front line, the Roman line broke when he fell, Romulus makes a pledge to Jupiter that if he were to hold off the Sabine charge and restore the Roman's courage, he would build a new Temple to "Jupiter Stator" on the site. With a cry, Romulus led his army into the Sabines and routed them. The Sabine general Mettius was tossed in a

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

by his horse after it bolted. After the Sabines regrouped, the battle continued in the area between the two hills, but the Roman army had by then gained the upper hand. Suddenly, the abducted Sabine daughters rushed onto the battlefield and put themselves between the two armies. They implored both sides to stop the bloodshed and accept each other as family, as they then were. Ashamed, the leaders of the two peoples ended the fighting. In his account of the Battle of the Lacus Curtius, Plutarch provides additional details, but the basic account is the same as that of Livy and Dionysius. He notes that when the women intervened, they not only ended the battle, but brought food and water, as well as care for the injured. They also take the opportunity to introduce their husbands and their fathers. Henceforth, Sabine women have no duty but to spin wool for their husbands.

Aftermath

After the battle, both sides decided to sign a peace treaty uniting the two kingdoms transferring administrative power to Rome. Citizens of Rome became known as

Quirites Quirites is the name of Roman citizens in their peacetime functions. Etymology Latin ''Quirītis'' most likely stems from an earlier *''quiri-''. The origin of the latter is uncertain. Since the ''quirīs'' is connected with Sabellic immigrants ...

after the town Cures. The Lacus Curtius was named after Sabine leader Mettius Curtius.Livy. ''Roman History: Book I'', Chapter 13.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacus Curtius 8th century BC in the Roman Kingdom Battles involving the Kingdom of Rome Roman mythology 8th-century BC conflicts