Rome

(map)

According to tradition, Rome was founded by settlers from Alba Longa, about 20km southeast of Rome, specifically by Romulus. King Amulius ordered the death of his twin infant grandnephews Romulus and Remus, but was deposed and killed by them after they became adults. The name of the king in this story was likely confated with these characters.

One of the kings of Alba (named Romulus, Remulus, or Amulius Silvius), set himself up as a god equal to or superior to Jupiter. He made machines to mimic thunder and lightning, and he ordered his soldiers to drown out real thunder by beating on their shields. For his impiety, he and his house were destroyed by a thunderbolt in a fierce storm. The Alban lake rose and drowned his palace. You may still see the ruins when the lake is clear and calm.

Frazer, Sir James G., The Golden Bough, (Hertfordshire, Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1993), 149.