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Rhea Silvia
Mythical mother of Romulus and Remus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the crater on Vesta, see Rheasilvia.
"Rhea Sylvia" redirects here. For the 2018 EP by the American band Thou, see Rhea Sylvia (EP).
Rhea (or Rea) Silvia (Latin: [ˈreːa ˈsɪɫu̯ia]), also known as Ilia,[1] (as well as other names)[lower-alpha 1] was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome.[3][4] This event was portrayed numerous times in Roman art[5] Her story is told in the first book of Ab Urbe Condita Libri of Livy[6] and in Cassius Dio's Roman History.[7] The Legend of Rhea Silvia recounts how she was raped by Mars while she was a Vestal Virgin, resulting in the twins,[4] as mentioned in the Aeneid[8] and the works of Ovid.
Quick Facts Abode, Genealogy ...
Rhea Silvia | |
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![]() Statue in the Fonte Gaia | |
Abode | Tiber |
Genealogy | |
Parents | Numitor (in Livy's account) |
Consort | Mars, Tiberinus |
Children | Romulus and Remus |
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