Lupercal
Sign in to saveThe Lupercal (from Latin lupa "female wolf") was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In the legend of the founding of Rome, Romulus and Remus were found there by the she-wolf who suckled them until they were rescued by the shepherd Faustulus. Luperci, the priests of Faunus, celebrated certain ceremonies of the Lupercalia at the cave, from the earliest days of the City until at least 494 AD.
Key facts
- Cave.mapframe wikidata
- yes
- Cave.location
- Palatine Hill in Rome
- Cave.mapframe marker
- monument
- Cave.depth
- 15m
- Cave.discovery
- January 2007
- Cave.name
- Lupercal
- Cave.photo
- Altar Mars Venus Massimo.jpg
- Cave.photo_width
- 270
- Cave.photo_caption
- First-century Roman sculpture in relief depicting the Roman foundation myth. Romulus and Remus are shown being suckled by a she-wolf in the Lupercal (bottom left).
- Cave.mapframe frame width
- 270
- Cave.mapframe
- yes
- Cave.mapframe caption
- Click on the map for a fullscreen view
- Cave.mapframe zoom
- 12
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Altar Mars Venus Massimo.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- time of discovery or invention
- 2007-01-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~3 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Modern discovery
- Opposing opinions
- See also
- References
- External links
The Lupercal (from Latin lupa "female wolf") was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In the legend of the founding of Rome, Romulus and Remus were found there by the she-wolf who suckled them until they were rescued by the shepherd Faustulus. Luperci, the priests of Faunus, celebrated certain ceremonies of the Lupercalia at the cave, from the earliest days of the City until at least 494 AD.
==Modern discovery== thumb|Capitoline Wolf|Lupa Capitolina ("The Capitoline Wolf"): the she-wolf is of unknown origin, the suckling twins were added . In January 2007, Italian archaeologist Irene Iacopi announced that she had probably found the legendary cave beneath the remains of Emperor Augustus's house, the Domus Livia, on the Palatine. Archaeologists came across the 15-meter-deep cavity while working to restore the decaying palace.