Rhea Silvia

Also known as Ilia, Rea Silvia, Silvia

mother of Romulus and Remus

Key facts

Abode: Tiber
Parents: Numitor (in Livy's account)
Consort: Mars , Tiberinus
Children: Romulus and Remus

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Wikidata facts

Image: Rhea Silvia by Jacopo della Quercia - Santa Maria della Scalla (from Fonte Gaia) - Siena 2016.jpg

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Article

Rhea (or Rea) Silvia ( Latin: [ˈreːa ˈsɪɫu̯ia]), also known as Ilia, (as well as other names) was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Rhea was a Vestal Virgin who became pregnant with the twins after being impregnated by the god Mars; after giving birth, they were taken from her and raised by a she-wolf.

These events were frequently portrayed in Roman art and literature. Her story is documented by Livy in the first book of his Ab Urbe Condita Libri, and in Cassius Dio's Roman History. It is additionally mentioned in the Aeneid and in the works of Ovid.