Rape of the Sabine women

Lore & Background

According to Roman historian Livy, the abduction occurred shortly after Rome's founding when the city's population consisted largely of male bandits. Romulus, concerned that without female inhabitants the city could not sustain itself, sent envoys to neighboring peoples seeking wives. The Sabines and others refused, fearing a rival society. The Romans then planned a festival of games to attract visitors, and at a signal from Romulus, they seized the Sabine women, fighting off the men. Livy notes that all abducted women were virgins except one married woman, Hersilia, who became Romulus's wife and later intervened to stop the war.

Reader's Guide

The story of the Rape of the Sabine women is a foundational myth of Rome, explaining the city's early population growth and its unification with the Sabines. Livy presents the abduction as motivated solely by the need to increase Rome's population, with no direct sexual assault, and Romulus offering the women free choice and civic rights. However, Ovid viewed it as driven by sexual desire. Historians dispute the event's historicity; Theodor Mommsen and others suggest the story was spread in the 4th century BC to explain the assimilation of Samnites, and gained relevance during the Social War (89 BC) as a tale of Roman conflict and eventual unification with Italian allies. The legend has inspired numerous artistic works, particularly from the Renaissance onward, depicting heroic struggle and semi-nude figures.

Did You Know?

• The Sabine women later intervened in battle, throwing themselves between the armies to stop the war.
• The story is considered unlikely to have happened as described by many historians, and may have been spread during the Samnite Wars.
• Coins depicting the event were minted in 89 BC, during the Social War between Rome and its Italian allies.