Statue of the Tiber river with Romulus and Remus facts for kids
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Overview
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 Statue of Tiber
Location in Rome
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| Location | Campus Martius |
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| Coordinates | 41°53′50″N 12°28′45″E / 41.8972°N 12.4791°E |
| Type | Statue |
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| Founded | 1st or 2nd century CE |
The Statue of the Tiber river with Romulus and Remus is a huge ancient Roman statue. You can see it today at the Louvre museum in Paris, France. This statue is like a symbol, or allegory, of the Tiber river. The Tiber river was very important because it flowed through the city of Rome.
Contents
What the Statue Looks Like
The statue shows the Tiber river as an older man with a beard. He is lying down, which was a common way to show river gods in ancient times. In his hands, he holds items that show how the river helped Rome:
- In his left hand, he holds an oar. This shows that the river was used for boats and travel.
- In his right hand, he holds a cornucopia. This is a horn-shaped basket full of fruits and flowers. It means the river brought good things and helped things grow.
Under the man's right arm, you can see a she-wolf. According to an old legend, this wolf took care of two baby twins named Romulus and Remus. They were left in the Tiber river. Later, these twins grew up and founded the city of Rome!
The bottom part of the statue has carvings. These carvings show fields where animals grazed. They also show boatmen on the river. Another carving tells a story about Aeneas, a hero from ancient myths.
The statue is very big. It is about 3.17 meters (10.4 feet) wide. It stands 2.22 meters (7.3 feet) tall. It is 1.31 meters (4.3 feet) deep. It was carved from special marble. This marble came from Mount Pentelicus near Athens, Greece.
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Romulus and Remus with the wolf under the arm of the Tiber statue.
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A carving showing the city of Troy and Aeneas escaping.
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Where the Statue Was Found
This statue was found in Rome in the year 1512. It was discovered near the Temple of Isis and Serapis. This temple was a special place of worship. The statue probably decorated a fountain there. It was placed opposite another statue, one of the Nile river. That Nile statue is now in the Vatican. Instead of Romulus and Remus, the Nile statue has many small children representing pygmies.
A Journey Through History
After they were found, both the Tiber and Nile statues were kept by the Pope. Later, in 1797, a peace agreement called the Treaty of Tolentino was signed. Because of this treaty, the statues were moved to the Louvre museum in Paris. They were there by 1811.
But in 1815, after Napoleon was defeated, the Nile statue was sent back to the Vatican. However, Pope Pius VII gave the Tiber statue as a gift to the French king Louis XVIII. So, the Tiber statue stayed in the Louvre.
Many copies of the Tiber statue were made. You can find replicas of it in marble or bronze in different places.
How Old is the Statue?
We are not completely sure when the statue was made. It was likely put in place after a fire at the Temple of Isis in 80 CE. But it could also be from the time of Emperor Hadrian, between 117 and 138 CE.
See also
- Temple of Isis and Serapis
