Rome was now on the map, and the walls were built, but a city isn't just made of bricks and stones; it's made of people. And that was Romulus's biggest shortcoming. He lacked citizens. At that time, Rome wasn't a glittering metropolis, but a small settlement nestled in the middle of the forest where no civilized person wanted to settle willingly.
Romulus knew that if he wanted to keep the city alive, he would have to change its conditions. He made a unique and revolutionary decision. He declared Rome a "place of refuge," or "asylum." He announced in the surrounding areas that everyone was welcome in Rome—whether a runaway slave, a murderer, a debtor, or a criminal banished from their country. Rome wouldn't ask anyone's past, it would only offer them a new future.
In no time, crowds began to gather on the streets of Rome. These crowds were made up of people who had nothing to lose. Historians Tom Holland and Mary Beard explain that Rome began not with an elite, but with the rejected, rough, and dangerous members of society. The city was now populated, but there was a major problem.
There were only men. Women were absent.
Without women, neither families nor children could be formed. This meant that Rome would only last for a generation, and with the death of these men, the city would return to desolation. Romulus became concerned. He sent envoys to neighboring states, especially the Sabines. He proposed that his men be married to their daughters so that they could become relatives.
The neighbors not only rejected this proposal but also ridiculed him. They taunted, "If you want wives, why don't you open a prison for women too? Such women would be perfect for your thieves and robbers." This was a grave insult for Romulus. But he didn't show anger; he acted tactfully. The Romans hid their swords and wore smiles on their faces.
Romulus announced that a grand festival would be held in Rome—in honor of the god Neptune. He graciously sent out invitations to all his neighbors who had mocked him. The Sabines, by nature naive and curious, came to see what these new neighbors had created. They even brought their wives and children with them.
The celebration began. Wine flowed, games were played, and music played. The Sabines were completely absorbed in the festivities, thinking the Romans were so friendly. But Romulus' eyes were fixed on the moment, not the clock. As the celebration reached its climax, Romulus stood up from his seat and wrapped his mantle in a special way.
This was the signal the Romans had been waiting for.
Suddenly the music stopped, and there was a shout. Seemingly unarmed Roman men began capturing the Sabine virgins. It was pre-arranged which man would capture whom. This event is known in history as "The Rape of the Sabine Women," where the word "rape" means "abduction" in Latin.
The guests panicked. The girls' parents were unable to rescue their daughters because they had come unarmed. They ran out of the city, weeping and cursing the Romans for betraying them. The gates of Rome slammed shut. Inside were only the Roman men and the frightened Sabine girls.
Romulus had established the city and gathered a population, but he had created enemies all around him. The fathers and brothers whose daughters had been abducted were not about to sit idly by. The noise of celebration was about to turn into the drums of war.
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