When Numa Pompilius became king, the people of Rome were astonished. What kind of king was this who did not wield a sword? In the time of Romulus, every dispute was settled by blood, but under Numa, every decision was decided through negotiation and religion.
Numa was the first to give the people of Rome a new direction. He said, "We are not born only to fight. We must appease the gods." He laid the foundation of religion in Rome. He created a group of priests called the Pontifex. Their job was to act as a bridge between gods and humans. Even today, the word "Pontiff" is used to refer to the head of the Catholic Church (the Pope), and its roots lie here.
Numa also created another unique feature for Rome—the Vestal Virgins. These were virgins who guarded the sacred fire in the temple of the goddess Vesta. The Romans believed that as long as this fire burned, Rome would remain safe. If the fire went out, Rome's destruction was certain. These girls held a high status in society, but their lives were bound by very strict rules. If they made a mistake, the punishment was worse than death—they were buried alive.
But Numa's greatest contribution was something else.
At that time, the Roman calendar was very strange. There were only 10 months in a year, and winter was absent from the calendar. There was no accounting for agriculture. Numa saw that this system was not correct. She observed the movements of the moon and made calculations. She added two new months to the year—'Januarius' and 'Februarius'.
Yes, January and February.
Januarius, named after the god 'Janus'—a god with two faces, who could see backward (past) and forward (future) simultaneously. and February, the month of purification. Numa made the year 355 days long (which was later further improved). He divided the days into fasti (work days) and nefasti (holiday/religious days). The holidays we celebrate today originated in part from this thinking of Numa.
Numa also changed Rome's borders, but not through war. He erected stone statues of the god Terminus on the boundaries of fields. He said, "It is a sin to usurp a neighbor's land. Stay within your own limits and be happy." Romulus had expanded the borders with the sword; Numa sanctified them.
During his 43-year reign, the gates of Rome (the Temple of Janus) remained closed. This symbolized Rome's peace. Historians say that Rome did not fight a single war during Numa's lifetime. This was the golden age of Rome's history. There were no rebellions, no conspiracies. People worked the fields, worshipped the gods, and slept peacefully.
But every human being must go. Numa also grew old and died peacefully. Rome wept because they had lost their beloved father.
Now the question was—who would be the next king?
The Romans were happy with Numa's peace, but they also remembered their old identity: they were warriors. After Numa's death, the pendulum swung back. Rome elected a king who was the complete opposite of Numa.
His name was Tullus Hostilius.
The word "hostile" (hostile - enemy/aggressor) was hidden in his name. Tullus hated peace. He felt that peace had made the Romans lazy and weak. "A lion should hunt, not eat grass," he believed.
As soon as he became king, Tullus began looking for a pretext for war. And he found one.
Rome had a long-standing relationship with the neighboring kingdom of Alba Longa—the same place where Romulus and Remus came from. But now, clashes broke out between the farmers there and the Roman farmers over cattle theft. Tullus took this as a pretext for war and declared war on Alba Longa.
The two armies faced each other: the Roman army and the Alba Longa army. But there was a problem. The soldiers on both sides were relatives. Brothers, uncles, nephews… everyone knew each other. No one wanted to shed the blood of their own.
The king of Alba Longa said to Tullus, "Look, our real enemies are the Etruscans, who are watching from afar. If we weaken ourselves by fighting, they will destroy both of us. Why don't we decide this war without committing our entire armies to war?"
Tullus agreed. But how would the decision be made?
It was decided that three of the bravest warriors would be chosen from each side. They would fight each other. The victorious nation would rule the other.
Three brothers were chosen from Rome—the Horatii.
Three brothers were also chosen from Alba Longa—the Curiatii.
The two families knew each other very well. It is said that they were even related. But the country was at stake. The armies of both sides settled down, and these six warriors stood in the middle of the field.
One of the most thrilling and bloodiest battles in history was about to begin. Three brothers on one side, three brothers on the other. And at stake was an entire empire.
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