Capitoline Wolf
King Numitor ruled Alba Longa until his brother Amulius seized power. The usurper ordered the king's grandsons to be cast into the Tiber River. A she-wolf found the infants and suckled them in a cave near the riverbank. A herdsman named Faustulus discovered the children and raised them as his own. This story formed the foundation of Roman identity for centuries. Ancient writers like Livy recorded the tale in their histories. Pliny the Elder described a bronze statue of the wolf in the Forum. Cicero mentioned a gilt statue struck by lightning on the Capitoline Hill in 65 BC. These texts established the myth before any physical sculpture existed.
Scientists tested the bronze at the University of Salento in February 2007. Radiocarbon results suggested the casting occurred between 1021 and 1153 AD. Thermoluminescence dating supported this medieval timeframe with 95.4% accuracy. John Osborne from the British School at Rome challenged these findings later. He argued that the metal contains copper from Sardinia, typical of Etruscan sources. No adulteration common in medieval times appeared in the analysis. Lead from a source unknown during the Middle Ages was also detected. The debate continues without a final consensus among academics. Some researchers still support an ancient origin despite the scientific data.
Johann Joachim Winckelmann attributed the work to an Etruscan maker in the fifth century BC. He based this conclusion on how the fur was depicted on the animal. August Emil Braun questioned this dating in 1854 as secretary of the Archaeological Institute of Rome. Wilhelm Fröhner stated in 1878 that the style belonged to the Carolingian art period. Wilhelm von Bode agreed it was likely a medieval work in 1885. Anna Maria Carruba examined the casting technique while restoring the piece in 1997. She found the statue cast in a single piece using lost-wax variation. This method was not used in Classical antiquity but widely in the Middle Ages. Adriano La Regina noted the artistic style resembled Romanesque art more than ancient works.
The Chronicon of Benedict of Soracte mentions a wolf in the Lateran Palace in the tenth century. Magister Gregorius wrote about the sculpture at the principal entrance to the palace in the twelfth century. He described it stalking a bronze ram nearby which served as a fountain. The wolf had been broken off at the feet and moved from its original location. Pope Sixtus IV ordered the transfer to the Palazzo dei Conservatori in December 1471. The twins were added around that same time by sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo. The Capitoline Wolf joined other ancient sculptures to form the nucleus of the Capitoline Museum. Modern replicas exist in Hamilton Gardens and Eden Park Cincinnati Ohio.
Benito Mussolini sent copies to U.S. cities to encourage American goodwill in 1929. A replica stands today in Eden Park Cincinnati after being switched for another one in 1931. Another copy went to Rome Georgia in the same year. Alfonso Felici donated a third copy to Rome New York in 1956. North-Eastern Normal University in China received a version where Roman history is studied. The statue appeared on the emblem for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. A.S. Roma football club uses the image in their own logo. Billy Joel's first album Cold Spring Harbor featured the symbol on Family Productions records. Copies also appear in Romania and Moldova as symbols of Latin origin.
Anthony Mann's film The Fall of the Roman Empire used an enlarged replica prop in 1964. The statue stood at the back of the Senate House in that epic production. I Claudius TV series from 1976 depicted the interior of the Senate with the sculpture visible. Agora released in 2009 showed the Capitoline Wolf behind Hypatia before her capture. Rick Riordan wrote about Lupa training demigods in his novel The Son of Neptune. The Addams Family episode displayed a mirror-image version in the living room. Paweł Wocial created a reimagined installation called Look at Me in 2011. Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows players to obtain a Motherly statue based on the original.
Common questions
When was the bronze Capitoline Wolf sculpture cast according to scientific testing?
Scientists determined the casting occurred between 1021 and 1153 AD through radiocarbon results from February 2007. Thermoluminescence dating supported this medieval timeframe with 95.4% accuracy at the University of Salento.
Who discovered the infants suckled by the she-wolf in Roman mythology?
A herdsman named Faustulus found the infants and raised them as his own after they were cast into the Tiber River. This event formed the foundation of Roman identity for centuries before ancient writers like Livy recorded the tale.
Where is the original Capitoline Wolf statue located today?
Pope Sixtus IV ordered the transfer to the Palazzo dei Conservatori in December 1471 where it remains part of the Capitoline Museum. The twins were added around that same time by sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo to complete the group.
Why do some researchers believe the Capitoline Wolf dates to Classical antiquity instead of the Middle Ages?
John Osborne argued that the metal contains copper from Sardinia typical of Etruscan sources without common medieval adulteration. Lead from a source unknown during the Middle Ages was also detected in the analysis supporting an ancient origin.
Which cities received copies of the Capitoline Wolf sent by Benito Mussolini in 1929?
Benito Mussolini sent copies to U.S. cities including Hamilton Gardens and Eden Park Cincinnati Ohio to encourage American goodwill. Another copy went to Rome Georgia in 1931 while Alfonso Felici donated a third copy to Rome New York in 1956.
All sources
13 references cited across the entry
- 1webCapitoline Museums:Exhibition The Capitoline She-WolfCAPITOLINE MUSEUMS
- 2webRome Icon Actually Younger Than the CityRossella Lorenzi — Discovery Communications — 25 June 2012
- 3bookRome in the Eighth Century: A History in ArtJohn Osborne — Cambridge University Press — 2020-07-09
- 4bookRemus. Un mito di RomaTimothy Wiseman — Quasar — 1999
- 5inlineIn Catilinam 3.19.
- 8journalSolving an historical puzzle: Radiocarbon dating the Capitoline she wolfLucio Calcagnile et al. — 15 September 2019
- 9webDating the Capitoline Wolf22 January 2021
- 10newsNeither Rome, GA, Nor Rome, NY, Could Handle a Statue with Wolf TeatsSarah Laskow — 16 October 2015
- 11bookCincinnati, a Guide to the Queen City and Its NeighborsFederal Writers' Project — Best Books on — 1943
- 12magazineBilly Joel Is AngryTimothy White — September 4, 1980