Were Romulus and Remus nursed by wolves?
Well, that’s pre-supposing that they were real in the first place — but one of Plutarch’s details that John S. White omits that there may have been a confusion of words around that. The term for “she-wolf” was also used for an immoral woman; so, Plutarch reasons, it may make more sense to think that the twins were taken care of by a human “she-wolf” than by one with fur. You could bring this up as a possibility, if your student wants to discuss the problem of how children “raised by wolves” could grow up and found a city. Things and themes to watch for in this study The story of Romulus and Remus–real, partly real, or wholly imagined–is the story of the founding of Rome. For that reason, there are many “historic” details given that would be meaningful to the later Romans–why certain places were important, or took on particular names; how certain phrases came into being; how traditions, celebrations and festivals began. Plutarch, as usual, doesn’t confine himself to only one explana
