Romulus and Remus Statue

Bronze replica of original Romulus and Remus sculpture at the Pallazio Del Conservatori in Rome, Italy, presented to Rome, Georgia on July 30, 1929. Placed on a base of white marble from Tate, Ga., the replica was accompanied by a brass plaque that says:

"This statue of the Capitolene Wolf, as a forecast of prosperity and glory, has been sent from Ancient Rome to New Rome during the consulship of Benito Mussolini in the year 1929."

The story of why Rome was given the replica began in 1928, when the American Cotillion Company decided to build a rayon plant in Rome. Because the company was a joint American-Italian undertaking, Italian premier Benito Mussolini sent a block of marble from the ancient Roman Forum inscribed with "From Old Rome to New Rome" to be used as the cornerstone of the new rayon plant.

Rome's American Cotillion facility opened in April 1929. Three months later, the Romulus and Remus replica statue was presented to the city, which erected it in front of the city hall. In 1940, reacting to Mussolini's alliance with Hitler, the Rome city commission removed the statue and replaced it with an American flag. In 1952, the statue was restored to its former location.

Photo: Ed Jackson

© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia