Rome's Famous She-Wolf May Be MEDIEVAL… #Shorts
Pack: 34 - Rome's Famous She-Wolf May Be MEDIEVAL…
The bronze she-wolf in Rome's Capitoline Museums is the city's best-known symbol, long dated to the 5th century BCE. A 1997 restoration and radiocarbon tests published in 2012 suggest she was cast in the Middle Ages. The museum still dates her as ancient, and the debate goes on.
- The Etruscan attribution goes back to the 18th-century art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who judged it from the way the fur is represented (Live Science, 2012).
- The twins, Romulus and Remus, were added much later, in the Renaissance (Live Science, 2012; Capitoline Museums).
- In the 1997 restoration, restorer Anna Maria Carruba found the wolf had been cast as a single unit, a technique typical of the Middle Ages (Live Science, 2012).
- Radiocarbon tests at the University of Salento dated organic material from the casting to 1021–1153 (Live Science, June 25, 2012).
- The Capitoline Museums' catalogue still dates the wolf to the 5th century BC; a Rome culture official said, "we will never have a definitive answer" (Musei Capitolini; Live Science, 2012).
Ancient or medieval: which side are you on? Tell us in the comments. Full story in our documentary, The Full History of Rome.
Quick answers
What is “Rome's Famous She-Wolf May Be MEDIEVAL…” about?
The bronze she-wolf in Rome's Capitoline Museums is the city's best-known symbol, long dated to the 5th century BCE. A 1997 restoration and radiocarbon tests published in 2012 suggest she was cast in the Middle Ages. The museum still dates her as ancient, and the debate goes on.
What are the key facts?
The Etruscan attribution goes back to the 18th-century art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who judged it from the way the fur is represented (Live Science, 2012). The twins, Romulus and Remus, were added much later, in the Renaissance (Live Science, 2012; Capitoline Museums).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites Live Science (Rossella Lorenzi), "Roman Icon Actually Younger Than the City," June 25, 2012; Musei Capitolini, Capitoline She-wolf (inv. MC1181). Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- Live Science (Rossella Lorenzi), "Roman Icon Actually Younger Than the City," June 25, 2012
- Musei Capitolini, Capitoline She-wolf (inv. MC1181)
Images
- Capitoline she-wolf, Musei Capitolini, 2019 — Daderot — Public domain —
- Johann Joachim Winckelmann, 1767–68 — Anton von Maron — Public domain —
- Capitoline Wolf, detail of one of the twins, 2024 — Wilfredor — CC0 —
- Lupa Capitolina, Rome — Wilfredor — CC0 —
- Capitoline she-wolf, Musei Capitolini MC1181 — photo by Jastrow, 2006 — Public domain —
- Palazzo dei Conservatori, Capitoline Museums, 2024 — Ypsilon from Finland — CC0 —
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