Abstract: The she-wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, was identified as a symbol of Rome by both the Romans themselves and nations under the Roman rule. In this essay I will discuss the Lupa Romana in Roman provincial art. I will present various visual representations of the she-wolf both in the public use and in objects related to private life, and analyze the she-wolf's symbolic meaning.

The Lupa Romana was an iconic scene that was not used randomly in provincial art. It represented in the first place the idea of romanitas, being Roman. In some cases the use of the symbol could have been in consequence of instructions from Rome itself or from provincial authorities that depended on Rome, but in most cases the motif was used by the inhabitants of the provinces themselves. It can be seen as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, but at the same time the message could have been directed to other members of the community, too. As romanitas was associated with higher social status, the she-wolf motif in the decoration of one's house or gravestone could be seen as self-aggrandizement.

Keywords: lupa Romana, Roman iconography, Roman provincial archaeology, Roman provincial art, romanitas, Romanisation

The she-wolf with the twins Romulus and Remus has served as a symbol of Rome for more than two millennia. In Antiquity, Rome was identified with the Lupa Romana in both literature and the visual arts. The she-wolf represented not only the city that was founded by her foster children but also the whole Roman Empire and romanitas, the idea of being Roman. This identification was made not only by the Romans themselves but by other nations too; both enemies of Rome and nations under Roman rule were aware of the lupine connection.

In this essay I will discuss the Lupa Romana in Roman provincial art. (1) I will present various visual representations of the she-wolf and analyze the she-wolf's symbolic meaning, especially in the provincial context. The symbol appears both in public use (such as on coins, on imperial cuirasses and in architectural decoration) and in objects related to private life (such as on personal belongings and gravestones). I will also look into some details which have not previously been studied very thoroughly, such as the geographical distribution of the artifacts that have been preserved and the restrictions that might have been placed on the use of the she-wolf image.

BACKGROUND: THE SHE-WOLF IN ROME

The history of the relationship between Rome and the wolf goes back to the very beginning of the new city. The myth of the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus was known at least from the beginning of the 4th century BCE, (2) possibly already in the first half of the 6th century BCE. (3) Wolves also had a major religious role in the early Roman cult of the Lupercalia. (4) Even though the dating of the famous bronze sculpture Lupa Capitolina (5) and the identification of the persons in...