Children of the She-Wolf

Every time you get a salary, thank the Romans for it. The word 'salary' comes from 'salarium' which is derived from the Latin word 'sal' for salt.

Children of the She-Wolf

Every time you get a salary, thank the Romans for it. The word 'salary' comes from 'salarium' which is derived from the Latin word 'sal' for salt. This was fixed ration of the highly prized salt given each month to Roman soldiers. Later, this term extended to the monthly wage.

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent
those of the paper.

The Romans who controlled the world for nearly a thousand years, before they were overrun by barbarians, were one of the most pragmatic and ruthless rulers the world saw. Their religion had very little to do with spirituality and devotion and more to do with practical issues like institutions, organisations, rituals and soothsaying that ensured stability of their city and its vast empire.

Virgil's Aenied traces the origin of Romans to the Aeneas, the prince of Troy. When the Greeks destroyed the city of Troy, their leaders saw Aeneas carry his old father on his shoulders trying to escape. Impressed by his devotion to his father, they let him go unharmed. After many adventures, Aeneas reached the land we now call Italy, and settled there.

Among his descendants were the two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned in the forest after their birth and were raised by a she-wolf. The two brothers grew up to be great warriors. One day, Romulus built a wall and said he would kill whoever jumped over it. Remus jumped over the wall in jest. Romulus did not appreciate this and killed his brother. Romulus then founded the city of Rome, protected by the very same wall he built as a child.

While Romulus built a city and gathered around him men who were willing to live and protect the city, he realised his men needed women to start a family and populate it. So, he approached the neighbouring Sabine tribe for their daughters in marriage.

The Sabines refused. Romulus and his men abducted their daughters and carried them into their homes. The Sabines were furious and attacked Rome. War and death would surely have followed had the Sabine women not intervened. "If you kill the Sabines, we lose our fathers. If you kill the Romans, we lose our husbands. Either way, we will be miserable, weeping as orphans or widows," they said.

Hearing this, the Sabines and the Romans lowered their weapons. The wisdom of the women was remembered and a special place was always given to Roman women in centuries to come.

The abduction of Sabine women is more popularly known as the 'rape' of the Sabine women (the word 'rape' does not mean what it means today). It is a common theme in art. The Christian practice of carrying the bride over the threshold comes from this Roman tale because the Romans carried the Sabine women over the threshold of their homes after abducting them. The author is Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group.