Despite Romulus being famous as the founder of Rome, ancient Greek and Roman records show that the city had actually already been founded by a Greek king named Evander. He was allegedly an important figure in the history of civilisation in Italy, particular in the region of Rome. What do the sources reveal about this intriguing but significant ancient king?
Who Was Evander?
The sources about Evander come primarily from the first centuries BC and AD. For example, he appears in the writings of Pausanias, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Ovid, and Virgil. The information that these sources provide about him are not completely consistent. However, there are some major points which all the sources agree on.
Put simply, Evander was a king who had migrated from Arcadia in Greece to Italy, where he had founded a new city. This city was on the Palatine Hill, the site which would eventually become Rome. For this reason, Evander could justifiably be viewed as the true founder of Rome. Evander allegedly founded his city about sixty years before the Trojan War.
The sources also generally agree that Evander had divine parentage, although not all accounts give him the same parents. Nevertheless, there was general agreement that he was the son of Hermes and a nymph. The nymph was the daughter of Ladon and was called Themis by the Greeks. The Romans, on the other hand, called her Carmenta.
Interestingly, one account instead calls him the son of Echemus and Timandra. However, this king and queen of Arcadia lived at the same time as the Trojan War (Timandra was actually the sister of Helen of Sparta). Hence, it appears very unlikely that Evander could have been their son, given that he supposedly founded the original Rome half a century before the Trojan War.
As for his children, Evander supposedly had a son and a daughter. The name of the son was Pallas. While some sources say that the daughter’s name is unknown, others call her Pallantia.
How did Evander arrive in Italy?
With that background in mind, what do we know about the legends of Evander being the founder of Rome? The legends tell us that Evander left his home in Arcadia and established a colony in Italy. The reason for his departure is disputed in the records. The account by Pausanias the Greek geographer states the following:
“Sent out to establish a colony at the head of a company of Arcadians from Pallantium, he founded a city on the banks of the river Tiber.”
The wording in this account implies that the people of Arcadia sent him out for the purpose of establishing a colony. This suggests that the process was proper and amicable. On the other hand, other accounts completely contradict this. They state that Evander was driven out of the country.
For instance, the Roman poet Ovid calls him an exile. He explains that Evander had been driven out of his home city in Greece, Pallantium. As a result, he decided to leave Greece altogether and sailed to Italy. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a Greek historian, claimed that Evander had been the leader of a faction in Arcadia which had been defeated by an opposing faction.
According to yet another account, Evander had to leave because of some shameful and tragic error on his part. The commentator Servius claimed that he had killed his father, which crime led to his expulsion.
How Evander founded Rome
After having arrived in Italy, how did Evander become the founder of Rome? According to Dionysius, Evander and his fellow Arcadians established a “small village”. He also refers to this settlement as a “town”. In any case, there is no indication that it was a large city, at least not at first. Indeed, Dionysius makes a point of saying that Evander did not have a large group of followers.
The name of this settlement, according to most accounts, was Pallantium. Certain writers, such as Dionysius, state that this was the origin of the name of the Palatine Hill, time having slightly corrupted the spelling. However, the Roman historian Ateius Philologus of the first century BC claimed that it was already called Rome in the time of Evander.
The Greeks and Romans remembered Evander as a significant figure in the development of Roman culture. For example, the Roman writer Hyginus reported that Evander had introduced the Greek alphabet into Italy, where it became the Latin alphabet.
Other sources testify to Evander having established the worship of certain gods in Italy, as well as the popular festival of Lupercalia.
Did Evander really exist?
As we can see, Evander is a major figure in the legendary history of Rome. However, did he really exist? Unfortunately, since we lack any written documents from such an early period, we simply cannot say for sure.
What we do know, however, is that archaeology does show that the Palatine Hill was indeed the earliest part of Rome that was inhabited. Furthermore, archaeology has demonstrated that there are traces of a possible Greek colony dating to the eighth century BC, with Greek pottery having been found just next to the Palatine Hill.
It is true that this is far later than the traditional date of the Trojan War. However, there is evidence that indicates that the Trojan War may well have occurred much later. Hence, it is possible that the apparent Greek colony in the eighth century BC really was the settlement of Evander.
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