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Romulus and Remus Statue
Romulus and Remus Statue
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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 states the following:
"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.
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Photo: Ed Jackson
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