Battle of Lacus Curtius

Rome was founded on the Palatine Hill. The settlement flourished and their strength and size came to rival those of their neighbors. The city needed more marriageable women and feared their growth couldn't be sustained if the female population did not increase. Romulus appealed to the other cities in the region: With the Roman people outraged at the response, Romulus announced a festival to be held in the city and invited the citizens of Caenina, Antemnae, Crustumerium, and Sabinia. Rome defeated three of their enemies, at which point the Sabines declared war. The two sides spent a year preparing. During this time Rome improved its defenses and were reinforced with Albans soldiers sent by King Numitor and mercenaries under the command of the Romulus' friend and renowned commander Lucumo. After a final effort to resolve the matter peacefully, the Sabine army marched forth. ==Battle==

The Vestal Virgin Tarpeia, the daughter of the commander of the citadel in Rome Spurius Tarpeius, betrayed Rome to the Sabines, offering them entry into the city. Quoting Fabius and Cincius, Dionysius of Halicarnassus writes that Tatius tricked the daughter of the commander of the city's walled citadel to open the gates to his men by offering her what she thinks will be the gold bracelets they wear on their left arms, instead they crushed her to death when they heaped their shields on top of her as her reward. Lucius Piso claimed that she was motivated not by greed, but a plan to trick the Sabines and that she was killed only after they came to suspect her of treachery. Livy writes that the girl was simply bribed, but also cites the trickery account related by Dionysius. The Sabine and Roman armies gathered at the Palatine and Capitoline Hills; the Sabines were commanded by Mettius Curtius and the Romans by Hostus Hostilius. The river had recently flooded and left a thick mud in the area, After several skirmishes and minor engagements, the armies fought two pitched battles featuring valor and losses to both sides. In the second and final battle between them, the armies met in between the two hills they occupied. Romulus and Lucumo were successfully attacking from both wings, but were forced to disengage when the center of the Roman line broke in order to stop the Sabines' advance under their general Mettius Curtius. == Resolution ==

After the Sabines regrouped, the battle continued in the area between the two hills, but the Roman army had by then gained the upper hand. Suddenly, the abducted Sabine daughters rushed onto the battlefield and put themselves between the two armies. They implored both sides to stop the bloodshed and accept each other as family, as they then were. Ashamed, the leaders of the two peoples ended the fighting. In his account of the Battle of the Lacus Curtius, Plutarch provides additional details, but the basic account is the same as that of Livy and Dionysius. He notes that when the women intervened, they not only ended the battle, but brought food and water, as well as care for the injured. They also take the opportunity to introduce their husbands and their fathers. Henceforth, Sabine women have no duty but to spin wool for their husbands. ==Aftermath==

, 1799. After the battle, both sides decided to sign a peace treaty uniting the two kingdoms transferring administrative power to Rome. Citizens of Rome became known as Quirites after the town Cures. The Lacus Curtius was named after Sabine leader Mettius Curtius. ==References==