TULLUS HOSTILIUS

traditionally, the third king of Rome, reigning from 673 to 642 BC. He was a legendary figure, the legend probably influenced by that of Romulus. Both Tullus and Romulus supposedly carried on war with the neighbouring cities of Fidenae and Veii, doubled the number of Roman citizens, organized the army, and disappeared from earth in a storm. Such legends are accepted as fact by the historians Livy (59 BCAD 17) and Dionysius of Halicarnassus (flourished late 1st century BC). It is possible that Alba Longa, about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, was destroyed during the years in which Tullus is thought to have reigned. His reported policy of incorporating Alba into the Roman state and enrolling its chiefs in the Senate is entirely in accord with the historical fact of Rome's early expansion by amalgamation rather than by subjugation. The founding by Tullus of the Curia Hostilia, an early meeting place of the Roman Senate, may also be regarded as authentic.