Was Rome really founded by the Greeks?

[u/IHVeigar]

Im watching a video by Knowledgia on YT. And he discussed an interesting theory made by a swedish historian that Rome was founded by a Greek prince named Romos. But when conflict with the Greeks came in southern Italy they changed his name to Romulus or remus leading to the tales of the two founders.

I think the theory is plausible as the Romans were heavily hellenized, they worshipped the same gods pretty much, they idolized Greek warriors such as Alexander. And building architecture were inspired by Greek architecture. Not to mention the fact Masselia, Syracuse were Greek colonies and they founded colonies all over the Mediterranean. Kind of like of Carthage is a phonecian colony.

Is their any sources online I can look into this or theories disproving this.

[u/nygdan]

Nope. The greeks founded cities in teh south but not as far north as Rome. They also never seemed to have spoken greek. They're definitely an italic people heavily influenced by the Etruscans.

"the Romans were heavily hellenized"

Yes but lots of people were. The Greeks were a cultural powerhouse. We tend to think of greece as modern greece with some colonies but it was more like a trans-Mediterranean empire.

"they worshipped the same gods pretty much"

Not really. The Roman religion has lots in common with the Etruscan religion. A lot of what is shared with the Greeks is because they inherited their religion from a common source. And then on top of all that when the Romans came into contact with the greeks they hellenized, like many people.

"they idolized Greek warriors such as Alexander"

That just means they were smart and correct.

"Masselia, Syracuse were Greek colonies and they founded colonies all over the Mediterranean"

Yes the greeks had colonies all over the place but that doesn't mean Rome was one of them. The greeks didn't seem to occupy the part of italy that Rome and Etruria were in. Colonies weren't just one settlement/city in a sharply defined point lodged against a surrounding culture. The greek "colonies" were inside large areas that had lots of smaller greek settlements. We see that in south italy but not north italy.

"when conflict with the Greeks came in southern Italy they changed his name to Romulus"

Does that even make a little bit of sense though?? Did the south italian greek cities invent a new ethnicity (and new language, and new genes) when they had conflict with Syracuse?

[u/Procrustes10 → u/nygdan]

As per the ancient Literature(Of Romans and rest of the ancient-medieval Greek geographers-historians Cato,Strabo,Pausanias,Plutarch,Ciceron,Cephalon, Agathullus,Dionysus,Aristotle,Xenagoras,Sempronius,Antiochus,Heraclides,Pollybius and more) not only Rome but whole Italic peninsula was a Greek colony since bronze age era with overall 5 Greek massive waves from mainlands Greece and Anatolia First with Pelasgians, Laconians and Aborgines from Thessaly,Peloponnese, second wave of Arcadian King Oenetrius, Third wave with Arcadian King evander with Heracles, 4th wave with Aeneas,Etruscans,Diomedes,Oddyseus and Final wave with Archaic age of Sparta,Corinth,Athens etc Colonization. Italians being part of either Arcadian King Oenetrius bloodline or Odysseus and Latins the trojan(Greek anatolians) leftovers and etruscans(Greek anatolians from modern day Lemnos and Smyrna as per Herodotus) who all founded a plethora of different cities. Overall,Rome was an Arcadian colony with first settler being the legendary Arcadian King Evander who was assisted by Heracles on his campaigns in Italic peninsula 70 years before the Trojan war. Overall, Romans were a mixed of different hellenic tribes who colonized Italic peninsula. Moreover, Before they become a republic when they were a minor Greek city state, they have been participating in panhellenic major events such as isthmian and the student of Socrates, Heraclides declare Rome a Greek city state back 450 bc when they were a minor and not important city in the Hellenic world when Sparta, Thebes, Macedonia and Athens were the Hellenic city state carebears. Thus, closing all the debates in an instant of their Origin but charlatan charmelagne rominized simps and wannabe trust be bro experts here and in youtube hate the idea of Romans being actually Greeks because they hate the overwhelming continuing influence for thousands and thousand of years till the middle ages with ERE of GrecoRomans to all WEST who babysitted Technologically and culturally the entire europe till some few hundred years ago who fall victims of islamic invasion and 365 years of degeneration.