Romulus & Remus Started a Nation. We’re Next

Remus and Romulus Started a Village with Their Friends

Abandoned, Rescued, and Raised Outside the System

Born of royal blood but targeted for death, the twins Romulus and Remus were abandoned on the Tiber River. They were famously rescued and nursed by a she-wolf, then raised by a shepherd named Faustulus and his wife.

This meant they grew up outside the established political order, bonded to each other and to a tight circle of shepherd companions.

Forming a Band of Comrades

As adolescents, Romulus and Remus became leaders of a band of young outlaws—shepherds, hunters, and wanderers. These weren’t just casual friends; they were a crew bound by loyalty and shared struggle, the kind of network you’d later recruit to populate a new settlement.

Overthrowing the Old Regime

Eventually, the brothers discovered their true heritage: they were grandsons of the deposed King Numitor of Alba Longa. With their comrades, they marched on the city, overthrew the usurper Amulius, and restored their grandfather to the throne.

Having reconnected with their noble lineage—but unwilling to live under someone else’s rule—they decided to build their own place.

Choosing a Site

They chose a location near the Tiber where they had once been rescued—fertile, defensible, and positioned near trade routes. Romulus preferred the Palatine Hill, Remus the Aventine Hill, leading to their famous conflict.

Founding the Settlement

Romulus began marking out boundaries and raising a palisade (the pomerium) on the Palatine. He invited their followers—shepherds, exiles, adventurers, and restless young men—to join the new community.

In essence, he was offering a fresh start to capable men who didn’t fit neatly into the old order. They created a home for the young and talented.

Youth Revolutions = Vitality

History shows us a recurring theme: when youth are given space, vitality flourishes.

The French Revolution displaced entrenched nobility. Robespierre promoted the young and talented, replacing the old aristocracy and military hierarchy. This cleared space for Napoleon—an outsider—who became a general at 25 and one of the greatest military leaders in history, surrounded by other young, capable generals.

Despite the devastation of the French Revolution, it created space for merit to rise. And this is a common theme in human history.

* Napoleon became general at 25.

* Alexander the Great became king at 21.

* Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in his 30s.

* Most physics breakthroughs came from the young—at least until very recently.

In America’s founding, many leaders were under 40. Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton—these men built a new nation because there was open space for youth to rise quickly. That open frontier allowed rapid elevation of talent.

Contrast that with a society grown old and fixed: positions are occupied by mediocre incumbents, while the young are suppressed. In America today, youth face enormous barriers—buying homes, stepping into leadership, or entering elite schools. Elite production is lower because there’s little room for new aspirants.

Whenever ambitious youth lack a path to success, their energy can turn destructive—or, if given space, incredibly productive.

This is why, in building a brotherhood and aspiring toward new towns, I keep attracting the most talented and ambitious young men on the planet. These are men who could excel in any field, but have been rejected by the old order. They are the elite aspirants in search of a frontier.

Space for the Young and Talented

For vitality, society must always provide new space for the young and talented to conquer—an arena for elite aspirants to rise. Not a stagnant world where the old comfortably suppress the young.

Notes on Youth Revolutions:

* The French Revolution was a wholesale rejection of tradition.

* The American Revolution drew upon tradition, classical wisdom, and innovation combined.

* Youth revolutions become dangerous when driven by resentment instead of vision.

Tradition for the ReTribalize Project = Promote the Young and Talented

The lesson is simple: to build something vital, we must promote the young and talented.

* Create an ever-expanding frontier.

* Revive the apprenticeship model.

* Give ambitious men real stakes and real communities to shape.

This was the genius of Rome’s founders, of America’s revolutionaries, and of every flourishing society in history. It must also be the foundation of what we’re building now.

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