Foundations

The Sabine women were a group of young women that were kidnapped by the Romans due to Romulus' way of dragging them in by holding horse races to lure them into the cities. When the whole Sabine population came into the city, the Romans kidnapped as many young women as they could, and this started a war between the Romans and the Sabines. This altercation is the story behind the beautiful painting by Jacques-Louis David 1779 (above), and other artists, which captured the moment the kidnapped Sabine women threw themselves between the two fighting sides, the Romans and their brothers, fathers, and husbands on the Sabine side. The Sabine women were able to persuade them to "make peace, not war" (Page 19). The peace between the two sides have since prevailed. Because women are fuckin' rock stars.

The Rape of the Sabine Women, Pietro da Cortona, 1629

Rape of the Sabine Women, Giovanni Bologna, 1583