She wolf, Symbol of Siena






Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena. (See the duomo designed with black and white stripes.) The recurrent symbol is the She-wolf with suckling children. According to an ancient legend, Siena was founded by Remus’ sons, Senius and Aschius, who left Rome with the statue of the she-wolf, stolen from Apollo’s temple. The symbolic colors of the city derive as well from these two legendary founders--Aschius rode a black horse and Senius rode a white one.



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© 2005 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.

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