Castor and Pollux

Walking Tours of Rome

Statues of Castor and Pollux

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At the top of the cordonata, the stepped ramp leading up to Piazza del Campidoglio, stand two ancient statues of Castor and Pollux. 

In Greek and Roman mythology Castor and Pollux were twin brothers, who were also known as the Dioscuri, from dios (gods) and kuroi (youths). Their mother was Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, but they had different fathers. Castor was the king's son, but Pollux was the son of Zeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. Thus Castor was mortal, while Pollux was a demigod. Some sources say that the brothers were born from an egg, along with their twin sisters, Helen and Clytemnestra. 

The statues were unearthed in 1561 on the site of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, which stood next to the Circus Flaminius. They were erected in the Piazza del Campidoglio in 1583.