An Etruscan bronze dating from the early fifth century BC, the figure of the she-wolf came to symbolize the mythical origins of Rome. The statue was thought to have been the one mentioned by Cicero as being struck by lightning in 65 BC, but this is unlikely. It was donated to the city of Rome in 1471 by Pope Sixtus IV along with three other bronze statues that had been at the Lateran Palace.