You have to know that the history of the origins of Rome was actually a mystery wrapped in the mists of time even 
for those, like the emperor Augustus, who are already living around the year zero for us considered “old”. Scrolling through the writings of Livy, a historian of the time, so we have the strange feeling of “sneaking in the investigation of an investigator.” In fact, this legend is very old, since it had the time of our historic Latin.
The legend has as its backdrop, the Roman Forum (see photo above), another place memorable and evocative of Rome, but in times prior to the building up of what we now see as ancient ruins.
The founding of Rome is in fact taken place recently, we are in 753 BC, and the Roman Forum is just a smoky swamp. During one of the battles between Romans and Sabines, caused according to the tradition of the famous “rat” of the Sabine women (see picture), Mezio Curzio, a legendary commander of the Sabines, is entangled with his horse and falls into a muddy ditch. The place where he fell Mezio Curzio was called by the ancients “Lacus Curtius” (the “lake of Curtius”). This ditch, after the reclamation of the area will be filled with earth and considered sacred.
We’re in 393 BC, and the ancient ditch where he fell Mezio Curzio reopens suddenly like a big hole, probably due to lightning. This event was interpreted as an ominous sign of the gods, which were consulted oracles. The response was clear: the anger would be appeased, and the chasm would be closed again, just throwing into the abyss that Rome had more precious.
Various offers were thrown into the ditch, but to no avail.
Marcus Curtius, the bravest among Roman soldiers, he knew, he just, he was the army that Rome was most valuable. For this he armed himself at all points, mounted his horse and threw it into the abyss. The wrath of the gods subsided, and the ditch is closed thanks to the sacrifice of the soldier.
And so, in the extreme sacrifice Roman hero, we can see a sort of drop compensation that his predecessor Sabine, of the same gens, had done centuries ago.
In the legend are definitely the archaic memory of the human sacrifices that were made in these places, in a sort of holy wells.
But the most interesting thing about this ancient legend is that the “Lacus Curtius” was found! Came out in the course of excavations in one of the oldest parts of the Roman Forum (see photo above left), with lots of antique marble relief (see photo at right), relief that now, like me, you are able to fully understand in meaning.