Rambles in Rome: An Archæological and Historical Guide to the Museums, Galleries, Villas, Churches, and Antiquities of Rome and the CampagnaForbes, S. Russell
History
Rambles in Rome: An Archæological and Historical Guide to the Museums, Galleries, Villas, Churches, and Antiquities of Rome and the Campagna
Forbes, S. Russell
Art -- Rome; Rome (Italy) -- Guidebooks; Rome -- Antiquities
From the Porta Romana on the Palatine, a short street went to the
right out of the Via Nova into the Forum, ending between the Temples
of Castor and Vesta. "It chanced that I was returning from the
festival of Vesta by that way by which the Nova Via is _now_ joined to
the Roman Forum" (Ovid, "Fasti," vi. 389.) We wish Mr. Naso had been a
little more explicit, and had given us the name of this short street;
but we will endeavour to demonstrate what the name of this street was.
We know from Suetonius that under the Palatine was the temple to the
deified Augustus, and over it Caligula built his bridge, connecting
the Palatine with the Capitol. Now, at the corner of the Palatine we
have the ascent to this bridge remaining, so that it will not be
difficult to find the probable site of the Temple of Augustus. Horace
(O. iii. 3) implies that it was between the Temples of Castor and
Hercules. Servius says it was near the Tuscan colony. Suetonius tells
us it was on the site of the house in which he was born, and gives us
the name of the street: "In the quarter of the Palatine Hill, and the
street called the Ox-heads, where _now_ stands a temple dedicated to
him, and built a little after his death" ("Aug." v.). We conclude from
the above that the probable name of this short street was AD CAPITA
BUBULA, and in confirmation of this, ox-heads may still be seen
sculptured on the fragments found at the end of this street, between
the Temples of Castor and Vesta.
MINOR STREETS.
We must call attention to a cross street that ran from the Clivus
Capitolinus to the Prison and the Clivus Argentarius, the name of
which we cannot determine, unless it was reckoned part of the
Argentarius. When the triumphal processions arrived at this point, the
general and prisoners separated. He went up the Capitol to sacrifice,
they to the Prison to death.
The road passing under the Arch of Severus is of very late date, and
artificially formed. It ran from the cross street down the north side
of the Forum for a short distance, when it turns to the left,
apparently passing out of the Forum between the Curia and the Basilica
Porcia. The roads, as a rule, did not pass under the triumphal arches,
as they are represented on reliefs and coins, with the archways
occupied with statues.
_The open paved space, which was very much larger in the time of the
Republic, was called_
THE COMITIUM.
Varro says it was so called "from _coïre_, to meet,--the place of the
ratification of the treaty between the Romans and Sabines." Livy tells
us "it was an open space marked out in the Forum, where the assemblies
called Comitia Curiata took place for the purpose of electing
ministers of religious rites, making laws of a certain description,
and deciding some suits, and inflicting punishment on criminals."
Domitian ordered the gallants of Cornelia, the president of the
Vestal Virgins, to be whipped to death with rods in the Comitium.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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