Mapping Augustan Rome

Example Entries

Three typical entries are included below to provide a sense of the catalogue, and of the types of visual representation employed for monuments and structures. Not included here, but present in the catalogue, are extended entries addressing entire regions (e.g., Esquiliae; Trans Tiberim) and pan-urban issues (e.g., Muri; Regiones Quattuordecim).

Detail of the SW Palatine taken from the 1:3000 Central Area map, including the Scalae Caci (201); Casa Romuli (Palatium) (202); Bacchus, Templum (203); Domus: Augustus (204); Area Apollinis (205); Bibliotheca Latina Graecaque (206); Porticus: Apollo (Palatium); Apollo, Templum (Palatium) (208); Domus: Livia (209); Victoria, Aedes (Palatium) (210); Victoria Virgo, Aedicula (211); Magna Mater, Aedes (212); and Clivus Victoriae (213).

Apollo, Templum (Palatium)

map index 208

Temple of Apollo built on the SW *Palatine by Augustus (RG 19: templumque Apollinis in Palatio cum porticibus … feci) and considered one of his most magnificient buildings (Vell. Pat. 2.81.3). In antiquity, the sanctuary was known as a templum (RG 19; Vell. Pat., loc. cit.; Suet., Aug. 29.3), and, occasionally, as an aedes (Prop. 4.6.11: Palatini … Apollinis aedem; this rare poetic form, Apollo Palatinus, has been awarded undeserved prominence by its use in scholarship) or a delubrum (Pliny, NH 36.32: in Palatino Apollinis delubro). Construction likely began in 36 B.C. following Octavian’s victory at Naulochos over Sextus Pompey and was soon mirrored by C. Sosianus, who rebuilt the Temple of *Apollo Medicus around 34 B.C. After the battle at Actium in 31 B.C., Augustus’ temple became an ex voto of the victory of Octavian over Marc Antony (Gros 54) and was dedicated on 9 October 28 B.C. (Dio Cass. 53.1.3; Degrassi, Inscr. Ital. 13.2, 209).

Tradition holds that the temple was built on land Augustus had intended for his residence (*Domus: Augustus), but consecrated to Apollo following the interpretation of the haruspices (soothsayers) after the spot had been struck by a thunderbolt (Suet., Aug. 29.3; Dio. Cass. 49.15.5). The remains of the temple have long been connected with Jupiter (e.g., Lanciani, FUR pl. 29: ‘Aedes Iovis Propugnator in Palatio,’ on this Richardson) but were only correctly identified in the 1960s after the investigations of Lugli and the excavations conducted by Carettoni (Carettoni 1967; id. 1978).

The temple is hexastyle, pseudo-peripteral, and has an almost square cella (20.5 x 19 m). Though most accept that the temple faced the *Circus Maximus, Claridge argues that its monumental façade was oriented to the NE, that is, toward the street leading to the house of Augustus (1998, 131; LTUR 225). Elevated on a high podium of opus caementicium and opus quadratum of tufa and travertine, the temple was reached by a lengthy staircase. The opus quadratum superstructure was constructed entirely of Carrara (Luna) marble (Gros 56). The early-Augustan date suggested by the literary evidence is supported by the archaeological finds; for instance, a Corinthian column fragment dates stylistically to the beginning of the Augustan era (Bauer 183-204). Further, either the temple or the Portico of the Daniads (*Porticus: Apollo) was adorned with polychrome terracotta relief plaques dating to 36-28 B.C. (Gros 56). The pediment was decorated with Archaic Greek statues made of Parian marble attributed to the 6th-c. B.C. Chian sculptors Bupalos and Athenis (Gros 54; Pliny, NH 36.4.13). Additional decoration is attested in Propertius (2.31.11-14), who reports that the central acroteria represented the chariot of Helios, and that the double doors of the cella were decorated with ivory reliefs depicting the Celtic attack on Delphi and the myth of the Niobids. The altar of the temple may have been located to the S in the *Area Apollinis, where the Severan Marble Plan preserves an image of a cruciform monument (Rodríguez Almeida)

The temple formed an integral part of a group of Augustan buildings on the SW Palatine, which included his own residence, an open terraced area framed by porticoes (s.v. Area Apollinis; Porticus: Apollo), and the Greek and Latin Library (*Bibliotheca Latina Graecaque). Excavations revealed that temple was situated just E of Augustus’ residence which physically embraced it on the N and W, while on a lower S terrace private vaulted ramps connected the domus to the level of the sanctuary (see infra fig. 10, R; Carettoni 1967; id. 1978). The temple and its surrounding buildings formed a complex overlooking *Circus Maximus that emulated the Hellenistic palace-sanctuary scheme exemplified in Attalid Pergamon (Gros 57, Zanker 24).

G.V.

A. Claridge, s.v. “Apollo Palatinus,” LTUR V, 225.
P. Gros, s.v. “Apollo Palatinus,” LTUR I, 54-57.
E. Rodríguez Almeida, s.v. “Area Apollinis (Palatinum),” LTUR I, 113.
Richardson 14.
P. Zanker, “Der Apollontempel auf dem Palatin: Ausstattung und Politische Sinnbezüge nach der Schlacht von Actium,” Città e architettura nella Roma imperiale (AnalRom suppl. 10, 1983) 21-39.
G. F. Carettoni, “Roma - Le costruzioni di Augusto e il tempio di Apollo sul Palatino,” ArchLaz 1 (1978) 72-74.
H. Bauer, “Das Kapitell des Apollo Palatinus-Tempels,” RömMitt 76 (1969) 183-204.
G.F. Carettoni, “I problemi della zona augustea del Palatino alla luce dei recenti scavi,”RendLinc 39 (1967) 55-65.

Casa Romuli (Palatium)

map index 202

An archaic hut built of ‘sticks and reeds’ was located on the S Palatine slope near the *Domus: Augustus and the *Scalae Caci by literary sources (Dion. Hal., Ant. Rom. 1.79.11; Varro., Ling. 5.54: aedes Romuli; Plut., Rom. 20.4; Dio Cass. 53.16.5; Reg. Cats., Regio X: casam Romuli; also associated with Remus by Prop. 4.1.9; perhaps linked to Faustulus by Solinus 1.18: tugurium Faustuli; Pensabene 117, 157; Balland 58-60, Coarelli). In antiquity, unusual care was taken to preserve the exact appearance of the archaic dwelling which was maintained as a sacred site (Dion. Hal., loc. cit.).

Archaeological investigations below the platform of the Temple of *Magna Mater revealed postholes in the bedrock belonging to three rather small, oval or rectangular Iron Age huts (c.5 x 4 m: Puglisi 68, fig. 23; Davico 128, fig. 1; Angelelli and Falzone); these were probably quite similar in form to the Casa Romuli (Richardson; Pensabene 156). However, this area was covered over by the late-Republican period (s.v. Magna Mater, Aedes; Pensabene; as were the huts found below the domus Flavia: Taglimonte 17), and thus Romulus’ hut, which Dionysius says ‘remained even to my day’ on the S slope of the Palatine (Dion. Hal., loc. cit.; in fact, the hut stood through the 4th c. A.D.: Reg. Cats.), must have stood elsewhere in the vicinity (Pensabene 157; contra, Castagnoli who locates the hut quite far down the Palatine slope). Given the current evidence, the location of the Casa Romuli cannot be fixed (Balland 58) and thus can only be represented by an index number on our map.

E.A.D.

G. Tagliamonte, s.v. “Palatium, Palatinus mons (fino all prima età repubblicana),” LTUR IV, 14-22.
C. Angelelli and S. Falzone, “Considerazionisull’occupazione protostorica nell’area sud-occidentale del Palatino,” JRA 12 (1999) 5-32.
F. Coarelli, s.v. “Casa Romuli (Cermalus),” LTUR I, 241-42.
Richardson 74, with figs. 21-22.
P. Pensabene, “Casa Romuli sul Palatino,” RendPontAcc 63 (1990-91) 115-62.
A. Balland, “La Casa Romuli au Palatin et au Capitole,” REL 62 (1984) 57-80.
F. Castagnoli, “Note sulle topografia del Palatino e del Foro Romano,” ArchCl 16 (1964) 173-99, esp. 174-75, fig. 2.
S. M. Puglisi, “Gli abitatori primitivi del Palatino attraverso le testimonianze archeologiche e le nuove indagini stratigrafiche sul Germalo,” MontAnt 41 (1951) 3-98.
A. Davico, “Ricostruzione probabile dell’abitazione laziale del primo periodo del ferro secondo le testimonianze dello scavo sul Germalo,” MontAnt 41 (1951) 127-34.

Victoria Virgo, Aedicula

map index 211

Small shrine to Victoria Virgo which stood on the SW *Palatine between the temples of *Magna Mater and *Victoria. Dedicated on August 1, 193 B.C. by M. Porcius Cato, the shrine shares its dies natalis with the adjacent aedes of Victoria (Livy 35.9.6: aediculam Victoriae Virginis prope aedem Victoriae M. Porcius Cato dedicavit; Degrassi, Inscr. Ital. 13.2, 489). Pensabene was the first to associate the extant remains, traditionally identified as the “Auguratorium” (Platner-Ashby, Coarelli), with Victoria Virgo’s temple (1988, 57; followed by Richardson, Coarelli, Papi). The brick ruins visible today date from the Hadrianic period; below these are incomplete late-Republican foundations for a rectangular room which has been identified as the aedicula of Victoria Virgo based upon their date and literary sources that place Cato’s shrine in close proximity to the Palatine Temple of Victory (Pensabene 1985, 198; id. 1988, 57; id., LTUR). While the Republican shrine was certainly much smaller than the Hadrianic building, its full dimensions are not preserved, and thus it is represented on our map by an index number.

E.A.D.

P. Pensabene, s.v. “Victoria Virgo, aedicula,” LTUR V, 150-51.
E. Papi, s.v. “Palatium (età repubblicana – 64 d.C.),” LTUR IV, 22-28, esp. 23.
F. Coarelli, s.v. “Auguratorium,” LTUR I, 143.
Richardson 421.
P. Pensabene, “Scavi nell’area del tempio della Vittoria e del sanctuario della Magna Mater sul Palatino,” ArchLaz 9 (1988) 54-67, esp. 57.
P. Pensabene, “Area sud-occidentale del Palatino,” Roma, archeologia nel centro I (1985) 179-212.
Platner-Ashby 61.

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