The remains of ancient Rome

Front matter

;s i

1 1 w

■ I

Preface

The present work is a revised and greatly enlarged version in two volumes of the former one-volume books entitled Ancient Rome in 1885 and in 1888.

A great part has been rewritten, accounts of the recent discoveries have been added, and a large number of new illustrations have been introduced.

I have to thank Mr. John Murray for kindly supplying duke's of the cuts of the Colosseum and the Circus of Maxentius, and for allowing me to reprint part of the description of the Circus Maximus which I originally wrote for the new edition of Smith's Dictionary of Antiquities. I also have to thank Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co. for the use of their cuts of the Pantheon, the Theatre of Marcellus, the Arch of Constantine, and the Coin of the Gens Scribonia. The Council of the Society of Antiquaries have been good enough to supply the cuts taken from Ligorio's Bodleian manuscript.

Unhappily the growth of the modern city, which has recently progressed with extraordinary rapidity, has led to the obliteration of many interesting features in the topography of the ancient city, and the destruction of a large proportion of its natural beauties.

The many lovely gardens and vineyards which were scattered throughout the Aurelian enclosure are now rapidly disappearing under the destructive hand of the vi PREFACE

speculating builder ; the picturesque old streets are beingrebuilt, frequently on wholly new lines, and Eome, which was once not only among the most interesting, but also one of the most beautiful cities in the world, is rapidly assuming the aspect of a third-rate Parisian suburb.

Thus, for example, the famous Ludovisi Gardens, one of the loveliest spots on the face of the earth, are now uprooted and made into a dreary quarter of " jerry-built " stuccoed boulevards.

The destruction of the beautiful avenue of ilex oak trees which led from the Lateran Church to the Basilica of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, in order to make room for a new row of stuccoed barrack-like houses, has for ever ruined what was formerly one of the most perfect views in Italy.

No less horrible is the conversion of the garden-like " prati," all round the Castle of S. Angelo, into a hideous waste of bricks and mortar, together with countless other outrages of the same kind.

One of the most serious injuries to the beauty of the city is the demolition of the picturesque old houses which skirted the Tiber banks, especially on the left side, and the formation of an ugly stone embankment. A number of interesting ancient river-side houses, very beautifully decorated, were exposed and then completely destroyed during the progress of the work.

The destruction of the Ghetto, and of much more of the most populous quarter of the Campus Martins > has obliterated a great portion of the mediaeval city, and destroyed much that was picturesquely beautiful, and full of real historical interest.

No words can adequately express the disgust which must be experienced both by the antiquary and by the lover of beauty in any form who now visits this unhappy city. The injury done in former periods of destruction

PREFACE vii

was but superficial compared to the ruin which is being wrought by the present scheme of the piano regolatore, which aims and is partly succeeding in levelling the seven hills and filling up the intermediate valleys ; changing the very face of nature, and utterly destroying the character of the former Capital of the world.

It should, however, be remembered that a great proportion of the injury which has been done to the remains of ancient and mediaeval Eome and to the natural beauties of the place has been the unavoidable result of the fact that Eome has again become the Capital of Italy, and that in number of inhabitants it is now considerably more than double what it was in 1870.1

It would not be fair, therefore, to speak as if the Italians were a wantonly destructive race, inferior, for example, to the English in their respect for what is beautiful and historically interesting.

In England there was less to destroy, but proportionally the ravages of the last fifty years in old London and among the mediaeval buildings of Oxford and Cambridge and elsewhere have been no less lamentable than the changes which have gone so far to blot out the once unrivalled charm of the Eternal City.

J. HENEY MIDDLETON,

King's College, Cambridge.

The population of Rome is now close on half a million

IX

Chapter II

Methods of Construction ; masonry, concrete, brick facing, opus reticulatum, concrete vaults, centering, lacunaria, stucco and cement made of pounded marble ; mosaic for floors and walls ; marble wall-linings ; Metropolitan Building Act ; the technical methods employed in Roman wall-paintings, encaustic and tempera ; painter's colours and tools ; paintings of the Republican period found in tombs on the Esquiline 36-103

Chapter III "

Prehistoric and Regal Period ; early tombs with Phoenician imports ; the Pomoerium ; Tacitus on its circuit ; Roma Quadrata and the so-called Wall of Romulus ; existing remains ; gates of Roma Quadrata ; the Lupercal ; Hut of Romulus ; the Regal Period ; four Regiones of Servius ; their circuit wall and its gates ; the Agger of x CONTENTS

Servius, existing remains ; the great cloacae, recent discoveries ; the river embankment, the Curatores alvei ; marble wharf by the Campus Martius ; the "Mamertine prison" and the Scalae Gemoniae Pages 104-155

Chapter IV

The Palatine Hill ; Prehistoric and Republican buildings ; earlytemples and houses ; Altar to the Unknown God ; House of Livia ; Palace of Augustus and the Area of Apollo ; the Palace and Cryptoporticus of Caligula ........ 158-198

Chapter V

The Palatine Hill {continued); the Flavian Palace; the "Domus Gelotiana " ; the Palatine Stadium and the Palace of Hadrian ; Palace of Severus ; the Velia, the Germalus, the Velabrum ; the Nova Via, the Sacra Via ; late baths and other buildings skirting the Sacra Via 199-230

Chapter VI

The Forum Romanum ; early development ; its use for gladiatorial fights ; the Comitium and the Curia ; early ritual ; the Rostra ; the Ficus Ruminalis ; the Basilica Aemilia ; the bronze temple of Janus ; the Sacra Via ; existing remains of the Rostra and so - called Graecostasis ; the Umbilicus and the Milliarium Aureum ; the Temple of Saturn ; the Arch of Tiberius ; the Basilica Julia ; the Temples of Augustus, of Castor, and of Divus Julius ; the Rostra Julia 231-288

Chapter VII

The Forum Romanum {continued) ; the cult of Vesta ; the Vestal Virgins ; the Temple of Vesta ; the Domus Publica ; the Regia ; the House of the Vestals ; statues of the Vestales Maximae and their inscribed pedestals ; the Arch of Fabius ; the Temple of Faustina ; the Temple of Concord ; the Temple of Vespasian ; the small aedicula ; the Porticus of the Dii Consentes ; the Schola Xanthi ; the Arch of Severus ; the central area of the Forum : sculptured plutei and other monuments ......... 289-352

CONTENTS xi

Chapter VIII

The Capitoline Hill ; the Arx and Capitolium ; the fiavissae or treasure chambers ; Temple of Jupiter Feretrius ; Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, its treasures and religious importance ; the Temple of Juno Moneta, the early mint ; other smaller temples ; works of art on the Capitol ; the Capitoline Tabularium ; its existing remains of Republican date Pages 353-377

Chapter IX

The Architectural Growth of Rome ; the development of the Campus Martius ; the fourteen Regiones of Augustus and their principal contents ; the Res gestae of Augustus from the Temple at Ancyra, his munificence in the improvement of Rome and his many benefactions to the Roman people ; the Age of Severus ; the accumulation in Rome of works of art 378-391

List of references to the Plan of the Forum Romanum . . 392-393

Xlll

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

COLOURED PLATES

I. Map of Ancient Rome, opposite p. 1.

II. Map of Modern Rome, showing the existing ancient remains and proposed new streets ; in a pocket at the end. III. Plan of the Forum Romanum, showing the most recent discoveries ; in a pocket at the end.

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT

FIG.

1. Doorway into the Forum Pacis .

2. Arch opening into the Forum Augusti

3. Method of casting concrete walls

4. Opus incertum and reticulatum'

5. Mixed opus reticulatum and brick

6. Doorway in Caligula's Palace

7. Concrete wall faced with brick .

8. Perspective sketch of brick-faced wall

9. Concrete arch faced with brick .

10. Concrete used like solid stone .

11. Centering used for concrete arch

12. Centering used for stone arch .

13. Lacunaria in a concrete vault .

14. Wall-lining of marble panels

15. Marble lining from the Temple of Concord

16. Section of the Wall of Roma Quadrata

17. Elevation of the Wall of Roma Quadrata

18. Wall and Agger of Servius

19. Early Masons' marks

20. Part of the Servian wall on the Aventine

21. The Mamertine prison (Tullianum) .

PAGE

XIV

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG.

22. Plan of the Palatine Hill .

23. Early cistern by the Scalae Caci

24. Altar to the Unknown God

25. Plan of the "House of Livia"

26. A Roman shop-front, restored

27. The Curia (Church of S. Adriano)

28. Ligorio's sketch of the Curia

29. The Temple of Janus on a coin of Nero

30. Early piece of paved road .

31. Plan of the Rostra and " Graecostasis "

32. Section of the Rostra and "Graecostasis"

33. Front of the Rostra, restored

34. The Rostra shown on Constantine's relief

35. Ligorio's sketch of the "Temple of Augustus "

36. Plan of the Temple of Castor .

37. Details of the Podium of the Temple of Castor

38. The Puteal Scribonianum on a coin .

39. The Palladium on a coin of Antoninus Pius

40. The Temple of Vesta, restored .

41 . Plan of the Atrium Vestae

42. Section of the Atrium Vestae .

43. Roman corn-mill .....

44. Statue of a Vestal wearing the suffibulum .

45. The Temple of Concord on a coin of Tiberius

16. The Temple of Capitoline Jupiter on a relief

17. Sacrificial scene on the Capitol, from a coin 48. Doorway of the Tabularium to face

PAGE

XV

INTRODUCTION

Much additional knowledge with regard to the Archaeology of Ancient Eome has recently been acquired owing to the fact that the last few years have been extraordinarily fertile in the discoveries of hitherto unknown remains, and in the new light that has been thrown on many of those that have for long been visible. To excavations made during the Recent last fifteen years are due the complete exposure of the whole area of the Forum Romanum and much of the ground near it ; the determination of the real form of the Rostra of Julius Caesar; the discovery of most important remains of the Temple of Vesta, the House of the Vestals, the Regia, the Domus Publica, and the line of the Xova Via. The great Servian Agger, with countless early tombs and houses of all dates, has, during the same period, been brought to light by the extensive excavations made in laying out a new quarter of modern Rome. Most important of all, in its relation to the early history of Rome, has been the discovery of a large Prehistoric Necropolis on the Esquiline Hill, the objects found in which show that at an early prehistoric period a settlement existed there in which the Etruscans were the predominant and civilising influence, and that the inhabitants were largely dependent upon Oriental, probably Phoenician traders for a great proportion of the objects both of use and ornament which they possessed.

Moreover, in the following pages an attempt has been importance made to describe the buildings of ancient Rome with increased

XVI

INTRODUCTION

Existing evidence.

Measured plans.

References to Pliny.

attention to detail and methods of construction — points which are usually passed over too lightly by those antiquaries who are without any practical acquaintance with the actual processes and materials employed in building.

Great as must always be the value of documentary evidence, such as that which is supplied by inscriptions, coins, and the long list of classical writers mentioned below, yet it is of quite equal importance for the student to learn to read the story told by each building itself — a record by no means clear, and which requires long and careful study of what may at first sight appear to be matters of small moment.

It is not only the general design of a building, the contours of its mouldings, or the style of its sculpture, which supplies valuable evidence as to its history, but no less important help is often to be gained by the minute examination of such purely constructional points as the composition of the concrete, the form of the wood centering shown by its imprints on the vaults, and countless other technical details.

It is hoped, too, that the plans and other illustrations may be of assistance to future students — especially the plan of the Forum, which has been measured and drawn by the author entirely afresh, and shows in a minute way the whole extent of the area of the Forum and most of its surrounding buildings.1 The latest excavations are shown on the plan of the Palatine Hill and on that of the House of the Vestals.

The references to Pliny's Historia Naturalis are given in all cases according to the system of smaller subdivisions into paragraphs which has been adopted in all the best recent editions. This makes it much easier to find the passage referred to.

Before passing on to the subject in hand it may be well to give a list of the various sources of information on the Archaeology of Eome, with the names of the chief books and

1 This plan of the Forum lias been reproduced in more than one German work on Roman topography.

INTRODUCTION xvn

periodicals which should be consulted by those who wish to enter upon the study of this most fascinating subject.

The sources of information on the Archaeology of Rome may be classified in the following way : —

I. Classical Writers.

II. Inscriptions, Coins, and other existing Remains.

III. The Regionary Catalogues and other Documents of the

DECADENCE AND MIDDLE AGES.

IV. A NUMBER OF WORKS, MOSTLY ILLUSTRATED, DATING FROM THE

REVIVAL OF INTEREST IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITIES IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY DOWN TO THE PRESENT CENTURY, AND OLD PICTURES WHICH SHOW CLASSICAL BUILDINGS NOW DESTROYED.

V. Modern Works.

I. The following are the chief classical writers who give information on the antiquities and topography of Rome : —

Platjttjs, Comic Poet: b. c. 254 B.C. — d. 184 B.C. Wrote Comedies, of which twenty exist.

Ennius, Poet : b. 239 — d. 169 B.C. Wrote Satires and Tragedies, of which only fragments exist.

Polybius, Greek Historian : b. c. 204 — d. c. 122 B.C. Wrote a History of Rome, Greece, and other countries, in forty books, of which the first five exist, and considerable fragments of others.

Terentius Afee, native of Carthage, Comic Poet : b. 195— d. c. 159 B.C. Wrote Comedies, of which six exist.

M. Terentius Varro, Antiquary and Philologist: b. 116— d. 28 B.C. Wrote De Lingua Latina, Dc Re Rustica, Antiquitatum Libri, and other works.

M. Tullius Cicero, Orator and Statesman: b. 106— d. 43 B.C. Wrote Orations, De Natura Deorum, Be Legibus, and many other works on philosophy and theology.

C. SALLTTSTltrs Crispus, Historian: 86-34 b.c Wrote on the Jugurthine

War and Catiline Conspiracy.

Valerius (or Quintus) Catullus, Poet: 87-c. 47 b.c. Wrote Odes, of which 116 exist.

xviii INTRODUCTION

P. Vergilius Maro, Poet: 70-19 B.C. The Aeneid contains many references to Rome and its history. The very valuable commentary which passes by the name of Servius is mentioned below.

Q. Horatius Flaccus, Poet: 65-8 B.C. His Satires especially contain passages illustrative of Roman topography.

Titus Livitjs, the chief Roman Historian : 59 b.c-17 a.d. His History of Rome, which ends with the year 9 B.C., consisted of 142 books, of which 35 exist complete, with Epitomes of all the lost books except two.

Sextus Aurelius Propertius, Poet: b. c. 50 — d. c. 15 B.C. Wrote Elegies.

Diodorus Sictjlus, Greek Historian : reign of Augustus. Wrote Bibliotheca Historica.

P. Ovidius Naso, Poet: b. 43 B.C. — d. 18 a.d. His Fasti axe especially valuable to the student of Roman archaeology.

Strabo, Greek Geographer : b. c. 54 B.C. — d. after 20 a.d. Wrote on the Geography of the known world, in seventeen books.

Diontsius of Halicarnasstjs, Greek Historian : died 7 B.C. Wrote on the early History of Rome.

M. Vitruvius Pollio, Architect and Military Engineer in the reign of Augustus : probably born in the early part of the first century B.C., date of death unknown. Wrote De Architectura, dedicated to Augustus, a most interesting and valuable work.

C. Velleius Paterculus, Historian : b. c. 20 B.C. — d. c. 31 a.d. Wrote Historia Romana, published in 30 a.d.

M.. Valerius Maximus, Historian: reign of Augustus and Tiberius. Wrote De Factis Dictisque Memorabilibus Libri IX., a curious collection of historical anecdotes.

M. Axnaeus Lucanus, Poet : 39-65 a.d. Wrote the Pharsalia, a poem in ten books, descriptive of the struggle between Pompey and Caesar.

PLINY the Elder (C. Plinius Secundus): 23-79 a.d. Wrote an Encyclopaedia of general information, called Historia Naturalis, which contains much valuable information on the buildings of Rome and their works of art.

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS, Jewish Historian: b. 37 A.D.— d. after 97. Wrote in Greek the History of the Jewish Wars, a book on Jewish Antiquities, and other works.

1'. Papinius Statics, Poet: c. 61-c. 96 a.d. Wrote Silvae, Thebais, and

INTRODUCTION xix

Achilleis. The first of these contains descriptions of various parts of Rome in the reign of Domitian.

M. Valerius Martialis, Poet: b. 43 a.d. — d. after 104 a.d. Wrote Epigrams, fourteen books of which exist. One of these, entitled De Spectaculis, is of special archaeological interest.

Decimus Junius Juvenalis, Satiric Poet : end of the first century a.d. Wrote Satires, which contain many passages illustrative of Roman topography.

C. Cornelius Tacitus, Historian: b. c. 55 a.d. — d. after 117 a.d. Wrote Annates and Historiae Bomae, and other works.

Pliny the Younger (C. Plinius Caecilius Secundus), b. 61 — d. after 110 A. d. , was the nephew of the elder Pliny ; he practised as an advocate in the Basilicac of Rome, and wrote a Bancgyricus and Epistolae ; the latter are of special interest.

C. Suetonius Tranquillus, Historian : second half of the first century a.d. Wrote Lives of the Caesars down to Domitian, of great value and interest, together with many other works now lost.

Plutarch, a Greek Historian and Moralist : second half of the first century a.d. Wrote Lives of forty -six distinguished Greeks and Romans, and a work called Quaestiones Bomanae, which contains much curious information on Roman antiquities.

S. Julius Frontinus, Curator of tJie Aqueducts under Trajan. Wrote De Aquaeductibus Romae. See vol. ii. p. 314.

Aulus Gellius, Essayist: c. 117-180 a.d. Wrote Nodes Atticae, in which are many notes on Roman antiquities.

Sextus Pompeius Festus, a Roman lexicographer of not later than the second century a.d. His chief work, Be vcrborum significatione, is an abridgment of a sort of encyclopaedia compiled by Verrius Flaccus, who was tutor to Augustus' grandchildren.

Dion Cassius Cocceianus, Senator and Historian: b. c. 155 a.d. — date of death unknown. Wrote a History of Rome in Greek down to the reign of Caracalla ; only parts of it now exist ; it is of very great value.

Q. Settimius Tertullianus, the earliest of the Latin Fathers : c. 160- c. 220 a.d. Wrote a tract called De Spectaculis, on the wickedness of the cruel shows in amphitheatres ; it contains some information on the details of the games.

Herodianus, Greek Historian of Rome : c. 180-240 a.d. Wrote the History of his own Time.

VOL. I 2 xx INTRODUCTION

The biographies of the Roman Emperors from Hadrian 117 a. d. to Carinus 284 a.d., entitled Historiae Augustae, were the work of six writers, Aelius Spartianus, Julius Capitolinus, Vulcatius Gallicanus, Aelius Lampridius, Trebellius Pollio, and Flavius Vopiscus, but it is impossible to attribute with certainty each biography to its real author. This work was compiled at different times towards the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century.

C. Junius Solinus, Historian and Archaeologist: third century a.d. "Wrote Polyhistor, a sort of Encyclopaedia.

Calpurnius Siculus, Roman Poet : date doubtful, probably of the third century a.d. Wrote Eclogues, in one of which he describes shows in a Roman amphitheatre with much detail and vividness.

Eusebius of Caesarea : c. 264-c. 340 a.d. Wrote Historia Ecclesiastka and the Chronicon.

Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman Historian: second half of fourth century a.d. Wrote History of Rome from Nerva 96 a.d. to Valens 378 a.d., of which only the latter part exists.

Aurelius Theodosius Macrobius, Roman Writer : first half of fifth century a.d. Wrote Saturnaliorum Conviviorum Libri VII., an interesting archaeological work.

Claudius Claudianus, Poet : d. c. 408 a.d. Wrote Be Bello Getico on Stilicho's victories over the Goths, and many other poems.

Sidonius Apollinaris, a Latin Bishop : 430-482 a.d. Wrote Poems and Epistles.

Zosimus, Greek Historian: fifth century a.d. Wrote a History of the Becline of the Roman Empire, in six books, down to 410 a.d.

Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorius, Roman Statesman and Writer : b. c. 468 — d. c. 564. Wrote a Chronicon or Abstract of Universal History, an Ecclesiastical History, and many other works. He also compiled a series of contemporary State papers.

Procopius, Byzantine Historian : b. c. 500. Wrote a History of his ovm Time, containing an account of the wars of the Romans with the Persians, the Goths, and the Vandals.

II. Inscriptions.

These are frequently of the highest value in throwing light on Eoman topography.

The most important existing inscription, as regards this

INTRODUCTION xxi

subject, is that cut on the walls of the Temple of Augustus iruaipat Ancyra, an account of which is given in vol. i. p. 384.

The Consular Fasti, inscribed on marble blocks, contained lists of Consuls and other State officials down to the time of Augustus. In the sixteenth century many fragments of this valuable record were found near the Temple of Yesta and the Regia, and are now preserved in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitol. It appears probable that the Fasti were originally cut on the walls of the Regia ; see vol. i. p. 307. See Fea, Frammenti dei Fasti, Rome, 1820, and Reber, Ruinen Roms, p. 135.

The very important inscriptions from the Grove of the Fratres Arvales have been published more than once. The best and most complete edition is that of G. Henzen, Arvalium fratrum acta quae super sunt, Berlin, 1874.

The marble plan of Rome has been well published by Jordan, Foi-ma Urbis Romae, Berlin, 1875-82. An interesting monograph on it was published by Professor Ant. Elter, Bonn, 1891.

The first important collection of Roman inscriptions was edited about 1480 by the Dominican Friar Fra Giovanni Fra Giocondo of Verona, who was born about 1435. This wonderful man was one of the greatest architects of the Renaissance, a most enthusiastic antiquary and a learned scholar. His Corpus Inscriptionum, dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, contains more than 2000 inscriptions. It is incorporated in the collections of Maffei, Gori, and Muratori.

Fra Giocondo also edited the works of Pliny, Vitruvius, Frontinus, Varro, De re rustica, the epitome of Aur. Victor and Caesar's Commentaries. No other single man probably did so much to increase the knowledge and love of classical learning.

The Ancyrean inscription, Res gestae Augusti, has been edited by Zumpt, Berlin, 1845, and by Mommsen in 1883.

The other chief collections of inscriptions are published by the following writers : — xxii INTRODUCTION

Works on Grater, InscHptiones Antiquae Romanac, 1690.

J. Caesarem, Turin, 1877.

Mommsen and others, Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, 1863 — in

progress; and its Supplement, Ephcmeris Ejrigraphica, 1872 — in

progress. The earliest inscriptions are given by Ritschl as an

Appendix to the Corpus, 1863-88

A very valuable series of Roman inscriptions, including a large number

which illustrate the topography of Rome, is published in the Bull.

Com. Arch. Mun. Rom. 1879, and still in progress. Cagnat's Epigraphie Latine, 1889, forms a useful guide to Latin

epigraphy.

Coins and Medallions.

Evidence of The coins of Rome contain an immense number of records relating to the buildings of the city. The reverses of the denarii of the later Republic, after about 150 B.C., are very rich in this way. Under the Empire coins of all denominations very frequently have reverses with representations of buildings erected or restored by the emperors. These, as a rule, are treated in a conventional way — the number of the columns of the front is often reduced for want of space ; thus hemstyle temples are commonly shown as tetrastyle, and the statue of the god which was within the cella is often shown between the columns of the portico. The coins may, however, usually be trusted to give the general design of the buildings they commemorate, and some are treated with much minuteness and accuracy, showing not only the form of the temple but even the details and arrangement of its sculptured decorations ; this is the case with the representation of the Temple of Concord on a coin of Tiberius, and that of the bronze Temple of Janus on a coin of Nero, both of which are carefully and accurately shown ; see vol. i. pp. 248 and 337.

Medallions. The large bronze medallions of the Empire are even richer

CUIUS.

INTRODUCTION xxiii

than the current coins in carefully executed representations of MefaMtm*. the buildings and sculpture of Rome, and were frequently struck to commemorate the completion of some important architectural work. The chief examples which relate to this class of subject begin with the reign of Antoninus Pius, and continue till about the middle of the third century.

Many coins and medallions on which Roman buildings are Works on represented are illustrated by Canina in his Indicazione, 1830, and by Donaldson, much enlarged, in his Architectura Numismatica, London, 1859 ; neither set of drawings are remarkable for accuracy. Cohen's works on Roman coins of the Republic and Empire; Froehner, Mklaillons de VEmpire, Paris, 1878; and Grueber, Roman Medallions, British Museum, 1872, are all well and accurately illustrated.

III. Regionary Catalogues.

Urlichs in his Codex Urbis Romae Topographicus, Wurtz- Ancient burg, 1871, has published the Regionary Catalogues, called the Notitia and Curiosum, which were compiled in the fourth century, giving lists of the chief buildings and monuments in each of the regiones of Augustus.

In the same work are printed the catalogue of the pseudo- Publius Victor,1 and the itinerary of the Einsiedlen MS., so called from its being preserved in the Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln in Switzerland ; it was written by an unknown visitor to Rome in the ninth century.

Also the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, a twelfth-century account Mediaeval

descrip-

of the marvels of the sacred city, drawn up for the use of tions. pilgrims, as a sort of guide-book to the principal objects of interest.

The G-raphia Aureae Urbis Romae, a similar list, founded on

1 Publius Victor and the Regionary Catalogue, of which he is supposed to have been the author, are inventions of some early mediaeval antiquary.

xxiv INTRODUCTION

the Mirabilia, dating from the thirteenth century, is included in this Codex.

In the same valuable compilation are included many other extracts from mediaeval sources which relate to Roman antiquities.

Preller, Regionen cler Stadt Rom, Jena, 1846, also gives the Regionary Catalogues; and they are printed in the works of Nardini, Jordan, and other antiquaries ; see below.

The Mirabilia has also been edited by Parthey, Berlin, 1869 ; and the Einsiedlen MS. by Haenel, Archiv filr Philologie, Berlin, 1837, v. 115.1 A good English translation of the Mirabilia with valuable notes has been published by F. M. Nichols, London, 1889.

Scholiasts. Much information about Roman Antiquities is given by the various commentators on Virgil, who pass under the general name of Servius, a grammarian of the fifth century. An excellent edition is that published by Thilo and Hagen, Leipsic, 1881-85.

Other early Scholiasts give valuable topographical notes, especially some commentaries on Cicero's works, written probably in the fifth century, but which have been wrongly ascribed to Asconius, a Roman writer of the first century a.d.

IV. Early Works on Roman Antiquities.

Revival of The revival of interest in classical archaeology, which

learning. , .

naturally accompanied the revival of classical learning, began to dawn in Rome about the middle of the fifteenth century.

The antiquarian works which were produced at this early time, and for long after, are not of course remarkable for finished scholarship or power of accurate and critical research, but are frequently of the greatest value to the modern student

1 On the Einsiedlen MS. see Lanciani in Mon. Ant. of the R. Accad. dei Lincei, Partiii., Milan, 1891.

INTRODUCTION xxv

both for their accounts of discoveries which were made, and would otherwise have been forgotten, and also for their numerous illustrations of buildings which have now either wholly or in part disappeared.

The Florentine Poggio and the Venetian Biondo were the Early first of that throng of students of pagan remains which in the aa l'iua succeeding century became so large. Poggio's work, De Fort untie Varietate, written about 1440 A.D. and dedicated by him to Eugenius IV., contains an interesting account of the ruins of Rome in his time. His MS. was printed at Basle in 1538, and several other editions appeared within a few years. Biondo's Borne Restored was written about the same time. Fra Giocondo of Verona, the chief antiquary of the fifteenth century, has been already mentioned; see p. xxi. He wrote an eloquent letter addressed to Lorenzo the Magnificent urging the importance of an organised scheme for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments ; see Mus. Class. Ant. 1851, vol. i. p. 17. The great outburst of enthusiasm on this subject did not, however, occur till the beginning of the sixteenth century, in the Pontificate of Julius II., when fresh impulse was given to study of the classical remains of Rome by the discovery of the buried Discoveries chambers of Nero's Golden House under the Thermae of Titus, with their rich store of decorations in colour and stucco reliefs. These at once became not only objects of interest to the antiquary, but also were copied and imitated by countless sculptors and painters, especially by Raphael and his numerous pupils, Classic