Parker, John Henry: The archaeology of Rome (1,text): I. The primitive fortifications (Oxford [u.a.], 1874)

SECT. II.] The Gates of Rome in the time of Vespasian. 115

“A road probably at this time passed over the Palatine Bridge, now the Ponte
Rotto. The Via della Longaretta probably follows mainly the course of an
ancient via. The hilly neighbourhood of the Janiculum prevented the road from
reaching the gate in a direct line, and it is somewhat doubtful as to the course
taken. Its total length, however, cannot be reckoned less than ....
1 mille 700 passus. ”
XVIII. Porta Septimiana.'—-This gate is on the northern part
of the wall of the Trastevere, near the Tiber, and the Via della
Longara passes through it. The gate seems to have been rebuilt by
Septimius Severus, as it was named after him. The name of the
gate before his time is not recorded.
“There is much doubt in tracing the course of this road. The shortest course
would be perhaps along the same line as the preceding one, and crossing the river
by the Ponte Rotto. There was a road across the island, and the road would be
either through the Porta Carmentalis or the Porta Flumentana. On the other
side of the river also, the course of the older roads has been much disturbed. The
distance measured along an average line is . . .1 mille 360 passus.”
It will be seen that the distance to the eighteen gates from the
Forum Romanum, when added together, make the following total.
Also that the roads to these eighteen gates pass through twelve other
gates, which we may reasonably suppose were in existence in Pliny’s
time; but the courses to these twelve gates were not, he tells us, to
be counted above and beyond the courses to the outer gate, or in
other words, the distance between them and the Forum was not to
be reckoned twice over (“ ita ut duodecim semel enumerentur”):—-

Distance in
Passing through.
“ passus,”
I.
Porta Aurelia.
I. Porta Carmentalis
1 600
II.
-Flaminia.
2. -Ratumena
1 750
III.
- PlNCIANA.
3. - Fontinalis (?)
1 500
IV.
-Salaria.
4. -Collina
1 800
V.
-Nomentana.
,, ,,
1 770
VI.
-(Chiusa).
5. - Viminalis
1 850
VII.
-Tiburtina.
6. - Esquilina
1 630
VIII.
-Pr/enestina.
7. -Querquetulana
1 980
IX.
-Asinaria.
8. -Ccelimontana (?)
1 630
X.
-Lateranensis.
1 5°°
XI.
-Metronia.
1 360
XII.
■-Latina.
9. -- Capena
1 920
XIII.
-Appia.
,, ,,
2 040
XIV.
-Ardeatina.
10. - Raudusculana
2 000
XV.
- OSTIENSIS.
11. - Navia
1 35o
XVI.
- PORTUENSIS.
12. -Trigemina
1 400
XVII.
-Janiculensis.
1 700
XVIII.
-Septimiana.
1 360

1 2

Total

3° 140