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

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The Later Fortifications.

[chap. ii.

round the towers, and on part of the wall of the Castra Praetoria.
The fortification of this period, was a truly magnificent work; the
wall being nearly fifty feet high, with a corridor or passage for the
sentinels made within the wall, about fifteen feet high and two wide,
connecting the numerous towers and battlements, very different to
the mania which stood there before ; and Aurelian has, probably
with justice, the credit of it. There were lofty walls in part of the
outer line of the fortification of Rome, as we know, before his time,
for instance, the great aqueducts formed part of this line as they do
now, and it is to these that Vopiscus probably refers when he speaks
of enlarging the walls : unless indeed he alludes to the Walls of the
Kings, which were no doubt still in existence round the hills, and
afforded very strong protection against the enemy.
The outer mania before the time of Aurelian were very possibly
similar in many respects to what we find now existing of the agger,
as it is termed, of Servius Tullius; which, it must be remembered,
was supported by a wall and not wholly of earth. Aurelian made use
of the foundation and, when he could, of the supporting wall, and also
of the gates, because not only by analogy is it probable that such
mania had gates, when we have distinct record of three in the agger
of Servius Tullius, but we have, as already repeated more than once,
traces of the earlier gates in the same line of wall, the origin of
which is, upon the authority of the above passages, wholly given to
Aurelian, although deviations are made in this line of his wall to
include the older gates.
One more point has still to be noticed. The measurement of
Vopiscus is generally considered to be erroneous, or else that the
walls of Rome must have been much greater in extent than the
Aurelian Wall. It is to be remarked, however, that the number
only is given, not the denomination. In most of the early writers,
no doubt, the “ passus,” or measure of five Roman feet, was under-
stood when not expressed; but the Roman foot, we believe, came
generally into use in later times. The Regiones, for example, are
measured in the Noiitia and the Curiosum Urbis by feet and not by
passus, and these records are probably of a date not more than
a century later than the time of Vopiscus, if so much. If the number
fifty thousand is taken to mean feet, as will be seen, the measure-
ment agrees with that computed from Nolli’s large Map*.
1 From the point where the wall of camp) is 40,300 feet.
Aurelian leaves the river (on the eastern The same on the western bank (Trans-
bank) to where it touches it again, the tiberine) . . . 7,000 feet,
total circuit (including the Praetorian The eastern bank of the Tiber be-