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

6o Appendix to Historical Construction of Walls.

a higher level than the palace and bridge of Caligula, a.d. 37—41,
and of a later period.
Tacitus, in describing the interview with Umbricius the Augur in
the temple of Apollo, says that Otho passed by the house of Tibe-
rius to the Velabrum, and thence to the Milliarium Aureum in the
Forum Romanum. The remains of that palace stand upon the ter-
race on the western side of the arx of Romulus, with the back of
the rooms, or of & portions, built into the upper cliff. The walls are
faced with opus reticulatum of his time, similar to that in the house
of Nero. He therefore passed along the terrace in front of this
porticus, and so along part of the Velabrum by a gradual decline to
the Janus Quadrifrons, the extreme gate to the Forum Romanum
and the Forum Boarium, east and west of it. The only gate at the
north end of the hill is the one near the north-west corner, opposite
to the Forum Romanum, but at a much higher level. This gate is
now called Porta Romana, but it is doubtful whether this is the old
name for it; on the one hand, it is immediately opposite to the
fortress of the Sabines, on the Capitol behind the Forum. The
road which passes through this gate is called the Clivus Victorias ;
it is a steep incline cut out of the tufa rock, and arched over by an
arcade and vault, with part of the palace of the first century over it.
The rock remains on a level with the top of the gate, and above
it, a little further on to the west, in this particular part it has been
cut away. On the other hand, the terrace is the upper part of
a zigzag road called the Ox-head street, which descends to the
Forum Boarium, the Smithfield of ancient Rome; and this supports
the view that this was the Porta Mugionis, so called from the lowing
of the cattle that passed through it. The road went to the arch
of Janus, after making three turns. The first turn at an angle is
just to the east of the Wall of Romulus, at that corner of the hill
near the present church of S. Anastasia; the second terrace passes
above the round church of S. Theodore b, and turns again at the
second angle, near the spot where there are remains of the bridge
from the Palatine to the Capitol, a few yards to the east of that
church. The bridge must have been of great height, the aqueduct
carried upon the highest part of it on the level of the surface of
the Palatine and the Capitol, supported probably on a triple arcade,
of which we have two of the tall brick piers remaining, and a small
portion of the lower line of arches and vaults to carry the road
for horses, which was probably on the western side of the aque-
b May not this round church be on Augustus!?), or was it the temple of
the site of the house and temple of Minerva, near to it.