Parker, John Henry: The archaeology of Rome (1,2): Illustrations to I. The primitive fortifications. II. The walls and gates of Rome. III. The historical constructions of walls (Oxford [u.a.], 1874)

HILLS OF ROME.

The Aventine.

Plate XXII.
Part of the Therm.® of Sura, the cousin of Trajan, and con-
nected with the Private House of Trajan and his family. The- specits
of an aqueduct, with a triangular head, here seen to the left of the
view, passes under the south end of the portion of wall shewn in
Plate XXI., and said to be used for a catapult. It is remarkable
that the builders of the wall of the Thermae appear to have been
entirely ignorant of the existence of this great Wall of the Kings,
which was probably buried in their time, and not visible; for the
wall, faced with the reticulated work of the time of Trajan, goes
obliquely against the old wall. ^
The lower view represents this section of the old Avail a few yards
further on, it is almost as early as the wall of Roma Quadrata; as
seen in the section it appears to be the same. It has the same wide
vertical joints, but on the surface of the Avail the joints are closely
fitted together. The old Avail is part of a fort (noAv under S. Prisca)
to defend the approach to a gate in the time of Servius Tullius, and
there is a small fort opposite to it under S. Sabba; only the large
blocks which form the facing have been removed for building-mate-
rials, excepting underground, Avhere they were found in the excava-
tions made to search for them in 1871. These tAvo forts are at the
two angles of a gorge, at the narrow end of which Avas the gate, and
four roads met at that point; or tAvo roads crossed each other, one
going from the Porta Ostiensis tOAvards the Palatine, the other along
the Avail from S. Prisca to S. Sabba. This road is an old agger, with
the foss on the outside of it.