DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42499#0094
26
Aggeres of Servius Tullius.
at that point. The Porta Collina must have been near where the
workhouse now stands, in the Via di Porta Pia, which is still a foss-
way for some distance, as far as the junction of the old roads from
the Porta Salaria or the Porta Nomentanaj the eastern part of
the Via di Porta Pia is entirely modern. There are considerable
remains of the fort, or “ horn-work k,” to protect the approach to this
gate on the north side, a great earthwork upon which the house of
Sallust was afterwards built, and his circus made in the foss ; his
gardens were extensive, and occupied part of the Pincian Hill, on
the other side of the foss and of the circus. This earthwork is
much stronger than the others, because there was no outer wall to
defend this part of Rome : there was a gap left between the Prae-
torian Camp and the Pincian Hill. This was always the weakest
part of the defences of Rome, the point at which it was repeatedly
taken in the sieges. The great agger, about a mile long, extended
from the cliff of the Quirinal at this point to that of the Esquiline,
between S. Maria Maggiore and the Lateran. Nearly the whole of
it has now been cleared away, in 1873 and 1874, to make level
ground for the new City of Rome on the hills. This was. rendered
necessary by the first error of bringing the railway station within
the great agger, instead of keeping both the railway and the station
on the outer side of it, which would have saved a great expense,
and would have been equally convenient.
The great horn-work at the north end of the great agger of Servius
Tullius has been previously described ', with the house of Sallust built
upon it. It is near the junction of that agger with the Quirinal Hill,
the natural cliff of which formed the defence on the northern side
of the City; and the artificial cliff made by the agger and the wall
built up against it, was the defence on the eastern side, to the junc-
tion with the Esquiline Hill. At that point there seems to have
been another great horn-work, on which the house of Maecenas was
built. The cliff of the Esquiline carried on the defence of the
eastern side as far as the angle of the valley, between that hill and
the Coelian. At that angle there was another remarkable fort pro-
jecting from the line of the cliffs and wall already described111. The
line of defence then goes up the side of that valley as far as the
site of the present church of S. Clement, where one of the short
aggeres and walls across the valley was made, and part of the wall
remains under the church, which seems to be built on the barbican
of the gate (as has been said).
k See Plate VII., and the Plan, No. *848; House, Nos. 154, 380, 1016;
Views, Nos. 1022, 2110. 1 Part I., p. 72, m Tart I., p. 62.
Aggeres of Servius Tullius.
at that point. The Porta Collina must have been near where the
workhouse now stands, in the Via di Porta Pia, which is still a foss-
way for some distance, as far as the junction of the old roads from
the Porta Salaria or the Porta Nomentanaj the eastern part of
the Via di Porta Pia is entirely modern. There are considerable
remains of the fort, or “ horn-work k,” to protect the approach to this
gate on the north side, a great earthwork upon which the house of
Sallust was afterwards built, and his circus made in the foss ; his
gardens were extensive, and occupied part of the Pincian Hill, on
the other side of the foss and of the circus. This earthwork is
much stronger than the others, because there was no outer wall to
defend this part of Rome : there was a gap left between the Prae-
torian Camp and the Pincian Hill. This was always the weakest
part of the defences of Rome, the point at which it was repeatedly
taken in the sieges. The great agger, about a mile long, extended
from the cliff of the Quirinal at this point to that of the Esquiline,
between S. Maria Maggiore and the Lateran. Nearly the whole of
it has now been cleared away, in 1873 and 1874, to make level
ground for the new City of Rome on the hills. This was. rendered
necessary by the first error of bringing the railway station within
the great agger, instead of keeping both the railway and the station
on the outer side of it, which would have saved a great expense,
and would have been equally convenient.
The great horn-work at the north end of the great agger of Servius
Tullius has been previously described ', with the house of Sallust built
upon it. It is near the junction of that agger with the Quirinal Hill,
the natural cliff of which formed the defence on the northern side
of the City; and the artificial cliff made by the agger and the wall
built up against it, was the defence on the eastern side, to the junc-
tion with the Esquiline Hill. At that point there seems to have
been another great horn-work, on which the house of Maecenas was
built. The cliff of the Esquiline carried on the defence of the
eastern side as far as the angle of the valley, between that hill and
the Coelian. At that angle there was another remarkable fort pro-
jecting from the line of the cliffs and wall already described111. The
line of defence then goes up the side of that valley as far as the
site of the present church of S. Clement, where one of the short
aggeres and walls across the valley was made, and part of the wall
remains under the church, which seems to be built on the barbican
of the gate (as has been said).
k See Plate VII., and the Plan, No. *848; House, Nos. 154, 380, 1016;
Views, Nos. 1022, 2110. 1 Part I., p. 72, m Tart I., p. 62.