DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0162
120 CIRCUS MECINUS—CLAUDIUS, DIVUS
a small portion of the seats at the curved end, on the N.E. side, are still
visible, and traces were found further N.W. in making a drain in 1873-4
along the Via dei Cerchi (Mora in Messaggero, 25th March, 1924). The
name de gradellis, applied to churches of S. Gregorio and S. Maria (HCh
258, 336 sqq.) does not refer to the circus (LS i. 90) but probably to the
steps that descended to the mills in the Tiber. See in general HJ 120-
144; RE iii. 2572-2581 ; Gilb. ii. 454-456; iii. 313-319 ; DS ii. 1187-
1201 ; ZA 265-269.
Circus Mecinus : a corruption in Varro (LL v. 153) for circus Maximus.
Circus Vaticanus : see Circus Gai et Neronis.
Cispius Mons : the northern spur of the Esquiline, separated from the
Oppius on the south by the valley of the Subura, and from the Viminal
on the north by the corresponding depression through which ran the
vicus Patricius (Varro, LL v. 50 ; Gell. xv. I. 2 ; Mon. L. xv. 784-5).
The beginning of the Cispius, the point where it projected south-westward
from the plateau of the Esquiline is now marked by S. Maria Maggiore,
where the altitude is about 54 metres. The Cispius, the Oppius, and the
Fagutal were the three parts of the Esquiline, and constituted three of
the montes of the Septimontium (q.v.) (Fest. 341, 348). According to
Varro (ap. Fest. 348) Cispius was a native of Anagni who came to
Rome in the reign of Tullus and guarded this hill (Jord. i. I. 183-188;
DE ii. 2161-2162).
Claudius, Divus, templum : a temple of the deified Claudius on the
Caelian, begun by Agrippina, almost entirely destroyed by Nero, and
rebuilt by Vespasian (Suet. Vesp. 9 : fecit et nova opera . . . templum
divi Claudi in Caelio monte, coeptum quidem ab Agrippina sed a Nerone
prope funditus destructum). This destruction was probably due, in part
at least, to the construction of the distributing station of the aqua Claudia,
which Nero extended to the Caelian (Frontin. de aquis i. 20; ii. 76).1
Part of it may have been sacrificed to the domus Aurea, which extended
to the north-west corner of the Caelian opposite the Colosseum, where
this temple stood, the site now occupied by the gardens of the Passionist
Fathers. It is mentioned in one inscription (CIL vi. 10251a), and Aurelius
Victor (Caes. 9, cf. Epit. 9) speaks of Claudii monumenta. There was also
a porticus Claudia (Mart, de spect. 2. 9-10 : Claudia diffusas ubi porticus
explicat umbras / Ultima pars aulae deficientis erat), which was clearly
just inside the limits of the domus Aurea, and would most naturally be
located on the Caelian in connection with the temple of Claudius (FUR
p. 33 ; cf. however, Mnemosyne, 1906, 83-84).2 Three fragments of the
Marble Plan (45, 77, 96) probably belong together and represent parts of
1 We may associate with these alterations the fine fountain decoration in the shape of a
ship’s prow found near the arch of Constantine (BC 1882, 63 ; Bocconi, Musei Capitolini,
293· 11)·
2 The reading desipientis [=insanae] is here proposed.
a small portion of the seats at the curved end, on the N.E. side, are still
visible, and traces were found further N.W. in making a drain in 1873-4
along the Via dei Cerchi (Mora in Messaggero, 25th March, 1924). The
name de gradellis, applied to churches of S. Gregorio and S. Maria (HCh
258, 336 sqq.) does not refer to the circus (LS i. 90) but probably to the
steps that descended to the mills in the Tiber. See in general HJ 120-
144; RE iii. 2572-2581 ; Gilb. ii. 454-456; iii. 313-319 ; DS ii. 1187-
1201 ; ZA 265-269.
Circus Mecinus : a corruption in Varro (LL v. 153) for circus Maximus.
Circus Vaticanus : see Circus Gai et Neronis.
Cispius Mons : the northern spur of the Esquiline, separated from the
Oppius on the south by the valley of the Subura, and from the Viminal
on the north by the corresponding depression through which ran the
vicus Patricius (Varro, LL v. 50 ; Gell. xv. I. 2 ; Mon. L. xv. 784-5).
The beginning of the Cispius, the point where it projected south-westward
from the plateau of the Esquiline is now marked by S. Maria Maggiore,
where the altitude is about 54 metres. The Cispius, the Oppius, and the
Fagutal were the three parts of the Esquiline, and constituted three of
the montes of the Septimontium (q.v.) (Fest. 341, 348). According to
Varro (ap. Fest. 348) Cispius was a native of Anagni who came to
Rome in the reign of Tullus and guarded this hill (Jord. i. I. 183-188;
DE ii. 2161-2162).
Claudius, Divus, templum : a temple of the deified Claudius on the
Caelian, begun by Agrippina, almost entirely destroyed by Nero, and
rebuilt by Vespasian (Suet. Vesp. 9 : fecit et nova opera . . . templum
divi Claudi in Caelio monte, coeptum quidem ab Agrippina sed a Nerone
prope funditus destructum). This destruction was probably due, in part
at least, to the construction of the distributing station of the aqua Claudia,
which Nero extended to the Caelian (Frontin. de aquis i. 20; ii. 76).1
Part of it may have been sacrificed to the domus Aurea, which extended
to the north-west corner of the Caelian opposite the Colosseum, where
this temple stood, the site now occupied by the gardens of the Passionist
Fathers. It is mentioned in one inscription (CIL vi. 10251a), and Aurelius
Victor (Caes. 9, cf. Epit. 9) speaks of Claudii monumenta. There was also
a porticus Claudia (Mart, de spect. 2. 9-10 : Claudia diffusas ubi porticus
explicat umbras / Ultima pars aulae deficientis erat), which was clearly
just inside the limits of the domus Aurea, and would most naturally be
located on the Caelian in connection with the temple of Claudius (FUR
p. 33 ; cf. however, Mnemosyne, 1906, 83-84).2 Three fragments of the
Marble Plan (45, 77, 96) probably belong together and represent parts of
1 We may associate with these alterations the fine fountain decoration in the shape of a
ship’s prow found near the arch of Constantine (BC 1882, 63 ; Bocconi, Musei Capitolini,
293· 11)·
2 The reading desipientis [=insanae] is here proposed.