DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0439
PALATINUS MONS
377
foot of which was the third (nameless) gate, formed a footway, avoiding
this long winding road, down to the bottom of the hill. The lower part
of them may well have resembled the stairway described in Whitaker,
Motya, 154-159·
Among the earliest buildings on the Palatine may be mentioned two
archaic cisterns, both constructed in walling of cappellaccio tufa, in
cavities cut in the rock, with an external packing of clay between the
rock and the wall. Both have been cut through and destroyed by later
walls of 2 foot blocks of tufa. One originally had a bee-hive roof ; and
at least one more similar cistern has been found below the ‘ house of
Livia ’ (ASA 3). The other is made of thin slabs set on edge, and
is 6 metres in diameter, with steps leading down into it. Four sixth
century vases were found in the clay lining. Lower down is a small
square shrine (?) approached by a flight of steps (which have nothing
to do with the temple of the Magna Mater above), which is possibly the
Casa Romuli (q.v. ; cf. TF 105) ; though it is useless to attempt
an exact identification, its general situation is certain. A little lower
down again is an inhumation tomb, assigned to the fourth century B.C.,
but found half full of debris of various ages (and therefore tampered with
in ancient times) ; and below it the native rock has been exposed, and
pole sockets, possibly for huts (and curved cuttings, attributable to the
same purpose), have been found in it. It was asserted that remains of
archaic tombs were discovered, but this interpretation of the results is
now generally rejected. The tufa walls mentioned above have been
interpreted as being retaining walls for raising the level of the whole area
after the fire of ill b.c., which destroyed the temple of the Magna Mater,
made of blocks taken from the fourth century fortifications on each side
of the Scalae Caci (TF 102-107), but this is by no means certain, and some
of them may themselves be part of these fortifications.
The excavations were suspended at this point in 1907 and have
not been carried further down the hill. But it is noticeable that this
group of remains was spared by later constructions. Tiberius, Domitian
and Hadrian all preferred to build enormous substructions out towards
the forum rather than encroach upon this area at the top of the Scalae
Caci (q.v.), sacred to the earliest memorials of the city.
For recent excavations in this area, see also BC 1897, 52 ! NS
1886, 51; 1896, 291; 1907, 185-205, 264-282, 444-459, 529-542;
RL 1907, 669-680 ; 1908, 201-210 ; 1909, 249-262 ; HJ 42 ; YW 1907,
21-22 ; 1908, 23, 24 ; 1909, 20 ; CO 1908, 145-147 ; TF 98-107 ; Pinza,
Angolo sudovest del Palatino, 1907 (from Annali Soc. Ingegneri ed
Architetti Italiani) ; RE i. A. 1014 ; ZA 171-176; Van Buren, Terra-
cotta Revetments, 9, 28, 37, 39, 47, 61, 64, 67-69.
We hear of a number of earlier buildings and sanctuaries on the hill
—the curiae Veteres, the curia Saliorum, the curia Acculeia, the sacella
of Acca Larentia and of Volupia ; the shrines and temples of Aius
377
foot of which was the third (nameless) gate, formed a footway, avoiding
this long winding road, down to the bottom of the hill. The lower part
of them may well have resembled the stairway described in Whitaker,
Motya, 154-159·
Among the earliest buildings on the Palatine may be mentioned two
archaic cisterns, both constructed in walling of cappellaccio tufa, in
cavities cut in the rock, with an external packing of clay between the
rock and the wall. Both have been cut through and destroyed by later
walls of 2 foot blocks of tufa. One originally had a bee-hive roof ; and
at least one more similar cistern has been found below the ‘ house of
Livia ’ (ASA 3). The other is made of thin slabs set on edge, and
is 6 metres in diameter, with steps leading down into it. Four sixth
century vases were found in the clay lining. Lower down is a small
square shrine (?) approached by a flight of steps (which have nothing
to do with the temple of the Magna Mater above), which is possibly the
Casa Romuli (q.v. ; cf. TF 105) ; though it is useless to attempt
an exact identification, its general situation is certain. A little lower
down again is an inhumation tomb, assigned to the fourth century B.C.,
but found half full of debris of various ages (and therefore tampered with
in ancient times) ; and below it the native rock has been exposed, and
pole sockets, possibly for huts (and curved cuttings, attributable to the
same purpose), have been found in it. It was asserted that remains of
archaic tombs were discovered, but this interpretation of the results is
now generally rejected. The tufa walls mentioned above have been
interpreted as being retaining walls for raising the level of the whole area
after the fire of ill b.c., which destroyed the temple of the Magna Mater,
made of blocks taken from the fourth century fortifications on each side
of the Scalae Caci (TF 102-107), but this is by no means certain, and some
of them may themselves be part of these fortifications.
The excavations were suspended at this point in 1907 and have
not been carried further down the hill. But it is noticeable that this
group of remains was spared by later constructions. Tiberius, Domitian
and Hadrian all preferred to build enormous substructions out towards
the forum rather than encroach upon this area at the top of the Scalae
Caci (q.v.), sacred to the earliest memorials of the city.
For recent excavations in this area, see also BC 1897, 52 ! NS
1886, 51; 1896, 291; 1907, 185-205, 264-282, 444-459, 529-542;
RL 1907, 669-680 ; 1908, 201-210 ; 1909, 249-262 ; HJ 42 ; YW 1907,
21-22 ; 1908, 23, 24 ; 1909, 20 ; CO 1908, 145-147 ; TF 98-107 ; Pinza,
Angolo sudovest del Palatino, 1907 (from Annali Soc. Ingegneri ed
Architetti Italiani) ; RE i. A. 1014 ; ZA 171-176; Van Buren, Terra-
cotta Revetments, 9, 28, 37, 39, 47, 61, 64, 67-69.
We hear of a number of earlier buildings and sanctuaries on the hill
—the curiae Veteres, the curia Saliorum, the curia Acculeia, the sacella
of Acca Larentia and of Volupia ; the shrines and temples of Aius