DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0581
TARPEIA—TARPEIUS
509
word Tarentum has yet been found (cf. Zielinski, Quaest. comicae,
Petropoli 1887, 94). The district was also called ττυροφόρον ttgSlov
(Zos. ii. 3 ; cf. Vai. Max. ii. 4. 5 : solo magis fumante quam ullas ignes
habente ; see also HJ 477 ; Becker, Top. 628-629 ; Jord. i. 1. 181). It
has recently been maintained that the Tarentum must be sought much
closer to the river, and that it must be a subterranean shrine, resembling
the so-called mundus on the Palatine (Mel. 1925, I35-I4^)· But it would
be difficult to point to any site in the Campus Martius where these two
conditions would be fulfilled ; there is no rock in which such a shrine
could have been excavated, and it would have been liable to frequent
inundations.
Tarpeia, arx : a name apparently applied to the whole Capitoline hill,
which is found twice in Latin poetry (Verg. Aen. viii. 652 ; Prop. iv. 4. 29 ;
Jord. i. 2. 8).
Tarpeia, rupes : see Tarpeius, Mons.
Tarpeius, Mons : the earliest name of the Capitoline hill, if we are to
believe the statements of Roman and Greek writers (Varro, LL v. 41 :
hie mons ante Tarpeius dictus a virgine Vestali Tarpeia, quae ibi ab
Sabinis necata armis et sepulta, cuius nominis monimentum relictum
quod etiam nunc eius rupes Tarpeium appellatur saxum ; Prop. iv.
4. 93; Dionys. iii. 69. 4; Plut. Rom. 18; Steph. Byz. 355). It is also
used of the whole hill, apparently, in Not. app. (montes VII . . . Tarpeius)
and in Auct. de vir. ill. (ii. 7), while in other passages it might refer to the
whole hill or, more probably, only to the Capitolium (Liv. i. 55 ; Suet.
Iul. 44 ; cf. ad Her. iv. 43 ; denominatio est quae ab rebus propinquis
et finitimis trahit orationem, qua possit intelligi res quae non suo vocabulo
sit appellata. id aut ab inventione conficitur ut si quis de Tarpeio
loquens eum Capitolium nominet). The corresponding Greek name was
Ύαρ7τηϊος λόφος, which occurs with some frequency (Dionys. iii. 69. 4 ;
iv. 60. 3, 4 ; 61. i ; vii. 35. 4 ; Plut. Rom. 18, Numa 7 ; Steph. Byz. 355),
or όρος (Cass. Dio, fr. vii. 11. 5 ; Steph. Byz. 604 ; Lyd. de mens. iv. 155).
From the precipitous cliffs of this hill criminals, convicted of capital
crimes, were hurled to their death (Gell. xi. 18. 8 ; xx. I. 53)) and these
cliffs were regularly called Tarpeium saxum (Varro, LL v. 41 ; Liv.
vi. 20. 12 · Fest. 340 ; cf. ib. 343 ; Tac. Ann. vi. (19) 25 ; de vir. ill. xxiv.
6; lxvi. 8; Ampel. xxvii. 4; Prop. iii. II, 45), saxum alone (Liv.
xxv. 7. 13 ; Sen. contr. i. 3. 3, 4) or Tarpeium alone (Plin. NH vii. 143).
Twice Tarpeius is used alone, with reference to other things than execu-
tions, where mons is probably to be supplied (Plin. NH xxviii. 15 ; Tert,
de spect. 5). Other variants in Latin poetry are arx Tarpeia (Verg.
Aen. viii. 652-654 ; Prop. iv. 4. 29-30), and Tarpeia sedes (Verg. Aen.
viii. 347 and cf. supra, 55, 97).
The alleged tradition that the Capitoline was first called mons Tarpeius
was probably only an invention of the Roman antiquarians, and
509
word Tarentum has yet been found (cf. Zielinski, Quaest. comicae,
Petropoli 1887, 94). The district was also called ττυροφόρον ttgSlov
(Zos. ii. 3 ; cf. Vai. Max. ii. 4. 5 : solo magis fumante quam ullas ignes
habente ; see also HJ 477 ; Becker, Top. 628-629 ; Jord. i. 1. 181). It
has recently been maintained that the Tarentum must be sought much
closer to the river, and that it must be a subterranean shrine, resembling
the so-called mundus on the Palatine (Mel. 1925, I35-I4^)· But it would
be difficult to point to any site in the Campus Martius where these two
conditions would be fulfilled ; there is no rock in which such a shrine
could have been excavated, and it would have been liable to frequent
inundations.
Tarpeia, arx : a name apparently applied to the whole Capitoline hill,
which is found twice in Latin poetry (Verg. Aen. viii. 652 ; Prop. iv. 4. 29 ;
Jord. i. 2. 8).
Tarpeia, rupes : see Tarpeius, Mons.
Tarpeius, Mons : the earliest name of the Capitoline hill, if we are to
believe the statements of Roman and Greek writers (Varro, LL v. 41 :
hie mons ante Tarpeius dictus a virgine Vestali Tarpeia, quae ibi ab
Sabinis necata armis et sepulta, cuius nominis monimentum relictum
quod etiam nunc eius rupes Tarpeium appellatur saxum ; Prop. iv.
4. 93; Dionys. iii. 69. 4; Plut. Rom. 18; Steph. Byz. 355). It is also
used of the whole hill, apparently, in Not. app. (montes VII . . . Tarpeius)
and in Auct. de vir. ill. (ii. 7), while in other passages it might refer to the
whole hill or, more probably, only to the Capitolium (Liv. i. 55 ; Suet.
Iul. 44 ; cf. ad Her. iv. 43 ; denominatio est quae ab rebus propinquis
et finitimis trahit orationem, qua possit intelligi res quae non suo vocabulo
sit appellata. id aut ab inventione conficitur ut si quis de Tarpeio
loquens eum Capitolium nominet). The corresponding Greek name was
Ύαρ7τηϊος λόφος, which occurs with some frequency (Dionys. iii. 69. 4 ;
iv. 60. 3, 4 ; 61. i ; vii. 35. 4 ; Plut. Rom. 18, Numa 7 ; Steph. Byz. 355),
or όρος (Cass. Dio, fr. vii. 11. 5 ; Steph. Byz. 604 ; Lyd. de mens. iv. 155).
From the precipitous cliffs of this hill criminals, convicted of capital
crimes, were hurled to their death (Gell. xi. 18. 8 ; xx. I. 53)) and these
cliffs were regularly called Tarpeium saxum (Varro, LL v. 41 ; Liv.
vi. 20. 12 · Fest. 340 ; cf. ib. 343 ; Tac. Ann. vi. (19) 25 ; de vir. ill. xxiv.
6; lxvi. 8; Ampel. xxvii. 4; Prop. iii. II, 45), saxum alone (Liv.
xxv. 7. 13 ; Sen. contr. i. 3. 3, 4) or Tarpeium alone (Plin. NH vii. 143).
Twice Tarpeius is used alone, with reference to other things than execu-
tions, where mons is probably to be supplied (Plin. NH xxviii. 15 ; Tert,
de spect. 5). Other variants in Latin poetry are arx Tarpeia (Verg.
Aen. viii. 652-654 ; Prop. iv. 4. 29-30), and Tarpeia sedes (Verg. Aen.
viii. 347 and cf. supra, 55, 97).
The alleged tradition that the Capitoline was first called mons Tarpeius
was probably only an invention of the Roman antiquarians, and