DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0624
V
Vallis Egeriae : see Camenae.
Vallis Murcia : see Murcia.
Vallis Vaticana : a name occurring only once (Tac. Ann. xiv. 14 : clausum
valle Vaticana spatium in quo equos regeret), which seems to mean
the low ground between the Tiber and the mons Vaticanus (see Vaticanus
(4), near the present Vatican.
Vaticanus. (i) Vaticanus Ager : the district on the right bank of the
Tiber, between its lower reaches and the more restricted Veientine
territory (Plin. NH iii. 53 : Tiberis . . . citra xvi milia passuum urbis
Veientem agrum a Crustumino, dein Fidenatem Latinumque a Vaticano
dirimens ; Liv. x. 26. 15 (295 b.c.) : alii duo exercitus haud procul
urbe Etruriae oppositi unus in Falisco, alter in Vaticano agro). *Its
fertility is spoken of slightingly by Cicero (de leg. agr. ii. 96), its wines
are frequently derided by Martial (i. 18. 2 ; vi. 92. 3 ; x. 45. 5 ; xii.
48. 14), and references to farms or estates are very few (Gell. xix. 17. I :
in agro Vaticano Iulius Paulus poeta . . . herediolum tenue possidebat ;
Symm. Ep. vi. 58. 1 : rus Vaticanum quod vestro praedio cohaeret
accessimus ; vii. 21 : urbanas turbas Vaticano in quantum licet rure
declino). This name continued long in use, for it occurs in Solinus
(ii. 34 : Claudio principe ubi Vaticanus ager est in alveo occisae boae
spectatus est solidus infans, from Pliny, NH viii. 37, where in Vaticano
is used for Vaticanus ager), and in Gellius (xvi. 17. 1-2 : et agrum Vati-
canum et eiusdem agri deum praesidem appellatum acceperamus a
vaticiniis quae vi atque instinctu eius dei in eo agro fieri solita essent . . .
sed praeter hanc causam M. Varro in libris divinarum aliam tradit istius
nominis rationem : non sicut Aius . . . ita Vaticanus deus nominatus
penes quern essent vocis humanae initia . . .), who gives two current
explanations of the name.
It is probable that the adjective form, Vaticanus, is derived from
some substantive, perhaps Vaticanum (Elter, see below), or from the early
Etruscan name of some settlement, like \7atica or Vaticum (Niebuhr), of
which all other traces have vanished, except possibly the cognomen
Vaticanus which is found twice in the consular Fasti in 455 and 451 b.c.
(RE i. A. 1071 ; BC 1908, 23-26).
(2) Vaticani Montes : without much doubt a general designation for
the hills in the ager Vaticanus, but used, in its only occurrence in litera-
546
Vallis Egeriae : see Camenae.
Vallis Murcia : see Murcia.
Vallis Vaticana : a name occurring only once (Tac. Ann. xiv. 14 : clausum
valle Vaticana spatium in quo equos regeret), which seems to mean
the low ground between the Tiber and the mons Vaticanus (see Vaticanus
(4), near the present Vatican.
Vaticanus. (i) Vaticanus Ager : the district on the right bank of the
Tiber, between its lower reaches and the more restricted Veientine
territory (Plin. NH iii. 53 : Tiberis . . . citra xvi milia passuum urbis
Veientem agrum a Crustumino, dein Fidenatem Latinumque a Vaticano
dirimens ; Liv. x. 26. 15 (295 b.c.) : alii duo exercitus haud procul
urbe Etruriae oppositi unus in Falisco, alter in Vaticano agro). *Its
fertility is spoken of slightingly by Cicero (de leg. agr. ii. 96), its wines
are frequently derided by Martial (i. 18. 2 ; vi. 92. 3 ; x. 45. 5 ; xii.
48. 14), and references to farms or estates are very few (Gell. xix. 17. I :
in agro Vaticano Iulius Paulus poeta . . . herediolum tenue possidebat ;
Symm. Ep. vi. 58. 1 : rus Vaticanum quod vestro praedio cohaeret
accessimus ; vii. 21 : urbanas turbas Vaticano in quantum licet rure
declino). This name continued long in use, for it occurs in Solinus
(ii. 34 : Claudio principe ubi Vaticanus ager est in alveo occisae boae
spectatus est solidus infans, from Pliny, NH viii. 37, where in Vaticano
is used for Vaticanus ager), and in Gellius (xvi. 17. 1-2 : et agrum Vati-
canum et eiusdem agri deum praesidem appellatum acceperamus a
vaticiniis quae vi atque instinctu eius dei in eo agro fieri solita essent . . .
sed praeter hanc causam M. Varro in libris divinarum aliam tradit istius
nominis rationem : non sicut Aius . . . ita Vaticanus deus nominatus
penes quern essent vocis humanae initia . . .), who gives two current
explanations of the name.
It is probable that the adjective form, Vaticanus, is derived from
some substantive, perhaps Vaticanum (Elter, see below), or from the early
Etruscan name of some settlement, like \7atica or Vaticum (Niebuhr), of
which all other traces have vanished, except possibly the cognomen
Vaticanus which is found twice in the consular Fasti in 455 and 451 b.c.
(RE i. A. 1071 ; BC 1908, 23-26).
(2) Vaticani Montes : without much doubt a general designation for
the hills in the ager Vaticanus, but used, in its only occurrence in litera-
546