of the Aventine to that of the Coelian. The fort at the north-east corner of the Cœlian protected two other gates at the inner ends of other gorges, one in the southern cliff, now the entrance to the Piazza della Navicella from the Porta Metronia; the other in the western cliff, going up nearly to the arch of Dolabella. That arch was the entrance into that part of the hill which was afterwards called the Claudium, made in another ancient fort on the south-western angle of the Cœlian, extending nearly to the site of the Colosseum. The scarped cliffs are very distinct on three sides. The Clivus Scauri passes between these two ancient forts on the western side of the hill. Between the Claudium and the other part of the Coelian is another gorge, and the narrow end of this nearly meets that before-mentioned, near the arch of Dolabella. It would appear that the western end of the Coelian, almost detached from the hill, was the arx or citadel of that hill as a separate fortress. On the north side of the hill, the church and monastery of the Santi Quattro Coronati stands, evidently in another ancient fort, with the cliff visible on three sides of it, and a trench on the south, cutting it off from the rest of the hill. This protected another gate, where the church of S. Clement now stands. Between the east end of the Coelian and the Lateran fortress is another wide and deep foss, partly natural and partly cut, with walls against the cliffs on both sides, and tombs on both sides also, shewing that it was outside of the City. The Lateran has been probably made in the Cœliolum. The church of S. Clement, which stands upon another of these short aggeres, connected the Coelian fortress and the Esquiline fortified hill; the southern and eastern cliffs of that hill carry on the line to the junction with the great agger on the eastern side of Rome. There are remains of the ancient fortifications of the Viminal on the cliff opposite to S. Vitale, and of the Quirinal in the Colonna Gardens, and in part of the gardens of Sallust (now those of Spithoever). The arx of the Esquiline was probably where the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli now stands, where the cliffs and the trenches are very visible; that of the Viminal was probably where the ruins of towers were excavated in 1871, as mentioned; that of the Quirinal was probably where the great palace is now situated. All these separate fortresses were, of course, merged in the city of Servius Tullius. This third City of Rome was made by uniting the seven hills in one enclosure, making use of the previous ancient fortifications of separate villages, uniting them by aggeres, or banks of earth, faced with walls having deep and wide trenches in front of them, across the valley from the scarped cliffs of one hill to those of another, and by making the great agger of Servius Tullius on the high table-land on the eastern side of Rome. Of this there are considerable remains, long seen and acknowledged as such by all who have paid attention to the subject. This third City was seven miles round; but nearly all fortifications require an outer wall of enclosure, called the "wall of enceinte," and the Tarquins endeavoured to supply this by another great bank and foss of far greater extent, making the circuit thirteen miles. The labour required for these great earthworks must have been enormous, and could only have been made by the whole population of the city being employed upon them for years. This could only have been done under a despotic government; but the people had not the same foresight as their rulers, and they at last rebelled against all this labour, of which they did not see the necessity. The rebellion under Brutus was successful, and the Republic was established, as we know. The great mania, or the outer line of defence, were left unfinished at both ends; nor was there any outer wall to the Aventine until the time of Claudius, and in the break between the Prætorian Camp and the Pincian Hill the outer earthworks were never erected. This was the weak part of the defences of Rome, and at this point it was repeatedly attacked and taken. Indeed, from that time there was an end to all great public works, until the time of Sylla the dictator. To understand properly the ancient fortifications of Rome, where they are so much concealed by later work, it is necessary to look at those of other cities of the same early period, such as Fiesole, Volterra, and other Etruscan cities to the north; Tusculum, Alba Longa, and Gabii, on the eastern side. These have, we find, fortifications of precisely the same character, and far more perfect, though varying in details, according to their respective situations. Alba Longa is especially important, as being the reputed city from which the first Romans emigrated; and Gabii, as having been another colony from Alba Longa. This town is built on precisely the same plan,—a single long street on the edge of a lake. |