Rome

The original wall skirted the Palatine hill on the south side and ran directly to the river. Here several portions of the 4th-century wall, built in Grotta Oscura tufa and the scoriated Fidenae stone, have been found, but at the south-west corner of the hill a f rag ment of the original 6th-century wall in cappellaccio blocks may still be seen. During the 4th century the Aventine was also in cluded in the fortifications. The large wall on the Via di porta S. Paulo, however, was repaired with Anio stone and a concrete back ing during the Sullan period, and near the gateway arched open ings for the placement of defensive artillery were neatly con structed.

Streets.

It is doubtful whether Rome had paved streets before the 2nd century B.C. The earliest pavement that has been found is that of the street which ascends the Capitoline hill from the forum. It was laid in 174 B.C. The few remains of it still visible at the side of the temple of Saturn are hard rough lava blocks full of leucitic crystals. This lava was brought from beyond Civita Cas tellana and was preferred to the native lava of the Appian Way because the crystals furnish a rough surface which is essential on a steep roadway. During the 1st century B.C. most of the streets were paved with large polygonal lava blocks neatly fitted and (at times) set in a concrete bedding and curbed with travertine. Out side of the city some of these pavements are still in use after 2,000 years of wear.

Bridges and Drains.

The first bridges of Rome were laid on wooden piles. In 179, stone piers were built for the Aemilian bridge (the ponte rotto). In the period between Gracchus and Sulla, architects had learned to make strong arches and then the Aemilian and the Mulvian bridges were constructed of splendid stone arches. The Fabrician bridge, contracted for apparently dur ing Cicero's consulship, with two vast arches, is still in use. The first large sewer which drained the forum and cattle market seems to have been an open channel lined with cappellaccio masonry. It was covered over early in the republic. The magnificent Cloaca Maxima which opens out near the Palatine bridge and was in use till some 3o years ago was, to judge from its free use of Gabine stone, not constructed till the latter part of the 2nd century B.C. During the empire the whole city was as thoroughly drained with well-built sewers as any modern city.

Aqueducts.

Before 312 B.C. the city depended upon wells and springs for its water supply. In that year Appius Claudius, the censor, constructed an underground aqueduct 7m. in length to sup ply water to the poor of the crowded sections of the city. Forty years later the Anio Vetus was added. In 144 the Aqua Marcia was laid bringing an abundant supply of excellent water from high in the Sabine hills 44m. away. Where it crossed the lower plain outside of Rome the conduit was raised on splendid arches so as to bring the water to the top of the Capitoline hill. Some of these arches are still standing near Porta Furba; and the city of Rome is still using the springs that supplied the Aqua Marcia. Augustus, Claudius and later emperors enlarged the water supply, laid an extensive system of leaden pipes in the streets and built numerous fountains, till in Trajan's day the city was generously supplied with pure water.

In the early days the valley between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline was marshy ground with an open pool, the Lacus Cur tius, near the centre, another near the west end, the Lacus Ser vilius, which caught the spring waters of the Capitoline hill, and another, the Lacus Juturnae at the base of the Palatine. On the lower slope of the Capitoline hill, on a protruding ledge of rock, were altars to Saturn and to Vulcan, and between them a speaker's platform. On the corresponding lower slope of the Palatine was the shrine of Vesta with the house of the vestals near by and the 'Jordan, Topographie,i.; Lanciani, Ruins and Excavations; Huelsen (Carter, tr.), The Roman Forum, with references to the reports of the excavators: Carlo Fea, Rosa, Fiorelli, Lanciani, Boni, et al.; Thedenat, Le Forum Romain; Lugli, La Zona Archeologica di Roma.

office of the pontifex maximus. Below the Esquiline was an exten sive burial ground. When the marsh was drained and the three springs walled in the central part became an open market place forum—which was soon lined with two rows of shops (tabernae), while the north-west corner was laid off for open-air town-meetings (the comitium), and a speaker's platform was early constructed between the comitium and the forum. Without regard for chro nology we shall briefly mention the more important buildings of the forum of which there are remains, beginning at the Tullianum on the north-west corner.