CAPITOL, now Carnpidoglio, the citadel of ancient Rome, standing on the Capitoline Hill, the smallest of the seven hills of Rome, an ciently called the Saturnine and the Tarpeian Rock. It was planned and said to have been be by Tarquinius Priscus, but not completed till after the expulsion of the kings. At the time of the civil commotions under Sulla it was burned down, and rebuilt by the Senate. It again suffered the same fate twice, and was restored by Vespasian and Domitian. The lat ter caused it to be built with great splendor, and instituted there the Capitoline games. Diony sins says the temple, with the exterior pillars, was 200 feet long and 185 broad. The whole building consisted of three temples, which were dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, and separated from one another by walls. In the wide portico triumphal ban uets were given to the people. The statue of Jupiter, in the capi tol, represented him sitting on a throne of ivory and gold, and consisted in the earliest times of clay painted red. Under Trajan, it was formed of gold. The roof of the temple was made of bronze; it was gilded by Quintus Catulus. The doors were of the same metal. Splendor and expense were lavished upon the whole edifice. On the pediment stood a chariot, drawn by four horses, at first of clay, and afterward of gilded brass. The temple itself contained an immense quantity of the most magnificent presents. The most important papers were preserved in it. The Capitoline Hill consists of three parts, namely, the north ern summit, now occupied by the church of Santa Maria in Aracceli; the southern summit, crowned by the Palazzo Caffarelh, usually oc cupied by the German ambassador; and the depression between these, in which is now the Piazza del Campidoglio. The above church,
which is approached from the northwest by a lofty flight of steps, is of great antiquity. In the Franciscan monastery which was con nected with it was replaced by a large monu ment of Victor Emmanuel II. The Piazza del Campidoglio was designed by Michelangelo. In its centre is a fine equestrian bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. On the southeast side there is the Palazzo del Senatore, with a fine flight of steps erected by Michelangelo. The Palace of the Conservatori occupies the south west side of the square, and contains valuable collections in art and antiquities. Directly op posite is the Capitoline Museum, founded by Innocent X. The southern summit of the hill is now called Monte Caprino, and on it, beside the Palazzo Caffarelli already mentioned, stands a hospital and a German archaeological institute. (See ROPE). Consult Platner,cTopography and Monuments of Ancient Rome,' pp. 291-308, New York 1911. Besides the edifice in Wash ington where Congress assembles, the state houses in States of the Union are officially called capitols. Of these the most noteworthy are those at Albany, Hartford, Providence, Austin, Jefferson City and Saint Paul.