CAPITOL (Lat. Capitoliain, from caput, head). The citadel of ancient Rome, and site of the national sanctuary. the temple of Jupiter. It was situated on the Mons 0/pito/it/us. the smallest but most famous of the seven hills on which Rome was built. The hill consists of two summits. of which the south was the Capitolium proper. containing the great temple of .Jupiter. while the north was the citadel (arr). though the whole bill is often called Capitol. The natural abruptness of the sides was increased by arti ficial means, and the whole was strongly forti fied. It does not scent to have been the site of the earliest settlement, but to have been chosen later as the common citadel for the settlers of the Palatine and Quirinal. as the Forum was thecom mon meeting-place. The foundation of the great temple of Jupiter Optimus .11aximus. Juno, and Minerva was attributed to Tarquinius Priscus, and its dedication to the consul Horatius. B.C. 509. For the foundations great substructures were needed, and in all later rebuildiugs the sante general arrangement seems to have been retained. The building was nearly quadrangular, with three rows of columns in front and one at each side, hut none in the rear. The building con sisted of three -imple cr//w, one for each divinity. During the civil wars under Sulfa the temple was burned. and after its restoration it was de stroyed during the Vitellian riots, It was rebuilt by Vespasian, after whose death it was again de stroyed by fire, hut was once more restored by Domitian. Domitian's structure lasted to a late
period of the Empire, but was so completely de stroyed that little remains except the foundation Walk. From that portion of the amount named the Tarpeian Rock State criminals were thrown down.
Besides the great temple of Jupiter, the most important structure: on the Capitoline Mount were the temple of •Jupiter Tonans, built by the Emperor Augustus, and the magnificent Tabu larium, built by Quintus Catulus 11.C. 73, for the Itrobives, and of which the imposing foundations still remain. On the are was the temple of Juno Moneta. and near by the mint. The north sum mit is now occupied by the Church of Santa Maria in Aracieli. the south by dwellings. in cluding the German embassy. The Piazza di ('ampidoglio occupies the space between the two smittnits, with the Palazzo del Sena tore on the site of the ancient Tabularium. and on either side the of the Capitol, and of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. See CA311.11)4)(430.
In the United States, the name is applied to the seat of the Federal legislature ( see WAsit INGTON), and to the State houses of the several States. Many of these are imposing and costly buildings, notably those at Albany, Hartford, and Austin. See illustration accompanying article ALBANY.