Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1315

 VIA APPIA. on '.he general plan of these edifices. [Roma, p. 844.] Proceeding onwards from the tomb of Caecilia Metella, the road is bordered throughout by numerous sepulchres, the most remarkable of which is the tomb of Servilius Quartus, on the left, about 3 J miles from Rome. The remarkable preservation of the ancient road in this part of its course, shows the accuracy of the description above cited from Procopius ; but it is remarkable that tins, the greatest and most frequented highway of the Roman empire, was only just wide enough to admit of the passage of two carriages abreast, beinrj only 15 feet broad between the raised crepidines which bordered it. After passing a num- ber of obscure tombs on both sides of the way, there occurs, just beyond the fifth mile from Rome, a re- markable enclosure, of quadrangular form, surrounded by a low wall of Alban stone. This has frequently been supposed to be the Campus Sacer Horatiorum, alluded to by Blarlial (iii. 47) as existing on the Appian Way, and which preserved the memory of the celebrated combat between the Horatii and Curiatii. This was believed to have been fought just about .5 miles from Rome (Liv. i. 23), which would accord well with the position of the enclosure in question ; but it is maintained by modern antiquaries that this, which was certainly of a sacred character, more pro- bably served the purposes of an Ustrinum, or place where the bodies of the dead were burned, previously to their being deposited in the numerous sepulchres that lined both sides of the Appian Way. These btill form a continuous cemetery for above two miles farther. The most massive of them all, which must, when entire, have greatly exceeded even that of Caecilia Metella in magnitude, and from its circular form is known as the Casal Rotondo, occurs near the 6th mile from Rome, on the left of the Via Ap- ]iia. From a fragment of an inscription found here, it is probable that this is the tomb of Messala Cor- vinus, the friend of Augustus and patron of Tibullus, and is the very monument, the massive solidity of which is more than once referred to by ]Iartial (" Messalae saxa," viii. 3.5; " marmora Messalae," s. 2. 9). Somewhat nearer Rome, on the same side of the road, are extensive ruins of a difterent descrip- tion, which are ascertained to be those of a villa of the Quintilii, two brothers celebrated for their wealth, who were put to death by Commodus (Dion Cass. Ixsii. 5), after which the villa in question probably became an imperial residence. Some remains of a small temple, just 8 miles from Rome, have been supposed to be those of a temple of Hercules, consecrated or restored by Do- iiiitian at that distance from the city (Martial, iii. 47. 4, ix. 65. 4, 102. 12); but though the site of t!ie temple in question is clearly indicated, it ap- pears that the existing remains belong to an edifice of earlier date. Exactly 9 miles from Rome are the ruins of a villa of imperial date, within which is a large circular monument of brick, supposed with good reason to be the tomb of Gallienus, in which the emperor Flavius Severus also was buried. (Vict. Epit. Ix.) Close to this spot must have been the station Ad Nonum mentioned in the Jerusalem Itinerary (/. c). The road is still bordered on both sides by tombs; but none of these are of any special interest. At the Osteria delle Fratocchie (between II and 12 miles from Rome) the ancient Via is joined by the modern road to Albano: it here com- mences the ascent of the Alban Hills, which con- tinues (though at first very gradually) for above 3 VIA APPIA. 1291 miles. A little farther on are the remains of Bo- villae; the principal ruins of which lie a short dis- tance to the right of the road. [Bovillae.] The Tabula marks that place as a station on the Via Appia, but erroneously places it 10 miles from Rome, while the real distance is 12 miles. Thence the road (still retaining its straight line) as- cended the hill to * Albano, nearly on the site of the Albanum of Domitian, which, as we learn from Martial, was just 14 miles from Rome. (Jlartial, ix. 65. 4, 102. 12.) The remains of the imperial villa border the road on the left for some distance before reaching the modern town. Two miles far- ther was Aricia, which is correctly placed by both the Itineraries 16 miles from Rome. The station was probably below the town, outside of the walls, as the Via Appia here deviates from the straight line which it has pursued so long, and descends into the hollow below the city by a steep slope known as the Clivus Aricinus. A little farther on it is carried over the lowest part of the valley by a causeway or substruc- tion of massive masonry, one of the most remark- able works of the kind now extant. [Aricia.] The remainder of the road will not require to be described in such detail. From Aricia it was con- tinued, with a slight deviation from the direct line, avoiding the hills of Genzano and those which bound the Luke ofNami, on the left, and leaving La- nuvium at some distance on the right, till it descended again into the plain beyondthe Alban Hills and reached the station of Tres Tabernae. An intermediate sta- tion. Sub Lanuvio, indicated only in the Tabula, must have been situated where a branch road struck oflT to the city of Lanuvium. The position of Tres Tabernae has been much disputed, but without any good reason. That of Forum Appii, the next stage, is clearly established [Forum Appii], and the 43rd milestone of the ancient road still exists on the spot; thus showing that the distances given in the Antonine Itinerary are perfectly correct. This being established, it is clear that Tres Tabernae is to be placed at a spot 10 miles nearer Rome, and about 3 miles beyond the modern Cisterna, where there are still ruins of ancient buildings, near a mediaeval tower called the Torre dAnnihale. The ancient pavement is still visible in many places between Aricia and Tres Tabernae, and no doubt can exist as to the course of the road. This was indeed carried in a perfectly straight line from the point where it descended into the plain, through the Pon- tine JIarshes to within a few miles of Terracina. The position of the station Ad Sponsas, mentioned in the Jerusalem Itinerary, cannot be determined, as the distances there given are incorrect. We should jierliaps read xii. for vii. as the distance from Forum Appii, in which case it must be placed 2 miles nearer Rome than Tres Tabernae. Between the latter station and Forum Appii was Tripon- TiuM, at which connnenced the canal navigation called Decennovium from its being 19 miles in length. The site of this is clearly marked by a tower still called Turre di Tre Pond, and the 19 miles measured thence along the canal would terminate at a point 3 miles from Terracina, where travellers quitted the canal for that city. An in- scription records the paving of this part of the road by Trajan. The solitary posthouse of Mesa known as the Cuvus ViRiui, mentioned by Persius (vi. 55).
 * It was probably this long ascent that was