Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/741

 ROMA. pius the southern one ; but they were afterwards considered as one hill, in order not to exceed the prescriptive number of seven. S. of the Esquiline lies Mons Caelius, the hirgest of the seven ; and to the W. of it Jlons Aventinus, the next larsrest, the NW. side of which closely borders on the Tiber. In the centre of this garland of hills lies the lozenge-shaped Mons Palatinus, fiicing on the NW. towards the Capitoline, on the NE. towards the Esquiline, on the SE. towards the Caelian, and on the SW. towards the Aventine. It may be observed that, of the seven hills above described, the Quirinal and Viminal are styled colles, whilst the others, though without anyapparent reason for the distinction, are c&Wft A monies. It cannot de- pend upon their height, since those called colles are as lofty as those dignified with the more imposing name of inontes ; whence it seems probable that the difference originated in the ancient traditions re- specting the Septimontium. A less important emi- nence, called Velia, which was not reckoned as a distinct hill, projected from the KE. side of the Palatine towards the Esquiline, and separated the two valleys which in after times became the sites of the Forum Roinanum and of the Colosseum. The Germalus was another but still smaller offshoot, or spur, of the Palatine, on its western side. On the opposite bank of the Tiber, Mons Vaticanus and Mons Jaiiiculus rise, as before remarked, to a considerably greater height than the hills just de- scribed. The former of these lies opposite to the Pincian, but at a considerable distance from the river, thus leaving a level space, part of which was called the Ager Vaticanus, whilst the portion nearest the river obtained the name of Prata Quinctia. To the S. of Mons Vaticanus, and close to the river, at the extreme western point of its first reach, the Mons Janiculus begins to rise, and runs almost straight to tiie S. till it sinks into the plain opposite to iMons Aventinus. The often space between this hill and the southernmost curve of the Tiber formed the Regio Transtiberina. The sinuous course of the river from the Pincian to the Capitoline left a still more extensive plain between its left bank and the hills of Rome, the northern and more extensive por- tion of which formed the Campus JIartius, whilst its soutl)ern part, towards the Capitoline, was called the Prata Flaminia. From the preceding description it will be per- ceived that the Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian, and Palatine were completely isolated hills, separated from one another by narrow valleys. Those valleys which lay nearest the Tiber seem, in their original state, to have formed a marsh, or even a lake. Such was the Valiis Murcia, between the Palatine and Aventine, in later times the scat of the Circus Jlax- iinus ; as well as the low ground between the Pala- tine and river, afterwards known as the Velabrum and Forum Boariuin ; and perhaps even part of the Forum Romanum itself. Thus, in the combat be- tween the Romans and Sabines, on the spot after- wards occupied by tiie forum, the affrighted horse of Mettius Curtius, the Sabine leader, is described as carrying him into a marsh. (Liv. i. 12.) Nay, there are grounds for believing that the Tiber, in the neighbourhood of Rome, formed at a very re- mote period an arm of the sea, as pure marine sand is often found there. (Niebuhr, Lect. on Ethnogr. vol. ii. p. .39.) In order to assist the reader in forming a clear idea of the nature of the Roman hills, we shall here VOL. II. R05IA. 721 insert a few measurements. They are taken from a paper by Sir George Schukburg in the " Philoso- phical Transactions," An. 1777 (vol. Isvii. pt. 2. p. 594), and have been esteemed the most accurate. (Becker, Ilandbuch, vol. i. p. 83, note.) Other measurements by Calandrelli are also annexed. The latter are according to the Paris foot, which equals 12-785 inches English. Height above the Mediterranean : — Feet. Janiculum, near the Villa Spada - 260 Aventine, near -Pj'jw-y of jy«fta - - 117 Palatine, floor of imperial palace - - 133 Caelian, near the Claudian aqueduct - 125 Esquiline, floor of 5. Maria Jlar/f/iore 154 Capitoline, W. end of the Tarpeian rock 118 Viminal and Quirinal at their junction, in the Carthusian church, baths of Dio- cletian - - . . . 141 Pincian, garden of the Mlla Medici - 165 Tiber, above the ^Meditenauean - - 33 Convent of St. Clare in the Via de' Spec- chi 27 Forum, near the arch of Severus - - 34 Measurements from Calandrelli, in his and Conti's OpuscoH astronomici e fisici {ap. Sachse, Gesch. der Stadt Rom, vol. i. p. 697): — Paris feet Janicuhim, floor of the church of S. Pie- tro in Moniorio (not the highest point of the hill) 185 Aventine, floor of 5. ^/msj'o - - 146 Palatine, floor of <S. Bonaventura - 160 Caelian, floor of 5. Giovanni Laterano 158 Esquiline, floor of S. Maria Maggiore - 177 Cai.o, Qoov o[ S. Maria d' Araceli - 151 Viminal, floor of 5. Z,o?'e«zo - - 160 Quirinal, Faluzzo Qiiirinale - - 148 yincia.n, hoor of S. Tri7iita dt' Monti - 150 Vatican, floor of S. Pietro - - - 93 In ancient times, however, the hills must have ap- peared considerably higher than they do at present, as the valleys are now raised in many places from 15 to 20 feet above their former level, and in some parts much more. (Lwinsden, Ant. of Rome, p. 137.) This remark is more particularly appli- cable to the forum, which is covered with rubbi.>li to a great depth; a circumstance which detracts much from the apparent height of the Capitoline; whose sides, too, must formerly have been much more abrupt and precipitous than they now ai-e. The much superior height of the Janiculum to that of any of the hills on the W. bank of the Tiber, will have been remarked. Hence it enjoyed a nubje pro-pect over the whole extent of the city and the Caiiqniyna beyond, to the mountains which bound the castiTii horizon. The view has been celebrated by Martial (iv. 64), and may be still enjoyed either from the terrace in front of S. Pietro in AMtmlorio, or from the spot where the Foutana Paolina now pours its abundant waters : — " Hinc septem dominos vidcre monies Et totam licet aestimare Romam, Albanos quoque Tusculosqiie colles Et quodcuuque jacet sub urbe frigus." CUSIATE. The climate of Rome appears to have been much colder in ancient times than it is at jire- 3a