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THE DESTRUGTION OF

ANCIENT ROME
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THE DESTRUCTION
OF

ANCIENT HOME
A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE
MONUMENTS

BY

RODOLFO LANCIANI
D.C.L. OXFORD, LL.D. HARVARD
PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT TOPOGRAPHY IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF ROME

Wefo

ff otfc

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY


LONDON: MACMILLAN &
1899
All rightu reserved

CO., LTD.

COPYRIGHT, 1899

BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

NortoooB
J. S.

Cushing & Co.

Berwick & Smith

Norwood Mass.

THE GETTY RESEARCH


INSTITUTE LIB.V.RY

PREFATORY NOTE
PROFESSOR RODOLFO LANCIANI needs no introduction
to English readers.

This book sums up briefly the results of researches,


extending over many years, in regard to the fate of the
buildings and masterpieces of art in ancient Rome.
his

work upon

this

subject

and upon

his

large

In

map

Professor Lanciani has searched hundreds of volumes of

municipal and ecclesiastical records, besides examining


several thousand separate documents
and he has ran;

sacked the principal libraries of Europe for prints and


drawings showing the remains of ancient Rome at different periods.

Much

of the

new

material thus collected

appear in fuller form in an extensive work, comprising several volumes, which will be published in Italian
under the title Storia degli Scavi di Roma.
The present
will

volume

is

Thanks

a forerunner of the larger work.


are due to Professor

lin College, for

Walter Dennison of Ober-

kind assistance in reading the proofs, and

for the compilation of the Indexes.


F.

NOVEMBER

1,

1899.

W. K.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.

II.

THE DESTROYERS OF ANCIENT ROME

..........

V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.

IX.

X.

28

47

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS

66

IN 410,

AND

THE SACK OF ROME BY THE VANDALS


THE CITY

IN

ITS

CONSEQUENCES

IN 455

...

THE SIXTH CENTURY

74
77

BURIAL PLACES WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE WALLS

89

THE DEVASTATION AND DESERTION OF THE CABIPAGNA

101

THE MONUMENTS

106

IN

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS IN 846, AND THE EXTEN-

SION OF THE FORTIFICATIONS OF THE CITY

THE FLOOD OF

856

126

139

XIII.

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY

XIV.

THE USURPERS OF THE HOLY SEE AND THE SACK OF

1084

ROME AT THE END OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY

THE

XV.

10

THE ASPECT OF THE CITY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE


FIFTH CENTURY

XL THE
XII.

THE USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY MARBLES,


IN THE BUILDING OPERATIONS OF THE LATER EMPIRE
.

IV.

PAGE

THE TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME BY THE EMPERORS

III.

.....

ITINERARY OF BENEDICT
vii

142

154

174

CONTENTS

viii

CHAPTER

XVI.

PAGE

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS OF MEDIAEVAL AND


RENAISSANCE ROME

XVII.
XVIII.

XIX.

THE BEGINNINGS or THE MODERN CITY

XXI.

THE MONUMENTS

IN

II.

........
THE LATTER PART OF THE

THE MODERNISATION OF MEDIAEVAL BUILDINGS


SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES

MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MATERIALS

INDEXES
I.

198

THE SACKING OF ROME BY THE ARMY OF CHARLES OF


BOURBON IN 1527
214

TEENTH CENTURY

XX.

....

180

SIX-

IN
.

227

THE
.

....

253
258

INDEX OF SUBJECTS
INDEX OF PASSAGES AND INSCRIPTIONS

267
,

278

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Panoramic view

of

Rome by

Balthasar Jenichen

Frontispiece

FIGURE

PAGE

1.

Substructions of the palace of Septimius Severus.

2.

photograph
Torre dei Schiavi.

From a photograph

3.

Section of steps of the round temple of the


showing earlier and later construction

4.

Fragment

of painted terra cotta antefix

Jupiter Optimus Maximus.


Comunale, 1896
5.

From a

Forum Boarium,
.

.11

from the temple of

From Tav. xiii. of the

Bullettino
12

from an early temple on the EsquiFrom Tav. xiii. of the Bullettino Comunale, 1896
line.
Section of excavations in the Via di S. Gregorio, showing
changes of level
Fragment of the tomb of Celer. From a photograph
Excavation of the Via Nazionale on the Quirinal, showing remains of buildings of different periods. From a photograph
Part of the upper story of the Coliseum, repaired with mateFrom a photograph
rials from earlier buildings.
Another view of the upper story of the Coliseum, showing
repairs made with architectural fragments from various

Fragment

of painted tile

6.

7.

8.

9.

.........
.

10.

From a photograph
broken into fragments,
From a photograph

A statue,

15.

Section of the channel of the

16.

The remains of the Claudian aqueduct


From a photograph

...

Babuino.

After Tav.

i.

29

44

14.

13.

25

in process of reconstruction.

The monument of Stilicho in the Forum. From a photograph


The raising of level at the Porta Ostiensis, A.I>. 402
Bronze heads found in 1880 under the English Church, Via del

12.

19
21

30

sources.

11.

13

of the Bullettino

Aqua

Comunale, 1881

....

51

54
67

Marcia, at Monte Arcese,

showing deposits on the bottom and sides

........

81

at the Porta Furba.

86

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

18.

of P. Vibius Marianus, so-called "Tomb of Nero," on


the Via Clodia, 4 miles north of Rome. From a print
Columbarium on the Via Severiana, near Ostia, opened in

19.

The Sepolcro

20.

View

21.

23.

The column of Phocas in the Forum. From a photograph


The Pronaos of the Pantheon. From a photograph
The tomb of St. Paul and the canopy of Arnolfo di Lapo in

24.

Mura, after the fire of 1823. From a print


Tower of the wall of Leo IV., now used as an observatory.

17.

Tomb

From a

1868.

94

print

degli Stucchi,

showing the hole made by plun-

...

From a print
derers in the vaulted ceiling.
97
of the Campagna, remains of the Claudian aqueduct in
.
.100
the distance. From a photograph
.

22.

Paolo fuori

le

107

113

S.
.

From a photograph
25.

26.

From a

photo-

28.

View of the Caelian hill, looking southeast. From a photograph


View of the Forum in 1821, partly excavated, showing the
difference between the ancient and the modern level.
From

29.

The

30.

The lower end

31.

A typical Roman

32.

The

an engraving

obelisk of the gardens of Sallust as

From a

fallen.

it

lay after

it

149

163

167

had

sketch by Fontana

of the obelisk of the

140

to

...........
.........

graph

132
134

The Forum flooded by the Tiber, 1898. From a photograph


The Ponte Salario, two miles north of Rome blown up
prevent the advance of Garibaldi in 1867.

27.

93

171

Campus

Martius.

From

sketch by Bandini
172
house of the twelfth century, built with odd
.179
fragments. From a photograph
.

pulpit in the cathedral of S. Matte"o at Salerno, built with

35.

marbles from Rome. From a photograph


.185
Fragments of cornice from the temple of Vulcan at Ostia.
From a photograph
195
House and tower of the Margani. From a photograph
200
A lane of Mediaeval Rome Via della Lungarina, demolished

36.

The Porta

37.

Reliefs

33.

34.

........
.

in 1877.

From

a photograph

202

del Popolo of the time of Sixtus IV.

by M. Heemskerk (1536)
from the tomb of Calpurnianus, the
a photograph

From a sketch
209

charioteer.

From
210

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

xi
PACK

FIG FEE

38.

The

39.

One

40.

Bae-reliefs

hill

where Charles

of S. Onofrio,

his headquarters.

Bourbon established

of

From a photograph

.215

Madonna"

....
....

that of the "Vita della


of the Sale Borgia
From a photograph
in the Vatican.

41.

from the arch of Marcus Aurelius, now in the Conservatori Palace. From a photograph
The statues of Castor and Pollux on the Capitoline hill, restored

42.

View

43.

The Loggia

44.

The Ponte

45.

The Cesi chapel

From

in 1584.

a photograph

From a
of

233

....

243

their

sketch by Ciampini
Squarcialupi, Palazzo

Pietro

destruction

del

by

Senatore.

From an

old print
Rotto, half carried

From a photograph

229

......

of the Lateran buildings before

Sixtus V.

223

248

........
away by

the inundation of 1557.

church of S. Maria della Pace, built


with Pentelic marble from the temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus. From a photograph

249

in the

260

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL WORKS
Adiuolfi. Pasquale

2d

edit.,

Roma

Armellini, Mariano

Le

nell' eta di

mezzo.

Roma

chiese di

2 vols.

Rome,

1881.

XIX.

dal Secolo IV. al

1891.

Rome,

Corpus Inscriptionum Latiuarum

Vols. VI., 1876

and XIV.,

sq.,

1887.

De Rossi, Giovanni

Battista

pars

Rome, Vol.

I.,

1861

Vol.

II.,

1888.

1,

Roma
Roma

Sotterranea Cristiana.
Sotterranea

Translated by J.
1869.

Romae

Inscriptiones Christianae Urbis

saeculo septimo antiquiores.

New ed.,

Duchesne. Louis

S.

or,

Northcote and

I.,

1864.

of the

W.

Roman

Catacombs.

R. Bro\vnlow.

London,

1879.

Le Liber

Vol.

Some Account

Pontificalis

Texte, introduction et

commentaire par 1'abbe L. Duchesne. 2 vols. Paris, 1886-1892.


Dyer, Thomas H. A History of the City of Rome, its Structures
:

and Monuments.

Gibbon, Edward

London, 1865.
History of the Decline and Fall of the

Roman

Empire.
Gilbert, O.

Geschichte und Topographie der Stadt

Rom im

Alter-

thum.

Leipzig, 3 parts, 1883, 1885, 1890.


Gregorovius, Ferdinand Geschichte der Stadt
:

8 vols., 4th ed.

Rom im

Mittelalter.

Stuttgart, 1886-1896.

History of the City of

Rome

in the

Middle Ages.

from the Fourth German edition by Annie Hamilton.

Translated
Vols

I.- VI.

London, 1894-1899.
Grisar,

Hartman,

telalter.

S. L.

Geschichte

Freiburg, Vol.

I.,

1898.

Roms und

der Papste im Mit-

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

xiv
Helbig, "Wolfgang
Antiquities in

Collections of Classical

and F. Muirhead.

J. F.

Leipzig, 1895-1896.

2 vols.
Jaff fe. Phil.

Regesta Pontificum romanorum ab condita ecclesia ad

2d

ami. 1198.
zig,

Guide to the Public


Rome.
Translation by

ed.,

revised

by Kaltenbrunner,

2 vols.

etc.

Leip-

1885-1888.

Jordan, H.
Vol.

I.,

Topographic der Stadt

part

i.,

1878, part

Kraus, Franz Xavier


Freiburg, 1896.
Lanciani. Rodolfo

- Ancient Rome

Rom im

1885; Vol.

ii.,

II.,

Alterthum.

Geschichte der christlicheu Kunst.

Pagan and Christian Rome.

Berlin,

1871.

The Ruins and Excavations

of Ancient

L' Itinerario di Einsiedlen e

1'

I.

Boston, 1893.

Recent Discoveries.

in the Light of

Vol.

Rome.

Boston, 1888.

Boston, 1897.

ordine di Benedetto Canonico.

1891.

Rome,
I Commentarii
Rome,

di Frontino intorno le acque e gli acquedotti.

1880.

Forma Urbis Romae. Milan, 1893 sq. (XLVI sheets.)


Marangoni, Giovanni Delle cose gentilesche e profane, trasportate
ad uso ed ornamento delle chiese. Rome, 1744.
Mommsen. Theodore Monumenta Germaniae historica Gesta
pontificum Romanorum. Vol. I. Berlin, 1898.
:

Miintz. Engine
IV.)

Les Arts a

la

cour des Papes.

3 vols.

(To Sixtus

Paris, 1878-1882.

Les Arts a

(Innocent VIIL-Pius III.)

la cour des Papes.

Paris,

1898.

Muratori, Ludovico
Nichols, F.
City.

M.

Rerum

The Marvels

An English version

Italicarum Scriptores.
Rome or, A Picture of the Golden

of

of the Mediaeval Guidebook.

London,

1889.

Richter, Otto Topographic der Stadt Rom. Noerdlingen, 1889.


Tommasini, Oreste Delia storia medievale della Citta di Roma e dei
:

piu recent! raccontatori di essa


di Storia Patria, Vol.

Urlichs, C. L.

I.,

in Archivio della Societk

Romana

1877.

Codex urbis Romae topographicus.

Wurzburg, 1871.

XV

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

PERIODICALS
Archivio della Societk

Romana

di Storia Patria.

Rome, from 1877.


Roma, from

Bullettino della Commissione archeologica comunale di


1873.

Bullettino di Archeologia cristiana, edited by Giovanui Battista de


Rossi, Vols. I.-XIII.
Rome, 1863-1895.

Nuovo

Bullettino di Archeologia cristiana, edited by G. B. de Rossi,


Rome, from 1895.

E. Stevenson, O. Marucchi.

Mittheilungen des Kaiserlich Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts,


Roemiscbe Abtheilung; from 1886, following the Annali and
Bullettino,

La

1829-1885.

Civiltk Cattolica.

Interesting contributions

also Grisar's Analecta

Romana,

Vol.

Melanges de Pficole francaise de Rome.


ing contributions by L. Duchesne.
Notizie degli Scavi di Antichita.

Roemische Quartalschrift
from 1887.
Studii e

Documenti

fiir

I.

by H.

Grisar.

See

Naples, 1899.

Rome, from

1881.

Interest-

Rome, from 1876.

Christliche Altertumskunde.

di Storia e Diritto.

Rome, from

1880.

Rome,

FIG.

1.

Substructions of the palace of Septimius Severus.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME


CHAPTER

THE DESTROYERS OF AXCIENT ROME


I

WAS

sitting not long ago at the southern extremity of

the Palatine

hill,

where the remains

of the palace of Sep-

timius Severus tower a hundred and sixty feet above the


level of the

modern

streets,

the abyss which lay open at

and

my

was trying to fathom


feet, and to reconstruct in
I

imagination the former aspect of the place.

By

meas-

urements on the spot, compared with descriptions and


drawings

left

by those who saw the Palatine

state of preservation, I

in a better

have been able to ascertain that a

palace 490 feet long, 390 wide, and 160 high has so completely disappeared that only a few pieces of crumbling

wall are left here and there against the

cliff

to tell the

Who

broke up and removed, bit by bit, that


mountain of masonry ?
Who overthrew the giant ?

tale.

Was

it

age, the elements, the

hand

of barbarians, or

some

other irresistible force the action of which has escaped

observation ?
3

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

To answer these

questions

we must

first

try to grasp the

words "destruction" and "disappearance"


when applied to the monuments of ancient Rome. We

meaning

of the

are told, for instance, that 485,000 spectators could find

room

up

in the Circus

Maximus, and

to the people his

own

that,

when Trajan gave

imperial balcony, the available

space was increased by 5000

Perhaps there

seats.

is

an

exaggeration in these figures in fact, the capacity of the


Circus has been limited by Huelsen to 150,000 specta;

But even with

tors. 1

here

this reduction,

150,000 persons sat on

which were made


if

stairways;
space of

we

accessible

that

stone or marble benches

by an elaborate system

allow to each

twenty inches,

we may suppose

there

spectator

of

an average

must have been in the

Maximus more than 250,000 running feet of


stone and marble benches.
Not a fragment has come
down to us, and we are left in complete ignorance as to
Circus

the

way

in

which so great a mass

of solid material has

disappeared.

Near the Pantheon

of Agrippa,

on the border of the

pond or stagnum where Nero and Tigellinus used to


feast in a floating hall, there was a colonnade known by
the name of Eventus Bonus.
Its site was unknown to
topographers until May, 1891, when a capital of great
size was discovered in the Vicolo del Melone, near the

church of

S.

Andrea

della Valle

that mass of marble that


1

so great, indeed,

we were obliged

Bullettino Comunale, 1894, p. 322.

to

was

abandon

it

THE DESTROYERS OF ANCIENT ROME

on account of the danger of undermining


the neighbouring houses if we should attempt to remove

where

it

lay,

Whence came

it.

the great block

found a clew to

the answer in Flaminio Vacca's account of the excava-

"In laying

tions in the time of Pius IV. (1559-1566).

the foundations of the Palazzo della Valle," says Vacca,

"columns, fragments of entablatures, and other marbles


were found, among them a capital of enormous size, out
of

which the coat of arms of the Pope on the Porta Pia


chiselled." 1 A second capital was discovered under

was

the Ugolini house, in the Vicolo del Melone, in 1862;

and a

under the Palazzo Capranica della Valle in


These three capitals and the one found in 1891
were lying on a line measuring 300 feet between the
third,

1876.

two outermost

belonged to a colonnade, the


columns of which were 47 feet high, the capitals them;

they

all

selves being 6 feet high

The

and 14

feet in circumference.

significance of these dimensions will best be appreci-

ated by architects.

Ancient documents further mention a stadium (where


now is the Piazza Navona) with seats for 30,088 spectators,

an odeum (now the Monte Giordano) with 11,600

seats, the theatre of Balbus

with 11,510
1

Memorie

seats,

(now

the

Monte

de' Cenci)

and the theatre of Pompey (near the

di varie antichita trovate in [diversi luoghi

scritte

da

Flaminio Vacca nel 1594, in Tea's Miscellanea, Vol. I. p. 25. Latest


and best edition by Richter in Berichte der Sachs. Gesellschaft der
Wissenchaften, 1881, p. 43.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

seats.

Of

and stone buildings, no traces are

left

Campo

di Fiori)

Examples
the

with 17,580

of this kind are

area within

the

city

is

2.

these marble

above ground.

by no means confined to

walls.

In

Emperor Gordianus the younger, chap.

FIG.

all

the

Life

of

the

32, a description

Torre del Schiavi.

given of his villa on the Via Praenestina, two and a

half miles outside the gate of that name.

among

other

columns,
marble,

fifty
fifty

buildings,
of

of

colonnade

of

It contained,

two hundred

which were

of cipollino or Carystian

portasanta,

fifty

of

pavonazzetto

or

THE DESTROYERS OF ANCIENT ROME

Phrygian marble, and fifty of giallo antico or Numidian


there were also three basilicas, each a hundred feet long,
;

an imperial palace, and baths which, in size and magnifiThe present


cence, rivalled the thermae of Rome itself.
state of this Villa

Gordianorum

is

shown

in our illustra-

tion (Fig. 2).

all
Colonnade, basilicas, palace, baths,
have disappeared. One bit of ruin stands alone in the

the Torre
landmark for miles around,
meet of the foxhounds in the

wilderness, a

dei Schiavi, a favourite

Campagna.

We may

grant that natural agencies have contributed


their share to the demolition of ancient buildings,
fires,
floods, earthquakes,

of disintegration

and the slow but

due to

rain, frost,

resistless processes

and variations

of tem-

but such prodigious changes, such wholesale


destruction, could have been accomplished only by the

perature

hand

man.

of

Writers on the decline and

fall of

have proposed several explanations,


plausible

outset

we may
as

Roman Empire
of

all

contain elements of truth.

all

if

which are

But

at

the

discard the current view that the dis-

Roman monuments was due

appearance of
barians

the

these, in

their meteoric

to the bar-

inroads, could

have amused themselves by pulverizing the 250,000 feet


of stone and marble seats in the Circus, for example,
or the massive structure of the villa of the Gordiani
!

The purpose

was to carry off such


could easily be removed, and Rome

of the barbarians

articles of value as

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

long remained rich enough to satisfy their greed.

when

Later,

mine had become exhausted, and the houses


the living were stripped of all their valuables, they

of

this

attacked the abodes of the dead, the humble

may have
catacombs

of

mausoleums

the

faithful

well

as

as

the

imperial

but the stanch buildings of the Republic


and of the Empire were not essentially damaged.
As we shall see in the course of our narrative, in June,
;

455 A.D., the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on


the Capitoline hill and the palace of the Caesars could

be successfully plundered of movable objects.

still

In

536 the garrison of the mole of Hadrian, which had


long ago been converted into a fortress (now the Castle
Angelo), was able to check an assault of the
Goths by throwing down upon their heads the master-

of

S.

pieces of

Greek

art

which

still

adorned the mausoleum.

quarter of a century later the historian Procopius

states that

many

statues

by Phidias and Lysippus could

yet be seen in Rome.


In 630 Pope Honorius

I.,

with the consent of the

Emperor Heraclius, removed the gilt-bronze tiles from


roof of the temple of Venus and Rome, for the

the

adornment
fore,

still

intact.

In 663,

the temple, there-

when Rome

for the last

by an emperor,
a great deal was still left
a Christian emperor too,
In
brief
the
period of twelve days which
plunder.

time,

to

was

of the roof of St. Peter's

and to her misfortune, was

visited

Constans spent in the city he removed

many

bronze

THE DESTROYERS OF ANCIENT ROME


and

hands also upon the bronze tiles


of the Pantheon, although this had long since been
statues,

laid his

converted into a Christian church.

The

barbarians, therefore, can be left in peace, their

part in the destruction of

Rome

being hardly worth con-

sidering when compared with the guilt


" others " I mean the Romans
themselves,

of others.

By

of the Imperial,

Byzantine, Mediaeval, and Renaissance periods.

CHAPTER

II

THE TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME BY


THE EMPERORS

THE growth

of a city involves

the readjustment of

public and private, to the needs of a population living under new conditions
and in a certain
its edifices,

we may say that


Rome begins with

sense

the history of the destruction

of

the

reign

of

Augustus,

who

undertook to transform the capital of the Empire from


In widening

a city of bricks into a city of marble.

and draining the old

streets, in

opening new thorough-

fares, in building the new quarters, and in carrying


out a general scheme for the sanitation and embellishment of the metropolis, many historical monuments

were

To

sacrificed.

the theatre
Pietas

of

clear the space for the erection of

Marcellus,

was destroyed,

for

example, the

so dear to the

shrine

of

Romans on account

legend of the faithful daughter who, with the


milk of her breast, kept alive the father sentenced to
death by starvation in the old Decem viral jail. 1 Dion
of the

Cassius adds that

many houses and

temples were de-

molished to make room for this structure


i

Pliny, Hist. Nat. VII. 36, 121.

10

that

many

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME

11

statues of the gods, of ancient workmanship, carved in

wood and

stone, shared the fate

builders

the

that

having

appropriated

in

the vaults

away
The example

wealthy friends,
Cornelius

the

of

the

of the

theatre

gold

(favissae')

temples

were

and

suspected

valuables

and
of

stored

of the sacred edifices. 1

by Augustus was followed by his


Marcius Philippus, Lucius Cornificius,

set

Balbus, and Statilius Taurus

but Agrippa

iwuuuuwi

FIG.

Section of steps of the round temple of the Forum Boarium, showing


earlier and later construction.

.'?.

surpassed them
his

buildings.

men with

all

We

number and splendour of


may compare the work of these
the

in

popes and cardinals of the


seventeenth century, who modernised our Constantinbut there is this differian and mediaeval churches
that

of

the

Dion Cassius, XLIII.

49.

Suetonius, Octav. 29.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

12
that

ence,

while

the

renovation

century was without excuse and


feature, Augustus and his friends
tute masterpieces of

purest

type,

for

Greco-Roman

the

earlier

of

seventeenth

the

had no
did, at

redeeming
substi-

least,

construction, of the

structures

brick

of

or

rough stone.
This change may best be studied, perhaps, in the
so-called temple of the Mater Matuta in the Forum
Boarium,

afterwards

the church

of

S.

Carozze,

Stefano

now

S.

delle

Maria

del Sole, in the Piazza

Bocca della Verita.


Here we see the stone
steps

the

to

leading

stone cella of the time of

Camillus,

covered, but

not entirely concealed,

by the marble steps


and the marble cella of
the time of Augustus
(Fig. 3).

In excavat-

ing strata of rubbish of

FIG.

4.

Fragment of painted terra cotta

antefix from the temple of Jupiter Optimus

the time of Augustus,


such as the platform of
the Gardens of MaCCC-

Maximus.

-,

nas, or that of the Capi-

tolium,

we have

actually

picked up fragments

temples of the time of the Kings,

dumped

from

there with

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME

13

other materials to raise the level of the ground.

Such

are the antefixes of painted terra cotta from the temple


of

now

Optimus Maxitnus,
1
and the
Conservator!,

Jupiter

de'

roof-tiles

on

the

the

Rome

Esquiline,

and

al Celio. 2

of

were

edifices

and

wood,

mented with

the

in

centuries

early

sacred
of

built

Palazzo

from another shrine

Museo Municipale
In

the

in

orna-

panels, cornices,

tiles of terra cotta

with

decoration.

polychrome
structure

of

discovered

this

on

kind was

the

site

of

FIG. 5.
Fragment of painted tile
from an early temple on the Esquiline.

Falerii, Civita Castellana, in

1886

the remains

of

it

are

halls of the Villa di Giulio III.,

Popolo.

in one of the

exhibited

the Porta del

outside

In tracing the history of the destruction of the Rome


of the Kings and of the Republic at the hands of the
Emperors, three facts become prominent
plete

2
8

covering over,

for

hygienic

(1) the com-

reasons,

and conse-

Bull. Com., 1896, p. 187, PI. xii.-xiii. (see Fig. 4).


Ibid., 1896, p.

Monumenti

Vol. IV., 1895.

28 (see Fig. 5).

antichi publicati per cura della reale Accad. dei Lined,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT EOME

14

quent elevation, of large tracts of land


(2) the rebuilding, on a totally different plan, of one or more quar;

ters of the City, after a destructive

of

clearing

areas to

large

those

thermae,

of

Nero,

fire

make room
Titus,

and (3) the

the

for

great

Caracalla,

Trajan,

the Decii, Diocletian, and Constantine.

The

record that

first

we have

of

the

covering over

and elevation of a large area for hygienic reasons dates


from the time of Augustus.
A part of the Esquiline
hill was occupied at that time by a " field of death,"

where the bodies of slaves and beggars and of criminals who had undergone
punishment were
capital

thrown into common

pits (puticuU*), together

domestic

of

carcasses

animals

and beasts

of

with the
burden.

In the excavations made in laying out the Via NapoIII., in 1887, about seventy-five of these pits

leone

were discovered.

In some of them the animal remains

had been reduced

to a

matter

uniform mass of black, unctuous

in others the bones so far retained their shape

The field of death


they could be identified.
served also as a dumping place for the daily refuse of
the city. 1 This hotbed of infection was suppressed by

that

Augustus
Maecenas.

at

the

The

of his prime minister


was buried under fresh earth

suggestion

district

and a public park, a fifth of


a mile in extent, was laid out on the newly made

to

depth of 24

the

ground.
1

The
Ancient

results

Rome

feet,

proved of so great benefit to the

in the Light of Recent Discoveries, p. 64.

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME


health

the

of

to be

worthy
by no means
8 et seq.)

City

sung

literal,

that

15

thought the work


In the quaint, though

Horace

in verse.

translation of Francis (Sat.

I.

vm.

In coffins vile the herd of slaves

Were

hither brought to crowd their graves;


detested ground

And once in this


A common tomb

the vulgar found;


Buffoons and spendthrifts, vile and base,
Together rotted here in peace.

thousand feet the front extends,

Three hundred deep in rear it bends,


And yonder column plainly shows

No more

unto

its

heirs

it

goes.

But now we breathe a purer air,


And walk the sunny terrace fair,

Where once the ground with bones was


With human bones, a ghastly sight!

white,

In process of time recourse was had to the same expedient in the case of other cemeteries within or near the
walls of Aurelian.
of earth

The twenty-four

million cubic feet

and rock, removed by Trajan from the west


make room for his Forum, were

slope of the Quirinal to

spread over the cemetery between the Via Salaria Vetus


1
The Licinian
(Pinciana) and the Via Salaria Nova.

Gardens
Esquiline,

a portion of the great imperial park on the


formerly owned by the Licinian family

were laid out, likewise, on the


1

site

Pagan and Christian Rome,

of

p. 284.

the

cemetery

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

16

between the Via Collatina

same

fate

befell

the

and Via

beautiful

Labicana.

burial-grounds

The
of the

Via Aurelia, now occupied by the Villa Corsini-Pamfili,


near the Casino dei Quattro Venti. 1
No injury was
done to the tombs when the earth was heaped upon
them their sacred character protected them from sacri;

and the cinerary urns, the

lege,

more or
left

in

inscriptions,

less valuable furniture of

the sepulchres were

The excavation

undisturbed.

modern times has proved

and the

of these cemeteries

to be exceptionally rich in

finds.

The

vast conflagrations which from time to time swept

over the city were in reality a means of improvement,


both from the aesthetic and from the hygienic point of
view.

Such was the

fire

Livy in the
Book XXVI., by which all
described

by

twenty-seventh chapter of
the shops and houses around the Forum, the residence

and the buildings in


The
were destroyed.

of the high priest, the fish-market,

the

region

district

of

the

Lautumiae

was rebuilt on a better and more sanitary plan.

This historian describes another fire (XXIV. 47), by


which the region of the Forum Boarium, from the
foot of the Aventine to the present Piazza Montanara,

was devastated

in

213 B.C.

and again

in 192 B.C. the

same quarter was burned over. I saw traces of the


fires last mentioned in
April, 1886, when the main
1

Pagan and

Christian

Some,

p. 269.

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME


sewer on the

left

bank

17

the Tiber was built at

of

There

great depth across the piazza Bocca della Verita.

were remains of early

Republican structures nine

feet

below the level of the piazza, and upon them was a


bed of ashes and charred materials. The buildings of
a later period, above the bed of ashes, had a different
orientation.

When

the Emperor Nero conceived the idea of reand


rebuilding the capital of the Empire, the
newing
streets were crowded with shrines, altars, and small

temples which

religious

superstition

made

inviolable

improvement were opposed by the priests


and by private owners of property, and any attempt

his plans of

to carry
less

them out was

lawsuits, appraisals,

and disputes among the ex-

So he seems to have solved the

perts.

having the city set on

was

clearly destined to lead to end-

at

fire,

Antium when the

in the year

conflagration began, on

18, the anniversary of the burning of

in 390

B.C.

The

fire

Rome by

spread in a northeasterly

now

called

direction

June

the Gauls

started at the east end

Circus Maximus, at the place


it

by
Nero

difficulty

64 A.D.

of

the

La Moletta

and swept over

three out of the fourteen regions of the city, partially

destroying seven others.


tory

We

information in regard to

do not possess
all

satisfac-

the historic

monu-

ments that perished in the flames, but we know that


among them were the temple of the Moon, the foundation of

which was ascribed to Servius Tullius, the Ara

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

18
\

Maxima, dedicated
der, the Arcadian

of Vesta,

As

these

and

to Hercules, tradition said

by Evan-

and the temples of Jupiter

Stator,

of the Penates, together with the Regia.

monuments

encircled the

Palatine

we

hill,

may assume that the imperial residence on its summit


was also gutted, but evidence on this point is wantCountless masterpieces of Greek art and

many

ancient relics disappeared, the loss of which the

older

ing.

citizens

never ceased to lament, even amidst the splen-

dour of the new city which rose from the ashes.

The charge

that Nero had wilfully caused the

neither accepted nor rejected by Tacitus, from


learn that, after

it

had once been

arrested,

again in the Praedia Aemiliana, the


minion,

Tigellinus.

whom we
burst out

gardens of Nero's

Dyer suggests that the emperor

merely improved the occasion to have the

more widely and


which he wished to

started spread

efface

the

rebuild.

city,

it

fire is

fire

certain

already
parts

of

But whether

the emperor was wholly or partially responsible for the


conflagration, the opportunity thus afforded for rebuild-

ing was at once improved

drawn

in

new

plans were immediately

accordance with the

best

architectural practice of the time.

narrow and tortuous

streets

Museum, one

may

By

and lanes

of the time of Septimius Severus,

engineering

and

glancing at the

in the marble plan

now

in the Capitoline

see that Nero's projects can hardly

have

been fully carried out they must have left untouched


the lower and more congested quarters of the city.
;

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME

1'J

which
May, 1877, I myself saw a strip of land
While
showed traces of this fearful conflagration.
the main sewer which drains the Esquiline and the
about the Coliseum was being built between
111

region

arch of Constantine

the

and the

site

of

Circus

the

Maximus, the workmen came across remains of houses,


of a street, neatly paved
shops, and shrines on both sides

('3,20)

A-t>^^yAAjo>AAAA^VsMX*J^WCXiuXxi3^

_j j_i_j

_j^i_^_j

j_g

4_*^M_^

_;_jj-

j-

10

(10,16)

FIG.

0.

Section of excavations in the Via di S. Gregorio, showing changes


of level.

with flagstones and lined by sidewalks, thirty-five feet


below the present level of the ground.

The
east

had apparently descended from the southcorner of the Palatine where now is the Vigna Bar-

berini,

street

toward the foot of the Clivus Scauri, now the

Piazza di S. Gregorio.
From this place, at any rate, the
debris of Xero's fire were not, as
might have been inferred from the statement of Tacitus, 1 carted
J

Ann. XV. 43:

iitique naves,

rerent.

Ruderi

accipiendo

Ostienses

away

pahtfles

to the

dfstinabat,

quae frumentum Tiberi subvcctassent, onustae rudere decur-

|77)

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

20

marshes of Ostia, but were spread on the spot in this


way the level of the valley was raised at once by ten or
;

The

fifteen feet.

which

made

at the time of these excavations,

superposition of
the

fire

sectional plan presented above (Fig. 6),

shows the

and buildings before and

streets

the altitudes are given in metres.

For the names of Nero's chief advisers and

we

archi-

the rebuilding of the city, Severus and Celer,

in

tects

after

who

indebted to Tacitus,

are

says

them that

of

they were clever and daring enough to undertake, by


artificial means, works the accomplishment of which
nature would have denied.

fragment of the marble mausoleum of Celer

exists

in

the Via

the garden of

Nomentana

full of dignity l

CELERI

S.

(Fig. 7)

Agnese
.

The

fuori le

still

Mura, on

epitaph was brief but

NERONIS

The block containing

AVGVSTI
it

L[iberto]

A[rchitect]0

was removed from the tomb

by Pope Symmachus (498-514), who turned


capital for one of the columns of S. Agnese.

The importance

it

into a

of fires for the architectural history

Rome in the imperial period may easily be underif we recall the


changes caused by this means in
the Forum from the time of Nero to that of Diocletian.
Four times during this period the centre of Rome and
of

stood

Fabretti, Inscriptiones domesticae, p.

VI. 14,647.

721, no. 431

cf.

C.

I.

L.

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME


of the
as

it

Roman

is

came the

it

fire

CELEBERRIMVS VRBIS LOCVS,


an inscription, 1 was swept by flames

world, the

called in

four times

21

was

on a different plan.
of Nero, just alluded to
then the
rebuilt

FIG.

7.

Fragment

tomb

of the

First
fire of

of Celer.

the reign of Titus, in 80 A.D., the damages of which

were repaired by Domitian.


before the death of
1

The

Commodus,

third occurred shortly

in 191 A.D.

Ephemeris Epigraphica, Vol.

the build-

III., 1876, p. 287.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

22

ings were restored

Domna, and

Julia

his

by Septimius Severus,
his

son

Caracalla,

who

empress

shifted

by

thirty-three degrees the orientation of the edifices bor-

dering

on

the

Clivus

Sacer.

We

have no detailed

account of the conflagration in the reign of Carinus,


283 A.D., but to judge from the repairs made by Dio-

and Maxentius, affecting the Basilica Julia, the


Senate-house, the Forum Julium, and the temple of
Venus and Rome, it must have swept from one end of
cletian

the Sacra Via to the other.

The

third and last of the

more important

factors in

Rome under

the transformation and

destruction of

Empire was the building

of the great public baths.

the

The

thermae of Caracalla cover an area of 118,255 square


metres, those of Diocletian 130,000 square metres; and

the areas of both these great structures were occupied,


before 212 and 305/6 A.D. respectively,
lous quarters, with houses

colonnades, and gardens.

by

rich

and popu-

and

insulae, temples, shrines,

The

buildings which stood on

a higher level than that adopted for one of these bath-

ing establishments were destroyed to the foundations ;


the materials of construction taken from them were

saved and were made use of again in the new structure.


But the buildings placed on a lower level were
left

the

standing to a height corresponding with that of


foundation of the thermae, and simply buried.

This practice explains the reason

why we

find in

some

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME

23

places structures of two, three, and even four different

periods lying in archaeological

strata

one

above

the

other.

The

palace of the Flavian emperors on the Palatine

on the remains of

rests

private

houses

end

the

of

these, made accessible in 1721, are


Republic
The thermae of Titus
termed
Baths
of Livia.
wrongly

of the

and

of

House

Trajan
of

are

built

on

remains of

the

Golden

Nero, and this last was extended over the

remains of houses built before the

fire of

64 A.D.

the

three strata can be easily recognised at the north en-

trance to the cryptoporticus of the Golden House.

The Baths

were composed of a central


building surrounded by a garden, with an outer enclosure lined with halls and rooms for bathing.
Nothing
of Caracalla

found under the built portion, because the foundations of the massive walls were of necessity carried
is

down

but in the open


spaces, at a depth of only a few inches below the surface, are found remains of extensive houses and other
to the level of

the virgin soil

1
buildings which Caracalla purchased and covered up.

When

the Via Nazionale, the main thoroughfare of

modern Rome, was cut

1877 across the ridge of the


then occupied by the Aldobrandini and Ros-

Quirinal,
pigliosi

remains
1

A part

shown

gardens,
of

the

the

in

workmen

thermae

of

brought to light
Constantino
underneath
first

of one of these houses, excavated in 1860-1867

in Bttins

and Excavations,

Fig. 39.

by Guidi,

is

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

24

these were remains of the house

Claudius Claudi-

of

anus and of another once belonging to Avidius Quietus


and lastly, on a lower level, were walls of early reticulate
;

work (Fig.

8).

Subsequent excavations on the site of the same baths


have given us the means of reconstructing the map of
this part of the Quirinal prior to the time of Constan-

and

tine,

obtaining a

of

list,

possibly complete, of the

public and private buildings purchased and demolished

by

this

prises

Emperor

The

in or about 315 A.D.

the palaces of

T.

list

com-

Flavius Claudius Claudianus

and of T. Avidius Quietus already mentioned the palace and gardens of a C. Art(orius ?) Germanianus,
;

of a Claudia Vera, of

a Lucius Naevius Clemens, of a

Marcus Postumius Festus

and

sacred edifice, the

made of marble tiles. These tiles


architect made use of in laying the foun-

roof of which was

Constantino's
dations of
out, one

the

by

one, in 1879.

number, so

be taken

Caldarium, from which we

off

They were

all

dug them
marked with

that, in making repairs, the roof could


and put together again without difficulty

by observing the sequence of the figures. In another


part of the same foundations we found many fragments
of statues and sculptured marbles built, as common
materials, into the rubble work.

similar statement

of Diocletian.

of

this

would hold good

for

The excavations made within

immense

structure

since

1870

in

the

Baths

the limits

connexion

TRANSFORMATION OF REPUBLICAN ROME


with

work

on

the

railway

station,

the

27

Piazza

dei

Cinquecento, the Grand Hotel, and the Massimi palace,


well as the cutting of streets and the laying out
of new gardens, have brought to light the remains of
as

several

preexisting edifices,

of a Collegium

Fortunae

foundations of concrete

among them

Felicis,

the

and a temple

offices

built

on

a colonnade or shrine rebuilt

pavements of streets,
by Gnaeus Sentius Saturninus
The materials
walls of private houses, and a reservoir.
;

of all these buildings, brick

and marble, were used over

again in the foundations of the baths.

CHAPTER

III

THE USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY


MARBLES, IN THE BUILDING OPERATIONS OF THE
LATER EMPIRE

THE

of

practice

building

with

walls

architectural

marbles, blocks containing inscriptions, statues, and other


fine

from previous structures, goes

materials

as far

211 A.D.).

The propylaea

were restored by
fragments from
fire

of

at

least

back as the reign of Septimius Severus (193-

edifices

the

Porticus

or

damaged

The upper

Titus.

of

Octaviae

him, in the year 203, with sculptured

story of

ruined

by the
the Coliseum was

likewise restored by Severus Alexander in 223, and by

Traianus Decius in 250, with a patchwork of stones


trunks of columns, fragments of
of every description,
entablatures,

and

lintels

doorposts

taken

from

the

itself, which had been damaged by fire,


from
other buildings
several of the fragor brought
ments can be recognised in the accompanying illus-

amphitheatre

trations (Figs.

9,

10).

Another instance

of certain date

is

that of a private

bathing establishment discovered January 30, 1873, at


the junction of the Via Ariosto with the Piazza Dante
28

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS

29

on the Esquiline.
It was a graceful little building,
from
of Diocletian and Constantine, as
the
time
dating

proved by hundreds of brick stamps of that period


found in the walls above ground. The walls below the

FIG.

surface

9.

Part of the upper story of the Coliseum, repaired


with materials from earlier buildings.

were built of statues and miscellaneous fragThere were life-size or semi-colossal

ments of marble.
figures

of

Minerva,

of

the

Aesculapius, besides several

Indian
torsos

Bacchus

and

of

and other fragments

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

30

column shaped like the lictors


and base and the basin of a foun-

of considerable value
fasces,

with capital

tain in pure

Greek

more familiar

style.

illustration

is

the triumphal arch of

Meta Sudans

Constantine, erected by the

in 315 A.D.

This monument, so compact and perfect to the eye,

FIG.

is

Another view of the upper story of the Coliseum, showing repairs


architectural fragments from various sources.

10.

made with

really

structures

striking

were

example
pillaged

of

to

the

way
new

erect

in

ones.

climb to the chamber above the arch (there


1

Bull Com.,

Public
no. 601.

1875, p. 70, Tav. XI. Fig.

1,

Collections of Classical Antiquities in

which old
If
is

we

a nar-

2; Helbig, Guide to the


Home, Vol. I. p. 444,

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS

row
see

31

we

staircase in the side facing the Palatine),

why

Milizia gave

the nickname of Cornacchia di

it

We

Esopo, "Aesop's crow."


of the

reliefs

attic,

shall

shall find that the bas-

Dacian kings,

the

the statues of

the eight medallions above the side passages, the eight

and the greater part of the


entablature were removed from a triumphal arch of
columns of

antico,

giallo

Trajan, probably the areas divi Traiani which spanned


the

Via Appia (or the Via Nova)

The

Capena.

near

inside of the structure also

is

built with

a great variety of materials taken from the

the

Fabii and of

scriptions of

Under the

the

which are
rule

of

still

common

practice

tombs of

carvings

and

in-

perfect.

Constantine,

earlier buildings for the sake

the

Arruntii,

Porta

the

the

dismantling of

of their materials

this statement, startling as

became
it

may

appear, will not be considered extravagant by any one

who

has read Ciampini's

stantino
cose

constructis,"
e

gentilesche

chiese,"

Old

magno

St.

or

"De

profane

Grimaldi's

Peter's."

sacris aedificiis

or

Marangoni's
ad uso

trasportate

"Diary

of

Con-

" Delle

the

delle

Destruction of

After

the defeat of Maxentius, in the year 312,


Constantine "erected a basilica over the tomb of the
blessed Peter."
1

2
*

This was built hurriedly, and in

Romae, per I. Jacobum Komarck, 1693, in fol.


Cod. Barberin, XXXIV.
Romae, 1744, in 4.
Liber Pontificalis, Sylvester, XVI. p. 176.

50.

its

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

32
construction

first

part of the adjoining circus

of all a

and Nero was

of Caligula

The

utilised.

left

wing

of

the sacred edifice was carried over the three northern

which had supported the seats of


the spectators on the side of the Via Cornelia.
The
columns for the basilica were brought together from all
walls

of the circus,

In

quarters.

one of

Sangallo the younger,


quality, size, colour,

note-books

the
1

speak
styles
could not find

intercolumniation

bore

Nearly
the

to

of

basilica,

all

the ancient

collection,

and that

another,

inscriptions

except

differed

frieze

not

to

the

apse

from one

some

names and

with the

Titus, Trajan, Gallienus, and

the

one

details in regard to

and periods. Grimaldi says that he


two capitals or two bases alike. He

adds that the architrave and

blocks

da

found a memorandum of the

and other

hundred and thirty-six shafts.


quarries were represented in
of

Antonio

of

others.

and

the

The

of

the

praises

walls of

arches,

were

On

each

side of the first entrance, at the foot of the steps,

were

patched with fragments of

tiles

and

two granite columns, with composite

of stone.

capitals

showing the

bust of the Emperor Hadrian framed in acanthus leaves.

In the construction of
the fourth century

the Christian buildings of

all

we may

well believe that there was

a similar indebtedness to pagan sources.


edifices,

as

the

of these

Agnese and the adjoinConstantia on the Via Nomentana,

church of

ing mausoleum of

Some

S.

These note-books are now

in the Uffizi, Florence.

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS

33

the church of St. Lawrence on the Via Tiburtina, and


the church of S. Clemente, are

Additional

without the walls.


in

the accounts

Salvatoris in

road

still

left

those

by

Laterano, and

to Ostia, before

instances the location

their

standing within or

proof may be found


who saw the Basilica

that of

St.

Paul on the

some

In

modernisation.

and use

of blocks of marble

have

A pedestal of a
been changed three or four times.
statue erected in the year 193 in the town hall of some
municipality in the vicinity of Rome, was utilised in the
restoration of the Baths of
of

Caracalla in 285.

the

Volusianus, prefect
City
block from the Baths and turned
in

honour of Valentinian

I.

It

in

Rufius

365, removed the

it

into a

seems

monument

finally to

disappeared about 1548 in a lime-kiln of Pope Paul

The great department of


"Department of Marbles"

have
III. 1

imperial administration called


(statio

marmoruni), apparently

suspended operations before the middle of the fourth

any rate we have been unable to find any


structure built after the time of Constantine with macentury

terials

at

fresh

from the quarry.

This

is

the more re-

markable in view of the fact that on the banks of the


Tiber at the marble wharves (La Marmorata) and on
those of Trajan's channel (Canale di Fiumicino), where
the marbles belonging to the Emperor or to private importers were landed, there
of

unused blocks.

t>

still

remained a vast number

These two sources


C.

I.

L. VI. 1173.

of

supply have

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

34

been drawn upon by means of excavations almost uninterruptedly since the time of the Cosmatis, and yet

and columns of the

their wealth in blocks


of

seems

breccias

Romans

hardly

to

have

rarest kinds

diminished.

The

the fourth century, however, emperors as

of

well as private citizens, thought

less

it

troublesome to

rob the splendid monuments of the Republic and early

ornaments already cajved, and to transthese to their own clumsy structures, than to work

Empire
fer

of their

anew the materials stored

at

La Marmorata.

Abundant

may be gained, not merely from


ecclesiastical, but also from secular structures, as the
evidence on this point

Forum Boarium,

four-faced arch of the

the temple of

Saturn on the Clivus Capitolinus, the bridges of Cestius


(S. Bartolomeo) and of Valentinian (Ponte Sisto), the
Grain Exchange at the church of S. Maria in Cosarena

medin, the
Portions

Maximae

and

podium

of

of Gratian, the

the

Coliseum, the

monumental columns

on the Sacra Via, the market-hall of the Caelian (S.


Stefano Rotondo), the market-place of the Esquiline near
S. Vito, the

shops at the east of the

Forum Romanum,

and a hundred other buildings of the Decadence.


There are on record several edicts of Constantius
(350-361)

having to

of heathen temples.

made

a present of a temple,

away

tion

of

or

II.

do with the compulsory closing


According to Libanius he often

horse

just as one might give


and Ammianus makes men-

dog
some courtiers who had received
;

gifts of this

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS

But the

kind. 1

works

fate of

did away with

all

their precious

in the year 383,

when Gratian

edifices

the privileges

and confiscated

priests,

and

pagan

was sealed

of art

35

the temples

of

their revenues.

Eight

Valentinian and Theodosius prohibited


if strictly domestic and private.

and

years later

sacrifices,

even

These decisive measures led to open rebellion on the


but

who

those

part of

after

still

the defeat

clung to the ancient

of

the

rebel

leader

beliefs,

Eugenius,

which took place early in September, 394, the temples


were closed forever.
Strange to say, this prohibition
pagan worship contributed for the time being

of the

to the embellishment of certain parts of the City, such

the forums, the baths, and

as

where

the

august

seats,

art. 2

of

statues

were

This

of

the

the courts

gods,

expelled

of

justice,

from their

up and exhibited simply as works


referred to in the words which

set

is

Prudentius puts into the mouth of Theodosius, when


addressing the Senate after the defeat of Eugenius
(Contra Sym.

I.

Marmora

501-505):

tabenti vespergine tincta lavate,

proceres, liceat statuas consistere puras

Artificum

magnorum

Ornamenta fuant

opera

haec pulcherrima nostrae

patriae nee decolor usus

In vitium versae monumenta coinquinet


1

artis.

See Dyer, History of the City of Home, ed. of 1805, p. 308.


Interesting information on this subject will be found in C. I. L.
see also de Rossi's papers in Bull, di archeologia
Vol. VI. Part I.
2

cristiana, 1865, p. 5,

and Bull. Com., 1874,

p. 174.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

36

The

of

practice

worship

to

removing statuary from

edifices

civil

is,

places

of

however, older by half a

As early as the year


century than the decree of 394.
331 Anicius Paulinus, prefect of the City, transferred
statues to the

thermae of the Decii on the Aventine

L. VI. 1651); Fabius Titianus lined the Sacra


Via with other examples of the sculptor's art in 339(

same way Fabius Felix Passifilus Paulinus


embellished the Baths of Titus in 355, Clodius Hermo341

in the

genianus the Baths of Trajan in 368-370. The Basilica


Julia was likewise ornamented with borrowed statues

by Gabinius Vettius Probianus in 377


parts of the
on
which
five
of
them
stood
have
come to
pedestals
;

and contain inscriptions with

light ((7. I. L. VI. 1658),

statuam quae basilicae Juliae a se noviter


ornamento
Some of these masesset, adiecit.
reparatae
terpieces were of Greek origin ; one was attributed to
the formula,

Praxiteles,

the

others

to

Polyclitus,

Timarchus, and

Bryaxis.

From

inscriptions

we

statues were overthrown

and by the

cursions,

learn also that in later times

by the barbarians

citizens in civil strifes.

in their in-

pedesdiscovered in the fifteenth century near S. Maria


Nuova, at the top of the Clivus Sacer, bore the in-

tal

scription

Castalius Innocentius

praef{ectu8) urbis
tuit ((7.

I.

....

Audax

v(ir) cQarissimusy

barbarica incursione sublata resti-

L. VI. 1663).

Another, discovered during

the pontificate of Julius III. (1550-1555), speaks of a

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS

37

statue of Minerva that had been thrown

time of

tire

caused

and

riot,
by
by Anicius Acilius Aginatius, apparently
/.

((7.

down

set

in

at the

up again
483 A.D.

L. VI. 1664).

To what

use the temples were put immediately after

the expulsion of their gods,

we do not know; but

it

is

certain that they were not occupied

by Christians, nor
This change
turned into places of Christian worship.
was only

to take

place

two centuries

later,

when

the

scruples about the propriety of worshipping the true


God in heathen temples had been overcome.

In

the

year

609,

IV.

Boniface

Pope

"asked

the

Emperor Phocas for the temple which was called Pantheon, and turned it into a church of Mary the Virgin
ever blessed."

Two

in the converting of

tian

periods, then,

pagan

may

be distinguished

edifices into places of Chris-

worship, one anterior to the year 609, the other

following
alone

that

date.

During the

first,

civil

edifices

were transformed, partially or completely, into


such were the Record Office, which became

churches

the church of SS.

Cosmas and Damian, and the round

market on the Caelian

Hill,

now

S.

Stefano Rotondo.

After 609 almost every available building, whether secular or sacred, was made into a church or chapel, until
the places of worship seemed to outnumber the houses.

We
of

must not imagine, however, that the good-will


the emperors and the guardianship of the prefects of

the City saved

all

statues from destruction.

Far from

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

38

Public protection was extended only to the works


of art which adorned the streets, squares, baths, parks,
it

and public buildings, few in number when compared


with the thousands upon thousands that belonged to
A special magistrate was appointed
private owners.
to take charge of this

under the
ues

"
;

Curator Statuarum, " Keeper of Stat-

title of

but the

branch of public administration,

office

was not long kept up.

King

Theoderic and his adviser Cassiodorius revived


the year 500,

hands of

dorius

and masons, the


marble-hunters mentioned by Cassio-

lime-burners,

bodies

three

of

VII.

(Variar.

stone-cutters,

The Curator Statuarum

13).

then had the help of two assessors,


the

abandoned

the

other

himself

deric

the

to

Domus

in

the statues from the

order to save

in

it

from

buildings
the

lime-kilns

caused

the

columns

to

be

plundering,

illegal

control

Pinciana

one to protect

and yet Theoand marbles of

removed from Rome

to

well

be

Ravenna. 1

The

destruction

illustrated

simulacra,

of

marble

statuary

by the fate of the


"most precious images

may

pretiosissima
of

deorum

the gods," placed

by Augustus in the compital shrines at the crossings


of the main thoroughfares of the City, in the years
about two
The number of these shrines
10-7 B.C.

hundred
to

in the time of

two hundred
1

and

had been increased

Augustus
sixty-five

Cassiod. Variar. III. 10, ed.

in

73

A.D.,

Mommseu.

and

to

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS


three

hundred and twenty-four

39

the

beginning of
They offered an almost complete

the fourth century.

at

chronological series of works of Greek plastic art to


the

appreciation

become

of

all

the citizens of

of

these

" most

Rome.

What
"

precious images

If

has

we

1
of
plinth and four pedestals
series have come down to us, we

consider that only one


that

incomparable
cannot doubt that the three hundred and twenty-four

"most precious images"

Greek workmanship belonging to the compital shrines shared the same fate as
those from the temples,
they were broken to pieces,
of

and the pieces thrown into the

new

the walls of

buildings, as

if

lime-kilns, or built into

they were the cheapest

rubble.

Foundation walls built up in part of statues and


have been found by the score.
I add here

busts

a few examples from the "

Memoirs "

of Flaminio

Vacca

(1594) and of Pietro Sante Bartoli (about 1675).


"A foundation wall which runs under the hospital of
2

St.

John Lateran," Vacca

reports,

fragments of excellent statuary.


1

The

plinth

Mater Matuta

was discovered

(S.

in

Maria del Sole)

"

is

built entirely of

saw there knees and

1896, near the so-called temple of


in the piazza

Bocca

della Verita.

It

belonged to a celebrated work of Scopas the younger, being inscribed


a statue of Hercules, surnamed Olivarius from
OPTS SCOPAE MIXORIS,
See Huelsen, " II Foro
I have
Boario," in Dissert. Accad. archeol. Serie II. Vol. VI. p. 261.
described the four pedestals in Pagan and Christian Home, pp. 34, 35.
2 Edited
by Fea in Vol. I. of the Miscellanea, Rome, 1790.
the location of the shrine near the Olive Market.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

40

elbows modelled in the style of the Laocoon of the Belve-

dere" (Mem. p. 13). Further, "In the walls and foundations of an old house, which stood near S. Lorenzo

Mura, and was pulled down to make room for

fuori le

a square in front of that church, eighteen or twenty

Most of
emperors were discovered.
"
to the Farnese Gallery
(ibid.

of

portrait-busts

them were removed

And

11).

p.

the

to

levelled

again,

"A

ground

great block of masonry was


the

in

vineyard of Hannibal

Caro, outside the Porta San Giovanni, for the improve-

ment

the

of

the twelve

marble

plantation.

Caesars,

as

complete set of busts of

well

as

of

other emperors,

bas-reliefs

sarcophagus bearing

of

the

twelve

labours of Hercules, and other line marbles were found

embedded
came

in the masonry.

of the busts

have forgotten what be-

the front of the sarcophagus, how-

was cut away and sent to Nuvolara, a villa of


Monsignor Visconti," on the left bank of the Po

ever,

(ibid.

"

48).

p.

When

the Via Graziosa was opened in 1684," says

"along the north slope of the Cespian, opposite


Lorenzo in Panisperna, remains of ancient houses

Bartoli,
S.

were found, 1 and fragments of an exquisite statue of


The statue was afterwards
Venus built into a wall.
restored

by

Ercole

Sweden" (Mem.
cellar

of

a house
1

p.

Ferrata
17).

Queen Christine of
Finally, "In exploring the
for

on the Corso, the famous

See Ruins and Excavations, p. 393, Fig. 149.

architect,

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS


Lorenzo

discovered

Bernini,

pieces and

built into a wall.

41

seven statues broken

The

in

statues were restored

almost perfectly, so few were the fragments missing"


(ibid. p. 42).

Francesco de' Ficoroni saw, in the year 1693, u a very


great

number

of fragments of the

most beautiful

stat-

ues, which had served as building materials" for the


foundations of the Torre di Nona, near the bridge of
S.

Angelo (Mem.

of blocks
last

of

p. 2).

alabaster

The same
discovered,

archaeologist speaks
in

tower of the City walls on the

Tiber,

by the Monte Testaccio.


fiorito was cut into

alabastro

One
slabs

1705, under the

bank of the

left

of the blocks of

and used

Madonna

decoration of the front of the altar of the


Sasso in the Pantheon (ibid. p. 105).

Laocoon

known

is

the

in

del

replica of the

to be buried in the substructures of

the church of S. Pudentiana, and a fine statue of colossal


size

under

Were

S. Marcello.

to relate

my

personal experience in the

of similar finds, the entire


for the narrative.

In

all

volume would hardly


sorts

of places, both within

and without the walls of the City,


of

fragments
strata

as well

statuary
as

in

used

as

Toward

have come across

rubble,

in

the

those of later periods.

three instances must answer for

way

suffice

older

Two

or

all.

the end of the second or the beginning of

the third century, a colony of Greek sculptors

Rome from

Aphrodisias, in Caria, and set

came to

up a studio

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

42

on the Esquiline
the

of

gardens

between the Baths of Titus and

hill,

They were

Maecenas.

active

artists

indeed, and worked harmoniously under the mastership

whom

of a leader,

One day

their

'

came

to grief

they called apxiepevs (high priest).

workshop and their exhibition rooms


whether by fire, or by the fall of the

by violence of men, I cannot tell. In the


1886, when the Via Buonarroti was being cut

building, or

spring of

through in the direction of the Baths of Titus, a wall


was discovered entirely built with the contents of the

There were statues of Jupiter, Juno, Pluto,


bacAesculapius, Cybele, Minerva Parthenos, Hercules

studio.

chic

mouths

fountains,

vases,

figures of animals, bas-reliefs,

nearly
bers

all

of

of

candelabras,

wells,

and other carvings

and

by one of the membrotherhood from Aphrodisias

the works were signed


artistic

this

seventeen signatures in

all.

The

no essential

fact that

each work were missing shows that they


were brought entire to the scene of destruction, and
portions of

then broken up and thrown into a foundation wall.

Two

temple of

angelo, the

later,

the same kind was

discovery of
the

and a half

years

Via

Isis,

now

Galileo,

in

November, 1888,

made on

the site

a
of

by the Via MichelVia Leopardi, and other streets.


crossed

Another wall was found containing three or four hundred fragments of sculpture, out of which fourteen
statues,

or

important

reconstructed.

They

portions

represent

of

statues,

Jupiter,

have been

Serapis,

Isis

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS


crowned with poppies and ears

43

and the same

of grain,

there
goddess veiled, with a crescent on her forehead
are also three replicas of the same type, and a female
;

figure

wearing the Egyptian head-dress, probably a porThese marbles are, beyond doubt, spoils

trait-statue.

from the great temple close by, hammered and broken


and utilised as building materials, after the closing of
the temple

Apparently the sanctuary supplied


marbles and stone to the whole neighbourhood for cenAt the foot of the platform on which it stood
turies.
itself.

another wall was found in December, 1888, built with


blocks of amethyst breccia (breccia ametistina), amount-

ing in

all to

twenty or twenty-five cubic

feet.

In 1884, while collecting specimens of rare marbles,


to be exhibited in the Museo Urbano in the Orto

was shown a beautiful piece of purplish


with oval spots resembling in shape and colour
I

Botanico,
granite,

those of a leopard's skin, which had just been discov-

ered under the Hickson Field palace, on the Via Merulana.

As

the block

was not

me with

the

pieces of the

stipulation

that

shapeless,

entirely

bore marks of the chisel on one side,


if,

but

it

was given to

in the

future, other

same object should be found, the donation

Two

should be cancelled.

years later,

when

the con-

vent of the Cluny Sisters was being built, at a distance


of six hundred feet from the Field palace, what should

be brought to light but the missing portions of that


very work of art

It

was a beautiful and nearly per-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

44

feet replica of the sacred cow, Hatlior,

the symbol of

seemingly copied from the original, discovered in


1884 among the ruins of the temple of Isis in the Campus
Martius.
After such instances of the destruction and
Isis,

of

dispersion

FIG.

11.

statuary, can

statue,

we wonder

broken into fragments,

at

the fate

of

in process of reconstruction.

the Farnese Hercules, the torso of which was found in

the Baths of Caracalla, the head at the bottom of a


well in the
miles from

Trastevere, and the legs at Bovillae, ten

Rome?

USE OF EARLIER MATERIALS


In the accompanying illustration (Fig.
in

process

of reconstruction a

11)

we

see

Victory that

It

was discovered

L. Aurelius Avianius

Symmachus on

had been broken into 151


in the house of

statue of

45

pieces.

the Caelian. 1

My

Rome

experience in the excavations at

has sug-

gested the following observation in regard to the condition of marble statues


in loose earth,

among

when

discovered

Those found

the ruins of the edifices to which

they belonged, generally lack head and arms ; but those


that have been used as building material in foundation
walls can often be reconstructed in their entirety, head

and arms being not far away.


These facts show that before the burial of Ancient

Rome, many
ing off their

The

loss

had been injured by knockmost prominent and easily broken parts.

of the statues

of

head and arms may

in

some cases have

resulted from the overthrowing of the statue, the

body
where
it
the
head
off
to
one
side.
fell,
remaining
rolling
Most of the loose heads are rounded and smooth as if
had used them to play the popular game
Some of them have a hook or ring on the

street-idlers
bocce. 2

of

crown, and must have been used as weights for large


1

Ruins and Excavations,

This

is

smaller one, which


balls,

p. 347.

game played with six larger balls and one


used as a mark. Each of the two players rolls three

a purely Italian
is

and those that stop nearest the mark gain a point. The temptation
when wooden balls were not available must

to use loose heads of statues

have been strong.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

46
scales.

The

time were

my
The

five
all,

or six hundred heads

discovered in

except a dozen or two, without noses.

fact that heads

and arms

of statues

used as build-

ing materials are rarely missing, shows that the breaking up of statuary became
early period of the
of

art

Roman

common

decadence,

ornamenting palaces and

suffered but little injury.

at

a comparatively

when

gardens

the works

had

as

yet

CHAPTER IV
THE ASPECT OF THE CITY AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE FIFTH CENTURY
ALTHOUGH Rome had
recover, from

not recovered, and could not

removal

the

of

the

imperial court

to

Byzantium, accomplished in 330, yet at the beginning


of the fifth century the great buildings still remained
substantially

and

intact,

to the list of

existing

impressiveness

of

effect that
II.,

who

Palatine

visited

Forum

may

The

architectural

be measured by the

in

it

357,
to

twenty-seven

years

be

of

the

seat

after

imperial

graphic account of the visit is given


Marcellinus in the tenth chapter of Book
I

quote but one passage referring to

of Trajan

Having now

marvellous

City

had ceased

by Ammianus
XVI., from which
"

monuments.

government.

the

few additions were made

produced upon the mind of Constantius

it

the

the

Forum Trajanum, the most


human genius, he was struck

entered the

creation

of

with wonder, and looked around in amazement at the


great structures, which no pen can describe, and which

mankind can

create

of

centuries.

and behold but once in the course

Then he turned
47

his attention to

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

48

the equestrian statue in the centre of the Forum, and


to

said

attendants he would have one like

his

Constantinople

to

it

in

which Hormisdas, a young Persian


'You must first

prince attached to the court, replied,

provide your horse with a stable like

'

this.'

Constantius was indeed overwhelmed by the greatRome. The other edifices mentioned as having
especially astonished him are the temple of Jupiter on

ness of

the

the

Capitoline,

the

Pantheon, the temple

theatre of

There
visit

is

the

Thothmes

Flavian Amphitheatre,

Baths, the

Venus and

of

Rome, the

Pompey, the Odeum, and the Stadium.


also a monumental record of this imperial
highest obelisk

the

of

world,

erected

by

III. before the

great temple at Thebes, removed by Constantius to Rome, and set up in the Circus Maximus.
It now stands in the piazza of the

Lateran.

Constantius

is

said to have taken

away the

superb statue of Victory, presented by Augustus, from


the Senate-house
but it must have been saved from
;

injury, for

place
It

Julian the Apostate (361-363) was able to

it

again on

is

difficult

magnificence of

its pedestal.

for

us to form a conception of

Rome, even in

its

decline.

the

According

to the regionary catalogue compiled in the time of Con" contained 2


1
circuses, 2 amphistantine, the City then
1

There are two editions of

name

of Notitia

this catalogue.

Begionum Urbis Bomae,

ond, called Curiosum urbis

The

first,

known by

dates from A.D. 334

the

the sec-

Bomae regionum XIV., must have been

BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH CENTURY

40

3 theatres, 10 basilicas, 11 thermae, 36 arches

theatres,

of marble,

2 commemorative

columns, 6 obelisks (im-

that is,
ported from Egypt), 423 temples, 1790 domus
extensive private residences, or palaces, of the wealthy
besides which there were reckoned 46,602 tenements
(insulae).

The open

places were adorned with 2 colossi

(probably

those

Nero and

horses

'-

of

presumably

counting

Augustus),

22

not

the

merely

equestrian statues, as that of Marcus Aurelius,

'great
large

now

in

Capitol, but also groups of which


horses formed a part, as those of the Dioscuri on the

the square of

the

Capitoline and of the Horse-tamers on the Quirinal

to

which are added 80 gilded and 77 ivory statues of the


gods, no mention being made of the countless lesser
In the number of obelisks, at

statues on every side."

any

rate, the catalogue falls far short of the truth

such as these, impressive though they

statistics

and

may

be,

are after all of no real assistance in trying to form an

idea of the aspect of the City unless

we

reconstruct, in imagination, the buildings

are

able

and works

to
of

art so concisely summarised.

The year 403

is

memorable for the celebration of a

triumph, the last ever seen in Ancient Rome.

cen-

tury had elapsed since the Romans had beheld such a


issued in or after 357, because
in the Circus

Maximus.

it

mentions the obelisk raised in that year

For a bibliography on these two invaluable

documents see Ruins and Excavations,


E

p. vii.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

50

Diocletian's triumph in 303

sight

nay, in that -space

time they had only thrice seen the face of an em-

of

peror.

The pretext for this pageant was the subjugaNumidian rebel, Count Gildo.
This event

tion of the
is

commemorated by

is

a pedestal of an equestrian group, discovered in the

Forum near

the arch

1549 and 1565


learn that

it

several existing

of

Septimius

One

monuments.

between

Severus

bears an inscription, from which

it

we

was erected by the Senate and the Roman

people as a testimonial of their rejoicing at the crush-

ing of the rebellion and the recovery of Africa.

erected in

distinctly attributes

directly

third

In

place was found the pedestal of a statue


honour of Stilicho, the inscription of which

the same

the

in

to

him the reconquest


of

face

the

historical

of Africa,

evidence. 1

commemorating the repairing

inscription,

of

Claudian and Marcian aqueducts, in the plain of


Arsoli, with the money confiscated from the rebels,
the

is

preserved

in

the

palace

Prince

of

Massimi

at

Arsoli.

Another

historic

monument

relating

to

the

Gothic

wars stands on the edge of the Forum opposite the


Senate-house.
the

army

The

inscription praises the gallantry of

of Arcadius, Honorius,

and Theodosius

in de-

feating Rhadagaisus at the battle of Florence in 405;

the
1

victory

being

attributed

to

Stilicho,

post con-

See Huelsen, "II monumento della guerra GiWonica sul Foro Roin Mttheil, 1895, p. 52
C. I. L. VI. 1187, 1730.

mano,"

BEGINNING
fecf.um

Grothicum bellum

Flavii Stilichon is

THE FIFTH CKNTUKY

<>F

consiliis ct fortitudine

l
.

The monument

FIG. 12.

.1

of Stilicho in the

Forum.

This memorial, shown in our illustration (Fig. 12),


set up "by decree of the Senate and the Roman people,
1

Notizie degli Scavi, 1880, p. 53.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

52

under the care

It

Romulus, prefect of the

the meanest and poorest in the whole Forum.

is

City,"

Pisidius

of

presents

pride, taste,

made

It is

century.

evidence

indisputable

and resources

which forms the

of

the

decline

of

at the beginning of the fifth

two blocks, one of travertine,


and one of marble above. The

of

base,

marble block had previously been used as a pedestal


for an equestrian statue of bronze
the statue was
;

knocked

the

off,

pedestal

end, the cracks in

clamps

it

set

up awkwardly on one

being brought together with iron

then the old inscription was carefully obliterit.


In the same year,

ated,

and the new one cut over

405,

perors

triumphal arch was raised to the three Em" because


with spoils of other edifices
they

had swept from the face of the earth the nation


Goths."
Four years later, the very barbarians
they boasted to

of the

whom

have annihilated, stormed and sacked

the city.

The arch
S.

just

mentioned

stood

church

by the

Orso, near S. Giovanni de' Fiorentini.

of

Just as in

classical

times, such

honorary monuments were raised

on

Sacra

leading

the

Jupiter
era,

Via,

Optimus Maximus,

to

so

the

now,

great
in

the

temple

of

Christian

they were built over the roads converging towards

and especially at the foot of the bridges


which the pilgrims had to cross on their way to the
St.

Peter's,

Apostle's tomb.

The arch

and Theodosius, erected

of Gratianus, Valentinianus,

in the year 382, stood in the

BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH CENTURY

53

Piazza di Ponte S. Angelo, that of Arcadius, Honorius,

and Theodosius (405 A.D.) at the approach to the Pons


Vaticanus, that of Valentinian and Valens (366-367)

by the Ponte

Sisto.

The Emperors Arcadius and Honorius,

an

fearing

advance of the Goths under Alaric, undertook the general restoration of the City walls under the direction

The work was

of Stilicho.

and celebrated by several


cut

on the

Porta

finished

in

January, 402,

inscriptions, three of which,

Porta

Tiburtina,

Praenestina,

Porta Portuensis, have come down to

and

us.
They speak
"the restoration of the walls, gates, and
towers of the Eternal City," but also of "the removal

not

only of

of large masses of rubbish."

This allusion to the dispoof great importance for our subject,

sition of rubbish is

because

it

gives us the date and the cause of the

great rise in the level of the City, at least of

ing districts.

first

the outly-

After the removal of the imperial court to

Byzantium, the municipal regulations requiring the re-

moval

of the City refuse to a safe distance apparently

into abeyance
and all sorts of material seem to
have been heaped up against the walls. Stilicho had
neither time nor means to cart away the bank of debris,
fell

which certainly diminished


ful defence
off

402,

and

it

spreading

therefore,

the
1

C.

over

level
I.

chances

his

so he contented

of

of

success-

himself with levelling


the

adjoining

imperial

L. VI. 1188-1190.

land.

Rome on

it

In
the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

54

of the walls

line

was raised

at once

by ten or twelve

feet.

The

best evidence of this fact

Porta Ostiensis,

mid
of

now Porta

of Cestius (Fig.

402

13).

FIG.

arch

13.

found at the

to be

The threshold

of the gate

about twelve feet higher than the base of the

is

pyramid and the threshold


the

is

di S. Paolo, close to the pyra-

of

The

of the gate of 272.

Augustus on the Via

raising of level at the Porta Ostiensis, A.D. 402.


of Cestius is shown at the left.

formed the Tiburtine gate

of 272,

is

Again,

Tiburtina,

which

The Pyramid

ten or twelve feet

The same observation


lower than the gate of 402.
Porta
to
the
Porta
Praenestina, Porta
Flaminia,
applies
1

and Porta Septimiana.


The Porta Appia
have been rebuilt with materials taken from

Portuensis,

seems to

the beautiful temple of

Mars outside the

any change of level. In only one part


have I found traces of a lowering of the
1

walls, without
of
soil

See the illustration in Ruins and Excavations,

the

walls

below the

p. 76.

BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH CENTURY


level of

the classical period.

55

This single exception

is

at the northeast corner of the Praetorian camp.

The
in

gates of Honorius have been

modern

Flamiiiia in

Septimiana

1478

in 1-198

IV.

Sixtus

times.

ruthlessly treated

dismantled the

Porta

Alexander VI. destroyed the Porta


Pius IV., the Nomentana in 1564
;

Urban VIII., the Portuensis and the Aurelia


Gregory XVI., the

Praenestina

in

in

In

1838.

1642

1869

Pius IX. dismantled the Porta Tiburtina, in order to

make use

of the stones of which it was built in the


"
foundations of the " Colonna del Concilio at the church
of S. Pietro in Montorio.

in the

bombardment

in its present

form

of

The Porta

September

in 1872.

damaged
was rebuilt

Salaria,

20, 1870,

CHAPTER V
THE SACK OF THE GOTHS IN
CONSEQUENCES

410,

AND

ITS

THE repairing of the city walls by Arcadius and


The sucHonorius was accomplished none too soon.
cess of Stilicho in checking the advance of the Goths
at the battle of Florence, in 405,

was only temporary;

the barbarian host, two hundred thousand strong, had

overrun the plains of northern Italy, and would undoubtedly take advantage of a favourable opportunity
to attack Rome itself.
Such an opportunity came with

who was banished


his name
monument erected in his

the disgrace and death of Stilicho,


in

407 and murdered at Ravenna in 408

was even erased from the

honour in the Forum, described

The Roman
before

leader

Rome

saw,

in the previous chapter.

had hardly been put out


for

the

first

of the

time since the

way

Gallic

invasion of 390 B.C., a host of barbarians surrounding


the walls.

This time Alaric was induced to lead his

army away by the payment

of an exorbitant

one of the items of which was


of

gold.

five

ransom,

thousand pounds

In order to meet this demand, the Romans


50

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS


were compelled to

heavy gilding.

Two

strip

IN 410

57

the

bronze

statues

410,

Alaric

and

of

their

years

in

later,

his

hordes

entered the City, on the twenty-fourth day of August,


in the dead of night by the Porta Salaria, and set fire
the

to

houses

near

imperial mansion
the

of

doned

citizens

to

the

gate,

among which was the


The lives

in the gardens of Sallust.

were spared, but the City was aban-

two sacred

except as regards the

plunder,

At

enclosures of St. Peter and St. Paul.

the end of

the third day the barbarians withdrew, carrying off an

amount

incredible

we

if

of articles of value,

are to believe Procopius

among which

were the spoils of the

temple at Jerusalem which Titus had placed in the


but the testimony of Procopius on
temple of Peace
this point may well be doubted.
;

In these days of terror the Aventine with its 130


palaces, the most aristocratic quarter of the city, suffered

more than

all

the remains of the


of Trajan

in the

the

made

nessed excavations

other regions.

have wit-

in the

Vigna Torlonia, among


Thermae Decianae and of the house

Vigna Maciocchi, among the ruins

of

the palace of Annia Cornificia Faustina, younger sister

Ummidius Quadratus
where
the palace of the
Anselmo,

Marcus Aurelius and wife

of

in the
1

garden

of

S.

of

Zosimus, V. 45, speaks of the actual melting of gold and silver


and also of the gold and silver ornaments of bronze or mar-

statues,

ble statues.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

58

Pactumeii was discovered in 1892

and

in the garden

of S. Sabina, once occupied

Minister

of

Finance

by the houses of Cosmus,


under Marcus Aurelius, and of

Marcella and Principia, the friends of St. Jerome.

In

was struck by the fact


excavations,
that these beautiful palaces must have perished towards
watching these

the beginning of the fifth century of our era, and

The

from the same cause.

signs

of

destruction

all

are

of flames which blackeverywhere


ened the red ground of the frescoes, and caused the
roofs to fall on the mosaic or marble pavements of

the

the

ground

same:

floor

traces

scattered

coins

among

the

ruins,

belonging, with rare exceptions, to the fourth century


statues that had been restored over and over again

marbles stolen from pagan buildings, mostly from sepulchral monuments, and utilised for hurried restorations
;

and Christian symbols on lamps and domestic utensils.


These indications fix the period and point to the same
historical event,
the capture and pillage of Rome by

The Aventine paid

the Goths in August, 410.


for the

partiality

wealthy.

The

shown

treasures

for

it

dearly

by the noble and the

accumulated

in

its

palaces

roused the cupidity of the invaders, and led them to


excesses of plunder and destruction such as were spared
to

more humble

districts of the City.

Although the imperial casino


lust

is

in the gardens of Sal-

the only structure distinctly mentioned

rians as having been

consumed by

fire,

we

by

histo-

are constantly

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS

59

IN 410

discovering evidences of a far more widespread loss from

and even among the written records of those


eventful days some new particulars come to light, from

this cause

time to time, as in the following instance


On the Caelian Hill, between S. Stefano Rotondo and
:

the Lateran, there was a palace belonging to the descendants of the Valerii Poplicolae, namely, to Valerius

Severus, prefect of Rome in the year 386, and to his


The
son Pinianus, husband of Melania the younger.
palace was so beautiful aud contained so much wealth,
that

when Pinianus and Melania, crushed with

on account of the
in

for sale

ad

it

tarn

loss of all their children,

grief
it

put
up
none willing to purchase
mirabile opus accedere nemo ausus

404, they found

magnum

et

However, seven or eight years later the same


domus pro nihilo
palace was sold for little or nothing
venumdata est. The reason for such a change has lately
fuit.

been discovered in a manuscript of the library of Chartres.


its

The barbarians had plundered

valuables, and wrecked

it

by

fire.

the palace of

all

Additional evidence regarding the fate of the palaces


on the Aventine is furnished by St. Jerome, in Epistles
54 and 127.
One of these palaces, as we have seen,

belonged to Marcella, the founder of monastic life in


Rome.
This noble matron was left a widow after
seven months of marriage, and being pressed by the
Consul Cerealis to marry again, determined to sever
1

Compare, however. Ruins and Excavations,

p. 345.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

60

connection with the world for the rest of her

all

life.

Following the rule of St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, she dressed herself in simple garb, gave

use of

up the

wine and meat, and divided her time between

and pilgrimages
to the tombs of apostles and martyrs.
St. Jerome became Marcella's spiritual adviser such was the serenity
the study of the

Scriptures,

prayers,

and beauty of her character, that in one of


she is addressed as "the pride of Roman

However, when Rome became

his letters

matrons."

the prey of the

Goths,

the barbarians broke into her peaceful retreat and tor-

tured her in an attempt to discover the secret hidingplace of her treasures, treasures that she had long
before given

Fearing more for the

up to the needy.

safety of Principia,

whom

she had adopted as a spirit-

ual daughter, than for her

own

life,

she threw herself

and begged to be
Paul outside the walls,

at the feet of the Gothic chieftain

conducted to the church of

St.

which, like St. Peter's, had been set apart by Alaric


as a refuge for women and children.
The destruction

her Aventine

of

and

home and

the shock of the

pillage brought Marcella's life to a close

torture

she died

before the end of that eventful August.

The barbarians attacked with equal fury


buildings

One

of

of

the

Aventine,

especially

these establishments, called

the

the public

thermae.

Thermae Decianae

from the family of the Caecinae Decii, who had built


in the neighbourhood of their palace, was under-

it

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS

61

IN 410

mined by the Goths so that the main wall of the tepidarium leaned forward, dragging into its own ruin all
the neighbouring halls.

made

repairs

haste

in

The damages, as well as the


by Caecina Decius Albinus in

the year 414, are described in an inscription discovered

on the spot in 1725, and now preserved in the Capi-

The temple

Museum. 1

toline

Juno

of

Regina,

first

erected by Camillus after the capture of Veii, and rebuilt in imperial times

with great magnificence, seems


if not destroyed, on this

to have been seriously injured,


occasion.

Its

Illyrian priest,

marbles were made use of by Peter, an


who built the church of S. Sabina in 425.

Such being the fate of the Aventine, with its luxurious homes and countless treasures, it need not surprise
us

the Genius of the

if

say)

has

searchers

Such a

now and then vouchsafed


after

antiquities

truly

was that made in the

find

would

place (as the ancients


to

us

modern

remarkable

pontificate

of

find.

Pius

IV. by Matteo da Castello, the Pope's architect, who,


while planting a vineyard near the church of S.

came across two or three receptacles of lead,


containing eighteen hundred pieces of gold, with the
Prisca,

image

of the

bol of the

Pope
as

of his

Empress Helena on one side, and the symon the other. He duly notified the
discovery, and received the whole treasure

cross

a present.

The gold was valued


1

C.

I.

L. VI. 1703.

at

about three

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

62

thousand

Matteo

Flaminio Galgano, a contemporary of

dollars.

da

was

Castello,

While

fortunate.

equally

quarrying stone at the foot of the hill near S. Prisca,


he discovered in the heart of the rock a square room,
with the pavement inlaid with pieces of agate and
cornelian,

copper, in

and the walls covered with panels of gilt


the cornice of which rare medals were set as

a motive of

decoration.

paterae and instruments

The room

Pietro Sante Bartoli, in his


the

following

many

damaged by fire.
Memoirs (n. 128), gives

account of another

ciated with the

contained

of sacrifice, all

find,

probably asso-

same barbarian invasion:

"When Urban

VIII. built the Bastione del Priorato di Malta, in front


of

the church

of

S.

Maria

Aventiria,

many

curious

things were discovered.


Among them was a hidingplace, formed by two walls, inside of which was concealed a silver table service,
place

of

The

in repousse.

concealment was covered and screened from

view by a piece
the

worked

Villa

of a

Pamfili.

marble cornice, since removed to

Another

treasure

of

gold

coins,

and other precious objects was found inside an


earthen jar; the police, acting under the orders of Carrings,

dinal Antonio

Barberini, sought far

and wide

for the

but they could never lay hands on him. A few


days after, another workman from Aquila discovered a
leaden box, and, although his pay for several weeks of
finder,

labour was

still

to his credit, he thought

it

better to

abscond with the box than to wait for his money."

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS


Perhaps the most remarkable

IN 410

63

of silverware

set

ever

buried in Rome for fear of barbarian plundering is the


one discovered between June, 1793, and March of the

following year, under the convent of the Paolotte, on


the Via di S. Lucia in Selce, the ancient

buranus.

The

service

a lady

of

collection,

of

which belonged

1029 ounces, and

rank, weighed

names

comprised a pyxis inscribed with the

Clivus Su-

to the toilet-

of Turcius

Asterius Secundus and of his wife Projecta, two candlesticks in the shape of brackets, five plates

and four

soup-plates, with the name "Projecta Turci," in goldniello, five goblets in the shape of ewers, a wash-

basin

in

spoons,

the shape of a shell, and lamps,

together with

remains of a sedan

forks,

and

chair

and

sundry other articles, the catalogue of which is given


1
Pius VI. allowed the
by Ennio Quirino Visconti.
treasure to be disposed of

by

sale.

few pieces were

bought by Carlo Gherardi, and resold to Baron von


Kevenhuller
all the rest were purchased by Baron
;

von Schellersheim.

The

finest

objects are

now

exhib-

Museum, thanks to the generosity


of the late Sir Augustus Franks.
The silver set was
ited in the

British

evidently hidden in great haste.

Visconti affirms that

he saw a piece of a linen towel inside the shell-shaped


basin, "a proof," he says, "of the hurry with which
the treasure was buried." The concealment must have
1

Lettera di Ennio Quirino Visconti intorno ad


2d ed. Rome, 1827, xxv. plates.

(Vargento, etc.

una antica

supeUettile

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

64
taken

place

362

after

when Turcius Asterius

A.D.,

Secundus was prefect of the City, and in fact after


his death, because some of the pieces bear the name of
a

Peregrina,

We

who seems

The question

of 410.

the same time and for

dug out and recovered


The inquiry
barians?
answered.

knew

the secret lost

possibly the palace

the sack

is

the retreat of

more
one

their

of

the

Why

and many others concealed


the same cause, were not

after

the

Perhaps

the date of

naturally suggests itself

this collection of valuables,

at

have been his daughter.

to

are not far, therefore, from

easily

two

or

the

in

lives

the

raised

than

persons

who

sack of

410

was burnt

Asterii

bar-

to

the

ground, and all access to the hiding-place cut off.


The barbarian invasions had one result which, from
the archaeological point of view,

is

even greater

of

nificance than the burying of treasure

of bronze

careful hiding

order

making

statues

save them from injury

to

their

possible

a perfect state
instances,

we

of

are

in

or

sig-

refer to the

times of panic in
destruction,

thus

rediscovery in modern times in

preservation.

Of

course,

in

many

not able to determine whether the

concealment took place in 410 rather than in 455 or


What we do know is, that
537, or some other year.
bronzes were hidden through fear of an imminent calamity; and the presumption is in favour of the earlier
date because the

number

of bronze statues in existence

must have been vastly diminished


ing of the City.

after the first sack-

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS

IN 410

65

been suggested that fear of the Christians, on


account of the acts of violence occasionally committed
It has

by the populace against the temples and their contents,


may have been the cause that led to the concealment
of images, particularly of the gods

lence against pagan sanctuaries

but deeds of vio-

not

uncommon

in the

East, as in the case of the destruction of the magnifi-

cent Serapeum at Alexandria in 391


rare in

combs

Rome.
of

The rough painting

the Via Salaria Vetus which represents the

unique in its way; and


speaks of "the overthrowing of

1
overthrowing of a statue

though

were extremely

in one of the cata-

St.

Augustine

is

the images in the City of Rome," his words, obviously

all

3
metaphorical, are contradicted by Claudianus, who, writ-

ing in the year 403, mentions vast multitudes of bronze


and marble statues, lining the streets and the forums. 4
Statues were sometimes concealed by the magistrates

themselves.

Two

inscriptions,

one of which was

dis-

covered at Benevento, the other at Capua, describe the


reerection of works of statuary, reperta in abditis

or translata ex abditis

locis.

have described elsewhere 5

De

Augustine, Sermo cv de rerbis evang. Luc. X. 13.


De vi. consulatu Honorii, 42.

locis,

Rossi, Bull, di arch, crist.. 1865, pp. 3, 4.

Fuller information on this subject will be found in Edmund Le


Blant's paper, " De quelques statues cache"es par les anciens," published
4

Compte-rendus de I'Acad. dcs Inscriptions, 1890,

in

Ipapi del Medio Evo, ital. edit, of 1897, Vol.


Ruins and Excavations, p. 456.

Grisar's
6

I.

p.

541

p. 38.

and

in

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

66

the discovery of

Hercules Invictus which

the bronze

had been hidden by the charioteers of the Circus Maximus, and of the Hercules Magnus Gustos concealed by
those of the Circus Flaminius
in

first

came

to light

the time of Sixtus IV. (1471-1484), the second in

This

1864.
of

the

coffin

last

made

had been carefully buried in a kind


of

slabs

of

portasanta.

gladiator, likewise, discovered

foundations

the

of

in

Nazionale, had not been buried


of rubbish,

The

March, 1885, in the

Drammatico

Teatro

The bronze

in

on

the

haste in that heap

but had been treated with the utmost

figure,

which was

in

Via

care.

a sitting posture, had been

upon a stool, and the


trench, which had been dug under the platform of the
temple of the Sun to conceal the statue, had been
on a stone

poised

capital,

as

with finely sifted earth, in


bronze from any possible injury.
filled

As

rule,

the bronzes

order

discovered

in

to

save

Rome

the

since

the Renaissance
I speak of this later period because
our knowledge of earlier finds is too imperfect and fraghad been carefully hidden,
mentary to be of value
or even

thrown into the Tiber, in times of panic. The


was lost, either on account

secret of the place of hiding

of the death

of

those

who knew the


made

the great masses of debris had

reach

it

Many
in

spot, or
it

because

impossible to

again.
of these places of concealment

our days

three

of

them deserve

have been found


special

mention.

FIG.

Brouze heads fouud

14.

1.

Augustus.

3, 4.

under the English church, Via del


Babuino.
2. Nero.

in 1880

Portrait head of the first century

name unknown.

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS


The

first is

IN 410

69

the treasure-trove unearthed in 1849, a few

storming of Rome by the French


army under General Oudinot, beneath the house at No.
It con17, Vicolo delle Palme, now Vicolo dell' Atleta.

weeks before

the

sisted of a marble

Lysippus

copy of the bronze Apoxyomenos of

now

of the bronze horse,

in the Palazzo dei

"an unique

Conservatori, described by Emil Braun as

"

work, a masterpiece, and a genuine Grecian antique ;


of a bronze foot with a particularly ornamental caliga,

which may possibly have belonged to the rider of the


horse
of a bronze bull,- and many other fragments of
;

less

importance.

The second discovery was made September


at

the

Gesu
was
feet

corner

of

the Via del

15, 1880,

and Via del

Babuino

Maria where the English Church of All Saints

below the

was a head

of

The bronzes

erection. 1

in process of

threshold

more than

of
life

the

represent Augustus, and to


with the mausoleum of that Emperor
perforated,

and

known personages of the first


The third discovery took

There

which was thought


have some connexion

size,

to

with the eyes

lay nineteen

main door.

a head of

several

busts of

Nero
un-

century.
place

about

the

same

time at the corner of the Via Nazionale and Via di

Eufemia, while the Marchesa Capranica del Grillo


(Madame Ristori) was laying the foundations of her

S.

city

house.

The
i

treasure

consisted

Bull. Com., 1881, p. 30,

pi.

of
i.

marbles

and

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

70

The

bronzes.

art,

rank among the best specimens


if
indeed they are not purely

There was a

sitting statue of Cybele, holding

latter

Greco-Roman

of

Greek.

a diminutive millstone
a

of

in

the left hand

mouth

the

fountain in the shape of a lion's head, and the

head of a youth, the most superb piece of bronze work I


have ever seen. These bronzes all soon disappeared, and
I

have never been able to find out what became of them.

Another consequence

abandonment

of

of the Gothic invasion

Catacombs.

the

Christian

was the

archaeolo-

have stated that burials

.in the Catacombs, very


410
400
and
on
rare between
account of the insecurity
of the suburbs, were given up altogether after 410.

gists

The reason

for this

abandonment

is

The

easily seen.

end of a great and

storming of Alaric marks, thus, the

"
glorious era in the history of
underground

Rome

"
;

it

put an end altogether to the work of the fossores,


After suffering more damage in the invasion of 457,
the

Catacombs

were

irreparably

during the siege of the


distinctly

stated

devastated

in

Goths under Vitiges.

by the biographer

of

Pope

537,
It

is

Silverius

" churches and tombs of


martyrs were
(536-537) that

destroyed by the Goths"; but it is not easy for us to


understand why the Goths, bigoted Christians as they

were and

and

full of respect for the basilicas of

St.

Peter

Procopius declares, should have ransacked the Catacombs and have violated the tombs of
St.

Paul, as

martyrs, breaking up their commemorative inscriptions.

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS

IN 410

71

Perhaps they could not read Latin or Greek epitaphs,


and so were unable to make a distinction between
perhaps they were
pagan and Christian cemeteries
hunting for hidden treasures, or the relics of saints.
;

Whatever may have been the reason

of their behav-

iour, it is certainly a significant fact that at

least

two

encampments of the Goths in 537 were just over the


Catacombs and around their entrances one on the Via
;

Catacombs of Thrason, and the other


on the Via Labicana, over those of Peter and MarcelSalaria, over the

The

linus.

barbarians,

naturally,

could hardly resist

the temptation to explore those subterranean wonders

indeed, they were obliged to do so by the most elementary rules of precaution. In each of the two cata-

combs

mentioned, a memorial tablet

made

the

in

has

been

found

haste

repairs
by Pope
between March, 537, the date of the retreat
Vitiges, and the following November, the date of

commemorating
Vigilius
of

the journey

this Pope's restorations

catacombs,

to Constantinople. 1

of Vigilius

especially

Traces of

have been found also in other


those

in

of

Callixtus

and Hip-

polytus.

His example was- followed by private indi-

viduals.

The tomb

Via

of

Crysanthus and Daria, in the

was repaired

Salaria,

barians pauperis ex censu,

after the retreat of the bar-

with the modest means of

one of the humbler followers of the Master.

Notwithstanding the feeling of insecurity caused by


1

Cf.

Payan and

Christian

Home,

p. 324.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

72

sack of 410, the body of the Emperor Honorius,

the

who
in

died at Ravenna, August 15, 423, was not interred

that city, but was transported to

the

in

burial

imperial

mausoleum

Rome and

given
been

had

which

on the

south side of St. Peter's Church, in


wretched imitation of the great structures of Augustus
This tomb of the decadence was comand Hadrian.

raised

posed of two round halls, joined by a covered passage.


Each rotunda contained six or seven recesses, in which

Mention

the imperial sarcophagi were placed.

with

structure

(mausoleum)
A.D.),
of

who

the

life

of

Stephen

mosileos
II.

(752

the

supposed daughter of St. Peter,


derived its mediaeval name of S. Petronilla

it

other

rotunda was known as the

Andrew, and
first

denomination

genuine

of the

placed in the western chambers the remains

Petronilla,

whence

its

occurs in the

of

also of

"Our Lady

chapel

of

of the Fever."

building was destroyed in the

first

St.

The

quarter of the

make
new basilica, where the chapel of Saints Simon and
Judas now stands
the other met with a similar fate

room for the south transept of

sixteenth century, to

the

during the pontificate


occupied by the
mosileos,

new

of

Pius VI., and

sacristy.

The

so similar to that of the

its

place

was

architecture of the

tomb

of St.

Helena

(the Torre Pignattara) on the Via Labicana, gives us


the measure of the decline of Roman art and civilisa-

when we compare

with the imposing mausoleums of Augustus and Hadrian.

tion,

it

THE SACK OF THE GOTHS IN

73

410

The

robbery of the imperial graves which filled


rotundas by St. Peter's was accomplished at
It excels, in
various times and by various persons.
the two

refinement of barbarous and useless destruction,

deeds

other

of

The

occurred.

the
first

second took place

unique

set

unscrupulous

1519

the
of

last,

in

rius

and

his

it

the

The

1544.

the fifth century was

sent to the mint, or sold or given away.

ception of a bulla

the

all

which

desecration dates from 1458


in

crown jewels

of

age

in

inscribed with the

With

names

the ex-

of

Hono-

empress Maria, daughter of Stilicho and

Serena, and sister of Thermantia and Eucherius, which


is

now

every

in

other

identity.

the

hands of

specimen

has

Prince Trivulzio of

disappeared

or

Milan,

lost

its

THE SACK OF ROME BY THE VANDALS

THE

IX 455

exact date of the second capture of Rome, by

Genseric and the Vandals,

not known, but

is

it

was

probably the beginning of June, 455, three days after


the murder of Petronius Maximus, who had himself
caused the death of Valentinian

and usurped the


were mixed Bedouins

III.,

The Vandals, with whom

throne.

and Moors, entered the City by the Porta Portuensis,


and plundered it at leisure for the space of fourteen

The booty was

days.

carted

methodically to the

off

moored alongside the quays, now


morata and Ripa grande. The palace
ships

which Valentinian

III.,

called
of

La Mar-

the Caesars,

unlike his predecessors, had con-

stantly occupied and had kept in repair, was stripped


The temple of Jupieven of its commonest furniture.

Optimus Maximus, who from the lofty summit


the Capitoline hill had presided over the destinies
ter

the

Roman Commonwealth

quins,

was

offerings

also

off

of

since the time of the Tar-

put to ransom

were carried

of

to

its

statues

and votive

adorn the African

resi-

dence of Genseric, and half the roof was stripped of


its

tiles

of gilt

bronze.

It
74

is

also

reported that the

THE SACK OF THE VANDALS

IN 455

75

Jewish war, represented in the basof the arch of Titus and deposited by him in
of

trophies
reliefs

the

the temple of Peace,

These

rians.

fell

into the hands of

spoils, as well

plundered from the

Roman

the barba-

as the massive gold plate

churches, were discovered at

Carthage, eighty years later, by Belisarius, and carried


back in triumph, not to Rome, but to Constantinople.
have a memorial of these eventful days in the

We

Basilica Eudoxiana,

now

the church of S. Pietro in Vin-

which was built by Eudoxia the younger, widow


III., and a victim, first, of the usurper

coli,

of Valentinian

Maximus, and then of Genseric. This beautiful church


is built with columns of Greek marble taken from one
perhaps the Baths of
a fact
Titus or of Trajan, or the Porticus Tellurensis
the

of

neighbouring

edifices,

paid by the members of the imperial families to the laws concerning


The edict of
the preservation of ancient buildings.

which shows how

little

respect was

Maiorianus, issued at Ravenna in 458, forbidding once

more the dismantling of ancient structures


tion of

new

had come

for the erec-

ones, confirms our belief that the former

to be looked

upon

as stone quarries.

cannot undertake here to speak with more detail


of the consequences of the sack of the Vandals, as reI

gards the fate of buildings and works of art, for the


In most
reason that exact information is. wanting.
cases
tain

we

are

results

not in a position to
followed

this

invasion,

know whether
or

those

of

cer-

later

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

76
date.

Nor does

it

fall

within

my

province to recount

the history of the City for the half-century after the

storming of Genseric,

truly a harrowing narrative of

siege, famine, pillage, massacre, fires,

general

we may assume

and

pestilence.

In

that the last half of the fifth

century was almost as disastrous a period for the history


of the Roman monuments as it was for the wretched
inhabitants.

CHAPTER

VII

THE CITY IX THE SIXTH CENTURY

AT

the opening of the sixth century the prevailing


is

gloom

contrast,

penetrated, and

thrown into

a ray of

by

dawn with

light.

new

even

stronger

era seemed

to

the accession of Theoderic, whose enlight-

(500-526) gave itself no little


On the
concern for the remains of Rome's greatness.

ened

administration

day of his arrival in Rome Theoderic addressed kind


words to the people from the rostra in front of the
Senate-house

(in

loco

qui

Palma aurea

dicitur),

and

The

pro-

then proceeded to the palace of the Caesars.


visions

made by

this Prince for the

improvement

of the

City are recorded in the Variae of his secretary, Cas-

He

appointed a body of engineers and architects to superintend the restoration of public edifices,
siodorius.

under the direction of


as

"

we

publicorum, and
have already seen he revived the office of the

keeper of statues."

an

The

arcliitectus

theatre of

Pompey was

re-

paired with the help of one of the great men of the


the Coliseum, with the help
age, Avianius Symmachus
;

of

Decius

Marius Venantius

City in the year 508.

Basilius,

The duty
77

prefect

of

the

of putting the aque-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

78

ducts in order, and keeping the baths and the foun-

was entrusted

tains well supplied with water

formarum

urbis;

named Johannes

tary engineer

bour of

Rome was

portus urbis

shows
"

were

supervisor

given

Romae),

the theatres and

expense

the charge of the har-

a harbour-master

assisted

under

by

the

amusements

Thus thoroughgoing
of

to

(comes

a deputy (vicariu9)\

other buildings

placed
of

to a comes

the care of public sewers to a sani-

designed

for

public
of

superintendence

"

(tribunus

were

repairs

voluptatum).

made, not

at

the

other edifices, as in the case of the prede-

cessors of Theoderic, but with brick expressly prepared


in

the

great

old

brickyard

called

Portus

Licini.

in this case appropriately,


They were all stamped
we must acknowledge
with the inscription

REGNANTE D N THEODERICO FELIX ROMA


I

have never made or witnessed an excavation

the site of any of the great buildings of

Rome

on

without

discovering one or more of Theoderic's bricks.

The

masonry which prevailed in his time can best


be examined in the repairs made to the " arcus Caelistyle of

montani," the branch aqueduct supplying the imperial


The sums
palace in the Via di S. Stefano Rotondo.
destined for such works were derived from local taxation.

Maximian

of

Ravenna

two hundred pounds

states in his annals that the

of gold set aside for the restoration

of the walls of the City

and

of the imperial residence

THE CITY

IN

THE SIXTH CENTURY

were collected from the city tax on wine

day remains one of the chief sources

this

the municipal treasury.

The churches

on the Via Aurelia and

of

from the time of

S.

which

at

revenue for

of

of

Martino

79

St.

Pancras

Monti date

ai

this benevolent ruler.

In describing the siege of Vitiges, which lasted from


February, 537, to March, 538, and the intrenched

camps raised by the Goths around the beleaguered


refers

Procopius

to

the cutting

following words

the

of

the

(De Bello Goth.

City,

aqueducts
I.

in

"The

19):

Goths having thus surrounded the City, broke down

Rome

the aqueducts to cut off the supply of water.

has fourteen aqueducts

and

high

broad

through them."
respects

the

that

and their channels are so

horseman

This statement

is

could

easil}

ride

erroneous in two

aqueducts were in reality not fourteen

Appia, Anio Vetus, Marcia, Tepula, Julia,


Virgo, Alsietina, Claudia, Anio Novus, Trajana, Alexaudrina and their channels " could not be entered even

but eleven,

by a

pygmy

Belisarius

riding on a goat or a ram."

walled up the mouths of

order to prevent the

in

means

the

aqueducts,

enemy from making them a

of entering the City.

The consequences

of the

cutting were not so serious as to cause a water famine,


because there were enough springs within the walls to

meet the emergency of the moment, not to speak of


1

Fabretti,

De

aquis, p. 145

ne Pygmaei quidem,

arietis,

dorso insidentis, quales eos describit Plinius, capaces fuerunt.

capraeve

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

80

the Tiber, the water of which has always been consid-

ered potable and wholesome.

It

observe that, after the removal of

is

also

the imperial Court

to Constantinople, the water supply of

much

Any

of

necessary to

Rome had

lost

world-famous purity and wholesomeness.

its

one can convince himself of the truth of this state-

ment by examining the channel of the Marcia, the purest


and best of Roman waters, at the Ponte degli Arci at
the foot of

Monte Arcese, near

Claudia, which

near

the

Madama.
I

made

real

at

state

The following

section of the channel,

Monte Arcese, May


of

the

case

of the

and Castel

between Tivoli

Monitola

Colle

Tivoli, or that

ranked next to the Marcia, 1

in purity

which

5, 1881, will indicate the

than

better

any

description

(Fig. 15).

The channel

(specus)

measured

originally

one -half feet (2.05 metres) in height, that


base of the vaulted ceiling, and three and
breadth.

feet (1.01 metres) in

As long

six

is,

to

and
the

one-third

as the

aqueduct was well taken care of by the curatores aquarum


and their staff of subordinate officers, the dimensions
of

and

channel

the

diminish.

There

are,

its

capacity

did

not

perceptibly

on the sides and the bottom, thin

layers of alabastrine purity

and transparency, which may

have been formed in the golden age of Roman administration; but they hardly exceed half an inch in thickness.

The

deposits, however,
1

Frontinus,

I.

13

formed

at the time of the bar-

qnae bonitatis proximae

est

Marciae.

THE CITY

IN

THE SIXTH CENTURY

81

harian invasions and in consequence of the abandonment


of

the aqueducts,

are

fourteen inches thick,

the free

channel being thus reduced from six and a half to a


little
more than four feet
(1.65 metres) in height, and
to

a width

of

less

than

These deposits are of


every colour and quality, confoot.

taining carbonate of lime of

spongy texture, mud, clay,


and a conglomerate of gravel.

Another curious

instance

of

the neglect of the aqueducts


after the middle of the fourth

century

is

to be seen in the

Vigna di S. Croce in Gerusalemme, as you enter by the


first gate on the left of that
church.

The water dripping

through

the

stones, of
is built,

FIG.

joints

Ot

the

which the channel

Arcese

Section of the chan-

15.

nel of the
>

Aqua Marcia,

showiu e de P

bottom and

at

sits

Monte
on the

sides.

was so saturated with

deposits of lime that the whole height of the

was covered with incrustations, and came

to

arcades

have the

appearance of a great rock honeycombed with cavities.


Although the inhabitants of Rome were not immediately

affected

by a water famine,

in

other respects

the cutting off of the water supply by the

barbarians

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

82

proved disastrous to the City as well as to the country


around it. In the City it led to the abandonment of
the great imperial thermae, which
just

tried

shared

to

put

into

by the artificial

repair.

basins

King Theoderic had


The same fate was

called

stagna or euripi,

and by the 1212 public fountains and 247 reservoirs


which had adorned and supplied the City in earlier
days.

The higher

quarters suffered the most, because

water supply, borne many miles on stone or brick


The supply of
arcades, could be more easily stopped.
the lower quarters, on the other hand, was never
their

diverted

for

any great

length

of

time,

because

the

channels of the Virgo, of the Appia, and of the Anio

Vetus,

which

fed

the

Campus

Martius,

ran

underground and could be repaired without


This is the reason why the more salubrious

mostly

difficulty.
hills

were

abandoned toward the end

of the fifth century, not to


be inhabited again until the time of Sixtus V., who
in

1587 made

life

building of his

One

upon them

Acquedotto

possible

again with the

Felice.

incident of the Gothic siege

of

537, connected

is described by ProcoBetween the Latin and the Appian


exist two aqueducts (the Claudian

with the fate of the aqueducts,


pius as

Ways

follows

there

"
:

still

and the Marcian), supported by massive arches.


the fiftieth furlong from

Rome

(at the place

now

At
called

the Torre Fiscale), they join and cross each other in

such a

way

that the one which

was on the right now

THE CITY
diverges

the

to

THE SIXTH CENTURY

IN

After

left.

short

83

distance

meet and cross again, and each follows its


The space between the two crossings
course.

they

original

there-

is

surrounded by aqueducts, the lower arches


of which were filled up by the barbarians with stones and
fore entirely

mud,

so as to

form a regular

fortification,

within which

they remained encamped, to the number of at least seven


thousand, in order to prevent any kind of provisions from
entering the City.
tions, the

With

Goths occupied themselves with despoiling and


They remained there a long

ravaging the Campagna.


time,

this as a base of opera-

and were only driven out by the plague."

De

Rossi has collected important proofs of the accu-

racy of

this

Describing

portion of

the

the

sepulchral

narrative

crypt,

in 1876, at the fifth mile-stone of

of

Procopius.

found by Fortunati
the Via Latina, on

" In
Vecchia), he says
this very quarter of the suburbs I located the campus

Prince Torlonia's farm

barbaricus,

(Roma

where the Goths intrenched themselves

in the

sixth century, and I suspected that the bodies, which


bore traces of having perished by a violent death, and

which were lying very near the surface quite close to


In
the Torlonia tomb, were those of this warlike horde.
the Torlonia

tomb

itself

we

found, on the skull of one

of the skeletons, evident traces of an oblique cut, inflicted

by a sword or some similar weapon."

" In
1853,"

De

Rossi continues, " by the side of the


1

De

Bella Goth.

II. 3.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

84

modern road
fifth

Albano, between the fourth and the

to

was

mile-stone,

present

at

the

discovery

tombs, made with simple marble slabs, and

cophagus.

cloth, of

ing,

we saw

threads.

corpses

the

which, at
traces

moment

of

uncover-

gold and purple

of

far off, just beneath the sur-

of

series

a sar-

had been enveloped in

first

form

the

in

Then not

we saw

face,

The

rich

of

of

made

coffins

of stones

and

random, filled with skeletons of men,


and breasts bound with broad bands, which

tiles collected at

the loins

looked as

we

these

they had been saturated with blood, and


thought to have been soldiers killed in acif

This discovery recalled to my mind an


episode in the Gothic war (as described by Procopius)
which made fearful havoc among the neighbouring

tion.

villas.

of a

'

In the records of Gregory II. mention is made


Massa Camustis iuxta campum barbaricum ex corpore
'

patrimonii AppiaeS
It is

done

easy to picture to ourselves what damage was

to

this

Campagna,

once

and

to

and

fertile

the

smiling

aqueducts

that

part

of

traversed

the
it,

most conspicuous of them


but just to observe that the barbarians

especially to the Claudia, the


all.

Yet

it

is

damaged the aqueducts only


stop the flow of the water

pose

that they threw

down

was necessary to
we have no reason to supso far as

great arches and pilasters

that would
simply for the pleasure of destruction
creaThese
wonderful
have been mere lost labour.

THE CITY

Roman

tions of

crossing the

IN TIl

hydraulic

Campagna

were so

many

in every direction

other

themselves, in times

85

these triumphal arcades

skill,

and

uting everywhere fertility


as

SIXTH CENTURY

and

distrib-

health, were destroyed,

monuments, by the Romans

much

nearer to our

own than

is

ordinarily supposed.

We

have reason to believe that in 1585, when the

construction of the Acquedotto Felice was decreed by


Sixttis V., the series of

arcades of the Marcia and of

the Claudia (Fig. 20), both seven miles long, were practically intact.

resignation,

Matteo da Castello,

Domenico Fontana,

laid

first,

and, after his

hands on the noble

burning their travertine blocks into lime,


and
hammering those of tufa and peperino for
splitting
use in the new aqueduct.
Whatever remains were left
structures,

standing became the prey of local land-owners, especially


of the trustees of the hospital of S. Giovanni, in

whose

archives I have found documents concerning the sale at

public auction of the stone arch, over which the Claudia

spanned the Via Latina near the farmhouse of Roma


Vecchia and again, the sale of four piers of peperino to
;

Bartolomeo
so on.

Vitali, of

two

to the brothers Guidotti,

Three or four hundred

feet of the channel of

the same aqueduct were destroyed

farm

of the Capannelle in

way Company,

1887

by the owner

of the

the Mediterranean Rail-

which, about the same time, built the

line to Segni, is responsible for other


1

and

damages.

Lanciaili, / Comentarii di Frontino, p. 149.

new

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

86

walk from the Porta Furba (on the road to Frascati)

Porta Maggiore, by the Vicolo del Mandrione,


will give the student a melancholy appreciation of the

to

the

Roman

importance and of the fate of the

FIG.

16.

The remains

which, after so

among

the

aqueducts,

of the Claudian aqueduct at the Porta Furba.

many

centuries

of

spoliation,

most impressive remains

of

are

ancient

still

Rome

(Fig. 16).

Notwithstanding the ravages of the Vandals and the


desperate straits of the people of Rome on many occa-

THE CITY

IN

THE SIXTH CENTURY

87

sions since the first sack of the Goths, Procopius,

whom

have already quoted so often, speaks of a number of


monuments as standing uninjured toward the middle
I

of the

sixth

century.

We

learn from

and the Forum

City in general,

him that the

especially, retained

an

imposing array of bronze and marble statues, the works

and Lysippus

of Phidias

Myron was yet

Forum

of Peace

cubits high,

was

to be seen
;

that the celebrated

Cow

of

above the fountain in the

that the bronze statue of Janus, five

preserved in the cella of his four-

still

and that the group of the Three Fates


the one, probably, which Pliny classifies among the
earliest works of the kind in Rome
still gave the
faced temple;

name

of

Forum

Tria Fata to the north corner of the

by the Senate-house.
The same historian describes how one

camps had been established


of

the

of the Gothic

Gaianum, a circus or
Doonitia, and how the

in the
of

hippodrome
gardens
Greek garrison of the mole of Hadrian hurled upon its
assailants many statues which even to that time had orna-

mented

this fortified

mausoleum.

the world," he concludes (IV.


their

Of

all

" the
22),

the people in

Romans

monuments

love

the

best.

fallen a prey to barbarian invaders so

many

City

Although

and

"

its

historical

times, they have succeeded in keeping

up many

of their

great buildings, and preserving relics connected with the


origin
I

and foundation

of their City.

Among

these last

can mention a large canoe hollowed out of the trunk

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

88
of a tree,

bank

left

which they preserve

in

the arsenal on the

by Aeneas

of the Tiber, as the one used

in

reaching the Latin shore."


In the year 590, which was that of the election of

Pope Gregory the Great (September

3),

Rome seems

have reached the extremity of misfortune.


An
inundation of the Tiber, at the end of the previous
year, had caused the ruin of some temples and monuto

ments and

innumerable private dwellings, and the


by famine and pestilence.

of

flood was, as usual, followed

The

beautiful

mausoleum

the

of

legend

Hadrian in

of

seen

angel

the

act

above

the

of

sheathing his
sword, while Gregory at the head of the panic-stricken
population was proceeding in pilgrimage to St. Peter's
(a memorial of the vision still remains in the bronze
figure

on

really the
of

Rome.

the
first

rounding

Lombards

mean

of Aurelian

district

of

Castel

S.

Angelo), marks

change for the better in the fortunes

By Rome

by the walls

the

top of

was

the City itself protected

and Honorius

incessantly

for the

devastated

Agilulf and Ariulf, and

murdered or driven away.

its

sur-

by the

inhabitants

CHAPTER

VIII

BURIAL PLACES WITHIX AND WITHOUT THE WALLS

FROM

a remote period, burial within the city limits

was prohibited by Roman law. Yet many graves have


been found within the walls, and Nibby has suggested
infringement of the early enactment, the
interments intra muros, must be regarded as a

that the
first

first

consequence of the siege of Vitiges.


Earlier instances
lacking.

of

the practice,

Tombs dating from

(493-526 A.D.) have

been

the

found

however, are not


time
in

of

the

Theoderic
Praetorian

camp, in the gardens of Sallust, and in the graveyard


Giacomo del Colosseo.
Those of the Praetorian

of S.

camp were seen by Lupi,


last century,

the

of

in the first quarter of the


within the cells which line the north side

quadrangle

those

of

the

gardens

of

Sallust

were seen by De Rossi, in 1869, in that part of the


Vigna Barberini-Spithoever which is now crossed by
the Via Flavia and the Via Aureliana.

The
gan

exploration of the graveyard by the Coliseum be-

in the spring of 1895,

at length in the Bullettino

and

its

results are described

Comunale of the same year.

There were two or three layers of tombs,

the oldest,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

90

same

at the

with the amphitheatre, dating from

level

the time of Theoderic, the latest dating from the begin-

One

ning of the seventh century.


discovered

the

opposite

of the later tombs,

now

is

arcade,

thirty-third

exhibited in the

Museo Municipale on the Caelian

The

gives the names of a Fortunatus

inscription

Lucia and of their

little

Hill.

and

daughter Gemmula, and ends

with the warning, " Whoever shall violate or injure


"
No
this tomb, may he share the fate of Judas
!

wonder

the

grave

thoroughfare, which,

stood

right

even in

the

in

those

middle

days,

must

of

have

been crowded.

The two

one of green and one of


reddish basalt, removed toward the end of the last
precious basins,

century from the Baths of Caracalla to the Cortile


di Belvedere of the Vatican Museum, had both been

used for

coffins.

sepulchral vault containing

hundred bodies was discovered


stantine

the

1
;

Vigna

time each

the

Roman
of

many

Baths of Con-

the remains of other baths

Grimani (Barberini).
of

hundred

several

in

another,

the

in

them

In

course

of

and there were

churches

came

the

in

to

possess

We

local

Rome

cannot excavate anywhere


graveyard.
without coming across one of them.
I have seen, and
in

several

in

instances

have myself explored, cemeteries


Maria ad Martyres (the

belonging to the church of S.

Pantheon); of
1

Vacca,

S.

Mem.

Marcello, of S. Nicola in Calcarario,


112.

Bartoli,

Mem.

31.

BURIAL PLACES
Maria

of S.
of

in

Ciriaco

S.

The

others.

91

Campitelli, of S. Sebastiano in Pallara,

Camilliano, of S.

cle

largest of

all,

Maria Nuova, and

attached to the hospital of

Maria delle Grazie, occupied one half of the Basilica


Julia, the layer of human remains being from six to
S.

eight feet in thickness.

The Catacombs,
410

as

we have

seen,

were abandoned

in

but what was the fate of the pagan tombs and

mausoleums which lined the highroads

in every direction

I wish that I could


beyond the limits of the City ?
summarise here the information given on this subject
by that indefatigable explorer of Roman tombs, Fran-

cesco Ficoroni, in his work,

romani, Part

II.

as

it

is

La

Bolla d'oro dei fanciulli

can only mention a few

points.

The family
composed

of a

vaults,

Ficoroni remarks, were generally

room

or enclosed place on a level with

the road, where the funeral banquets and the anniver-

sary gatherings took place, and of a crypt where the


ashes were kept in urns, or the bodies laid to rest in

The former, standing


richly carved marble sarcophagi.
above ground, and within easy reach of the passer-by,
must have been stripped of their valuable contents at
a very early period, perhaps even before the
of Alaric.

the

When

inroad

there was nothing else of value

Romans attacked

tombs were

first

the

very walls

of

which

left,

the

built, the porticoes, colonnades, and roofs,

Dicersita dei mausolei romani, loro diroccamento, etc.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

92

for the sake of the marble,

This process

lime-kilns.

sepulchral

monuments

emperors had

the

which they wanted


burning the

of

for lime

to

enact

for their

marbles

of

became so common that

capital

punishment as a

In 349, sixty-one years


penalty against the offenders.
before Alaric's invasion, the Emperor Constans substituted a heavy fine for capital punishment. 1

These imperial provisions may have saved from destruction for a few years longer the mausoleums more

standing back from the


highroads, screened by trees or by the undulations of
I
the ground, probably disappeared faster than ever.

exposed to view

speak,

of

but those

of

course,

the general rule, because

among

the three or four hundred thousand tombs which encircled the City, there were, to be sure,

able exceptions.

and for

size

few

some remark-

of them, conspicuous for their

their wealth in marble

and

travertine, have

survived to the present day, as the mausoleums of Caecilia

Metella and of Lucilius Paetus, and the tombs of

Vibius Marianus (Fig. 17) and of Vergilius Eurysaces.

The underground rooms,

or

hypogaea, suffered

less

damage.

Search was made, either by the degenerate

Romans

or by the barbarians, for the valuable objects

or placed as a memento in
such
as
cinerary urns,
ear-rings, finger-rings, and
brooches (fibulae) but the urns themselves, the beauti-

buried with

the

corpse,

the

See his constitution to Limenius in the Codex Theotlosianus, X.

17, de sepulchris violatis.

Tit.

BURIAL PLACES
ful sarcophagi, the glass

to columbaria,

why

vessels peculiar

left

undisturbed.

This

is

the excavation of our ancient cemeteries

rinds, as I

FIG.

and terra eotta

and even the bronze lamps and candela-

were often

bras,

93

17.

My

is

rich in

can testify from personal observation.

Tomb

first

the reason

of P. Vibius Marianus, so-called "Tomb of Nero," on the


Via Clodia, 4$ miles north of Rome.

experience in the exploration of tombs dates

from 1868, when those lining the Via Severiana, between


Ostia and Castel Fusano, were first opened by the elder
Visconti (Fig. 18).

They yielded

a great quantity of

glassware and exquisite Arezzo cups, besides a few obNext in date and imporjects in gold and enamel.
tance came the exploration of

the columbaria of the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

94

Statilian family, in that portion of the Esquiline ceme-

tery which extends from the so-called Minerva Medica


to the Porta

Maggiore (1875). In the space of a few


an area of a few thousand square
and
within
weeks,
feet, we recovered 566 inscriptions, and many hundred

FIG. 18.

Columbarium on the Via Severiana, near

objects in terra cotta,

glass,

Ostia, opened in 1868.

bone, ivory, bronze,

gold,

and precious marbles.


has offered an ingenious suggestion in regard to the engraved gems or cameos which are found
loose in the earth in great numbers within a circuit
silver,

Ficoroni

three or four miles from the walls.

After stating
that out of ninety-two sepulchral chambers, which he
of

BURIAL PLACES

95

had excavated in the Vigna Moroni by the Porta S.


Sebastiano, between 1705 and 1709, only one had not
before, he

been searched

says

" I

found

in

the un-

a few neck-

the charred

bones,
opened urns, among
laces, ear-rings, and finger-rings, and a piece of jewelry
with sapphires.
My workmen, however, in sifting the

earth which filled

up or covered these columbaria, and

open passages between them, found a great


and intaglios in precious stones, broken
cameos
many
These stones are conor indented around the edge.
also

the

stantly found in the vineyards and orchards

which ex-

and as they still show


traces of the hard glue, by means of which they were
tend over the old cemeteries

fastened

to

their

sockets,

it

seems to

me

that

they

must have been taken out and thrown away as a useless encumbrance by those who were seeking for gold

What

alone.

possible value could engraved stones rep-

resent in the eyes of the

Romans

of the fifth century,

or of their invaders?"

This general
prising
cases

if

to

we

rifling of burial crypts is the

recall

conceal

the

the

taken

precautions

entrances

to

them.

more
in

sur-

many

After the

occupant had been laid to rest, and the sarcophagi


or urns sealed with brass clamps and molten lead, the

last

door was walled up with stones or blocks of marble,


resembling in colour and shape those with which the

mausoleum was covered

and every trace


of an entrance was then made to disappear.
This is

rest

of the

96

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

the reason

why some

crypts, rich

have escaped molestation

tion,

The

recent period.

of Caecilia Metella

in

until

funereal decoraa

comparatively

secret passage leading to the

was discovered by accident,

tomb

in the

time of Paul III. (1534-1550), by a stone-cutter en-

gaged in wrenching away the blocks of travertine


from the square foundation. The beautiful sarcophagus found in the inner chamber is still to be seen in
the palace

that

of

Pope.

similar

discovery, under

Alexander VII. (1655-1667), took place also in connexion with the pyramid of C. Cestius, the entrance
to

which was so artfully disguised that it could be


by the hollow sound of the stones with

located only

which
ever,

it

had been blocked.

have avoided the

The

difficulty,

grave-robbers,

in nine cases out of

boring a hole through the core of

by
ment toward
ten,

Most

of

its

the

how-

monu-

the

centre.

sepulchral chambers discovered in

time had been plundered in this way.

The

my

best in-

stance can be seen in the beautiful crypt at the second


mile-stone of the Via Latina, called " Sepolcro degli

from the well-preserved bas-reliefs in plaster,


representing nymphs and nereids driving sea-monsters,
The door leading
which ornament its vaulted ceiling.

stucchi,"

into this

hole

chamber was found

could be seen

to be undisturbed

in the ceiling, hardly

two

but a

feet in

diameter, by means of which the plunderers had effected


their descent,

and carried away the

spoils (Fig. 19).

The

BURIAL PLACES

97

marble sarcophagi had been carefully searched, some by


lids, found lying in pieces on the floor,

the removal of the

some by means

FIG.

19.

of a hole

The Sepolcro

made

degli Stucchi,

in the side of the coffin.

showing the hole made by plunderers in

the vaulted ceiling.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

98
I

may

close

this

chapter

by reminding the reader

from the time of Boniface VIII., who instituted


the Giubileo in 1300, to the end of the last century,
that

the
to

highroads

Rome were

followed

by the pilgrims on the way

repaired every twenty-fifth year, at the

expense of the tombs lining the road on either side.


The information which I have collected on this point
will be published in Vols. III. and IV. of my Storia
degli Scavi di

Roma.

CHAPTER IX
THE DEVASTATION AND DESERTIOX OF THE
CAMPAGXA

THE

of the

final desolation

Campagna, with

its

con-

comitant, the plague of malaria, dates from the time of


Villas and farmhouses
Gregory the Great (590-604).
were set fire to, olive orchards and vineyards uprooted,

the supply of water cut off;


thrift

were

drained,

to the sea

and

the

all

whole

was turned

Apennines
and dangerous wilderness.

Whenever
last years, I

Roman

villa

what the cause of


a general rule,

ruins

into

plain

life

soil,

its

from the

has been excavated in these


strati-

only means of finding out

There

destruction was.

three strata.

The uppermost

are, as

consists

produced by the disintegration of the

themselves, by the decomposition of

bushes, and grass, and

pheric agencies.

and

an unhealthful

have paid special attention to the

fication of its ruins, as the

of vegetable

sources of

by

earth

the trees,

deposited by atmos-

The middle stratum

is

made up

of

building materials, such as brick, blocks of tufa, tufa

prisms for reticulate work, plaster, cement, and fragments of marble veneering. The lowest, lying directly
101

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

102

over the marble

or

mosaic

composed almost

is

floor,

exclusively of roof tiles and roofing materials.

From

we

villas

relation of parts

this

perished by
the

or

fire,

part to

first

which, for

that

by natural decay and abandonment,


in

fall

reason,

must have

walls

whether the

infer that,

was the

lie

roof, the

remains of

upon the pavements.

fallen decades,

The

not centuries, later,

if

because there

is always a thin layer of vegetable soil


between the remains of the roof and those of the walls.

The

walls have generally fallen toward the same point

the compass, as

of

thrown down by an earthquake

if

and a similar observation has been made

One thing

the columns of the peristyles.


that

when

by the

in regard
is

to

certain

fell, whether by natural decay or


of man, the marble statues which

the roofs

violence

adorned the

villa,

colonnades were

its

still

its

terraces,

in situ, and

nymphaea, and its


some cases were

in

The herms at the


standing on their pedestals.
the
of
the
exquisite carved
crossings
garden avenues,

still

fountains,

the

portrait-busts

likewise uninjured, and so they


to the present

the early

of

day had

it

the

of

atria,

remained

would have remained

not been for the lime-burners

Renaissance, and for the contractors for

the maintenance of the highroads,

who

in this respect

more works of art


have caused incalculable damage
have been destroyed in the last five centuries than in
;

all

the centuries of barbarian plundering.

For the same reason, the few

villas

which, on account

DESERTION OF THE CAMPAGXA


of their secluded

location

and

safe

103

distance from

the

highroads, escaped the mediaeval and Renaissance plunderers, prove to be a perfect

collected

some

remarkable

mine of statuary. I have


documents on this point

be published later. Let me quote two instances, one from the Villa Quintiliorum on the Appian
Way, the other from the Villa Voconiorum near Marino,

which

will

the ancient Castrimoenium.

The

Quintiliorum, the picturesque remains of

Villa

which are now called

S.

Maria Nova, from the church

and monastery of that name, which owned them


has been

ages,

excavated

at

least

times,

eight

such good results that a section of the farm


ally called

Statuario,

"

in past

is

The

mine of statuary."

with
actuoldest

search dates from the pontificate of Innocent VIII.,


more precisely, from April 16, 1485.
It led to the

discovery of the body of the so-called Tulliola,

still re-

taining the rosy colour of the flesh and lifelike appearance. 1

Several inscriptions, sarcophagi, and sepulchral

monuments came
tomb

to light on the

of the Apusii

was found

same occasion.

The

in the following century.

Winckelmann, who was present

at

the excavations of

1762 made by Cardinal Alessandro Albani, describes the


finding of a beautiful marble basin, thirty-five palms in
circumference, with the Labours of Hercules in alto-relievo

of a portico, of the areostyle type,

of the Ionic order,


1

and

with columns

of a wall covered with frescoes.

See Pagan and Christian Home,

p. 295.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

104

Here

also, in 1780,

columns of

bigio

Giovanni Volpato discovered several


and breccia corallina, thirteen feet

high; the colossal head of Julia

and the "Antiochia," now


sides the statue of

Domna, the Ganymede,

in the Vatican

Museum;

be-

young Caesar, which was bought

Pacetti.

by
About the same year an Englishman and a Scotchman,
Thomas Jenkins and Gavin Hamilton, tried their luck in
the section of the same villa called

Roma

Vecchia.

They

found a bust of Lucius Verus, another of Diocletian,


a third and a fourth of two Romans, perhaps Decem-

with the names engraved on the plinth

viri,

size statue of

with

birds,

several

life-

Euterpe, two statuettes of youths playing

and

fragments

scenic
of

masks

less

two

sarcophagi,

The

importance.

and

best por-

was purchased by Pius VI. for


the Vatican Museum, who at the same time ordered
fresh excavations to be made on his own account.
of these marbles

tion

These excavations lasted from


1792, and led

15,

to

the

May

11,

discovery

of

1789, to

May

the following

Eleven statuettes belonging to the ornamentation of one or more fountains


eight life-size statues
items

nine heads and busts


agi

two double herms

mosaic pavement

inscriptions,

several

and other objects of

Ionia purchased

two sarcoph-

columns, pedestals,
Carlo Tor-

interest.

the grounds at the beginning of

the

present century, and undertook other excavations about

1828-1829, the magnificent

results

of

which

are

de-

DESERTION OF THE CAMPAGNA


scribed by Nibly

and by Visconti

105

in the catalogue of

Museo Torloma.
The last search, made by Giovanni Battista Guidi,
about 1855, was also attended with considerable sucthe

He found among

cess.

other interesting things a cas-

tellum aquae, with its organ-like range of water-pipes,

inscribed with the names of the patricians

who owned

property in the neighbourhood, and who drew their


supply of water from this reservoir of the Villa Quintiliorum.

Having myself surveyed the

site

of the villa

on more than one occasion,

I have persuaded myself


no
means
exhausted.
by
The Villa Voconiorum was excavated at my sugges-

that the mine

tion

is

Luigi Boccanera in 1883-1884.


remains have since been destroyed,

Its

by Signer

beautiful

against our laws,

under

cultivation.

much

by a local owner, and its area put


The most interesting particular

gathered from these excavations is that when the statues fell, or were thrown from their pedestals, the floor
of the villa
of

debris.

was already covered with over three feet


The statues therefore were still standing

after the first barbarian invasions.

we may

Once

for

all,

then,

absolve the barbarians from the blame of a

useless destruction or mutilation of classic statuary. 2


1

Analisi, Vol. III. p. 726.

Gavin Hamilton excavated,

eighth mile-stone of the Appian

in or

about 1780, a round temple at the

Way, with

as

many

statues as there were

intercolumniations, each lying a few inches only from


tion.

See Riccy, Pago Lemonio,

p. 122, n. 1,

its

original loca-

CHAPTER X
THE MONUMENTS IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY

THE

early years of the seventh century were

marked

by three events of special significance for the history


monuments. These are, the erection of the col-

of the

umn

of

Phocas, the transformation

into a church,

transferring

of

the

Pantheon

and the inauguration of the practice of


of martyrs from the Catacombs to

relics

sanctuaries within the walls.

Phocas, the murderer of the Emperor Mauritius, had


seized the throne of the East in

The

November, 602.

and

cowardly assassin" and


of his wife Leontia were received in Rome with the
portraits

of

"base

this

customary honours by the clergy and the Senate assembled in the Basilica Julii at

ward exhibited

the

to

Cesario in Palatio. 1

show

farther in their

the

public

Lateran, and afterthe

in

church

The Romans went even


of servility

of

S.

a step

they raised an hon-

orary column, inscribed, Phocae dementissimo principi,


in the middle of the Forum, which still remained free

from
ceal
1

the
it.

ruins

This

The remains

is

that

were

the last

later

to

monument

of this church are described in

p. 169.

106

bury

and

con-

erected in that

Ruins and Excavations,

FIG. 21.

of Phocas in the Forum. At the right, further back,


the remaius of the temple of Saturn.

The column

THE MONUMENTS
historical

It

place.

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

IN

marks

end

the

the

of

109

ancient

"Of
period and the beginning of the Middle Ages.
the three monumental columns still extant at Rome,"
Dyer well remarks, "two were erected to the best
emperors (Trajan and Marcus Aurelius), one to the
worst and basest
the style of their

From

merits are aptly typified by

their

monuments." 1

the inscription on the pedestal of the column

Phocas (discovered February 23, 1813) we learn


the pillar was surmounted by a statue in gilt
bronze.
Now such a statue could not have been modof

that

elled

and cast in Rome

in 608 A.D.

(the column was

dedicated on August 1 of that year).

It

must have

been an old statue, cast centuries before, of which,

am

inclined to believe, not even the head

The column

for the occasion.

is

was changed

forty-five feet high,

and leans considerably toward the southeast. The style


of the shaft and capital is certainly better than that prevailing in 608 A.D.

therefore,

either the

column was

removed bodily from a classic edifice, or else the Romans


and their exarch Zmaragdus dedicated to Phocas a monu-

ment which, up

to his time,

had borne another name.

It is interesting to note that the

was

at this time free

Forum

of Trajan also

from any accumulation of rubbish.

Venantius Fortunatus, a contemporary of Gregory, speaks


of the custom of poets reciting in that place as still
flourishing in his
1

day (Carm.

III.

History of the City of

23).

Home,

p. 363.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

110

Boniface IV., elected bishop of Rome in the same


year in which the column of Phocas was dedicated,

from

obtained

that

Emperor the permission

to

dedi-

Pantheon of Agrippa to the Virgin Mary and


Christian martyrs.
This concession marks an ex-

cate the
all

important

ceedingly

moment

destruction and transformation


as

cause,

have

of the

beginning

the

in

history

ancient

of

of

the

Rome, be-

previously remarked, up to
seventh century the Christians

the

had

abstained from worshipping in places where divine


honours had been paid to pagan deities.
No classic

no

only civic buildings had thus


far been used for churches
but about this time all
temple,

shrine,

such scruples disappeared.


To speak only of the edifices lining the Sacra Via and the Forum, we now find
the

dedicated

Senate-house

hall of the

ple of

to

to S.

Augusteum

St.

Antoninus and Faustina to

Janus to

St. Dionysius, that of

The Heroon

Hadrian, the inner

Maria Antiqua, the temSt.

Lawrence, that of

Saturn to the Saviour.

Romulus, son of Maxentius, becomes

of

the vestibule of the church of SS. Cosmas and Damia-

nus

a chapel to

of the temple of

St.

Peter

is

raised in the vestibule

Venus and Rome

another to

S.

Mar-

tina in the Secretarium Senatus; a third to SS. Sergius

and Bacchus, near the steps of the temple of Concord


and a fourth to an unknown saint in the Basilica of
;

Constantino. 1
1

Cf.

Pagan and

Christian

Home,

p. 162.

THE MONUMENTS

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

IN

111

would be interesting to know whether the Pantheon was submitted to any alteration in the process
It

of transformation

into

a church.

Were

the

colossal

Augustus and Agrippa still standthe year 608, in their niches under the portico,

portrait statues of
ing, in

or those of the ancestral gods of the Julian gens in


their shrines
of

gilt

itself,

under the dome?

bronze

still

fixed

in

Were
the

and the bronze bas-reliefs

the great rosettes

coffers
still

of

the

dome

ornamenting the

It is difficult to give a
pediment of the pronaos?
I incline to the
satisfactory answer to these queries.
view that when the Pantheon was placed under the

the

of

protection

of

Queen

Martyrs,

it

was already

reduced to the present state, or rather to the state

which

was before the

it

in 663, of

1747. l

in

Urban VIII.
In the lapse

spoliations

in 1625,

of

Constans

in
II.

and of Benedict XIV.

time between the closing

of

and the abandonment of the public baths,


and the reign of Phocas, the statues of the gods and

of temples

heroes must have been


their pedestals,

Constans

removed or thrown

off

from

and the rosettes of the dome probably

the tiles of gilded bronze which covered the


and the dome Urban VIII. melted into cannon
metal from the trusses of the prouaos and Bene-

stole

II.

roof of the pronaos

410,778 pounds of

XIV. destroyed the marble veneering of the attic story.


2 For the fate of the three
Caryatides by Diogenes the Athenian,
formerly in the Paganica and Giustiniani palaces, supposed to have

dict

formed a part of the decoration of the attic, see Notizie degli


Emil Braun, Bull. Inst., 1853, p. 36.
1881, pp. 265-267
;

scavi,

DESTEUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

112

had

fallen,

one by one, through the disintegration of

The bas-reliefs of the


masonry of the coffers.
It seems
pediment had perhaps escaped spoliation.
the

when

that

Piazza

the

della

Rotonda was

exca-

first

vated and paved by Pope Eugenius IV. (1431-1439),


a head, possibly of Agrippa, the leg of a horse, and
the wheel of a chariot,

all

were found

cast in bronze,

These fragments may have


No mention is made of
fallen from the pediment.
marble statues, except of a head attributed to Cybele,

at the foot of the steps.

which Camillo Fanucci claims to have seen lying on


the floor near the high altar in the year 1600. l

Another clew as to the


taken possession

of

clumsy restorations

by Vitalianus

when

state of the Pantheon,

by the Church, is given by the


made by Boniface IV. (610 A.D.),

(663),

and

Gregory

III.

with

(735),

materials taken from other edifices, such as the marble


slab

containing

removed

Albums,
/.

(<7.

the

L.

temple of

I.

Isis

honorary
from the

285),

the

belonged to the
friezes,

Forum

beautiful

is

by Visconti
and other such

the fact that some

Pantheon

itself,

as

of

frieze

(illustrated

Vol. IV., 1876, p. 92),

more important

inscription

in

Lucius

Augustus
from the
Bull.

spoils.

of

these

Com.

Even
spoils

the two beautiful

with festoons and candelabras and sacred im-

plements, removed from the sides of the

and the doorpost taken from one of the


1

of

Camillo Fanucci, Trattato di

tittte

V opere

great

door,

side entrances.

pie, etc., c. xxxvi.

THE MONUMENTS

IN

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

115

These three pieces had been used in the restoration


steps leading from the square in front of the

of the

Pantheon to the pronaos (Fig. 22), and were found


between December, 1874, and September, 1875.

The designation

Maria ad Martyres, given to


the Pantheon by Boniface IV., recalls an interesting
of

S.

According to the Liber

fact.

was given

to the

this

Pontificdlis,

name

newly consecrated church on account

twenty-eight cartloads of sacred bones which had


been removed from the Catacombs and placed in a
basin of porphyry under the high altar.
This was the

of

beginning of an important change.


I have stated above that burial

was given up

Rome by

in

410,

the

.-X"-

in

the

year of the

Catacombs

storming

of

Alaric, and that great damage was done to

As the
during the siege of Vitiges.
country around Rome became more and more insecure
and unhealthy, and was almost completely abandoned

them

by

in

its

inroads,

537,

inhabitants
it

at

the

time

was deemed necessary

of

the

to

place

Langobardic
within the

protection of the city walls the bones of the martyrs,

whose tombs, from the time of Constantine, had more


and more become centres of pilgrimage.
The first
translation

remains

is

time of Boniface IV.

the

648

of

the third in 682,

Felicianus
of Viatrix,

one just mentioned, of


the second took place in

the
;

when

the bodies of Primus and

were removed from Nomentum, and those


Faustinus, and Simplicius from the ceme-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

116
tery of

Generosa, at the sixth mile-stone of the Via

Campana,

The

in the

Vigna

Ceccarelli, near

La Magliana.

Catacombs for the bones

last exploiting of the

martyrs was due to Paschal I. (817-824).


" innumerable "
porary documents speak of
ences of

relics.

One

of them,

the

official

of

Contemtransfer-

register of

relics, removed July 20, 817, to S. Prassede,


mentions twenty-three hundred bodies deposited under
the chapel of S. Zeno, which Paschal I. had built in

the

memory

of

his

mother,

Theodora

Episcopa.

The

mosaic legend of the apse of St. Caecilia speaks likewise of the removal of bodies quae primum in cryptis
pausabant.
These removals of relics are interesting from another

they mark the beginning of archaeological research among the remains of the great imperial thermae.
The relics of martyrs were, as a rule,
point of view,

deposited in basins and bath-tubs of

which the thermae


larly abounded.

of Caracalla

The bones

of

rare

marble, in

and Diocletian particuViatrix, Faustinus, and

Simplicius, mentioned above, were placed by Leo II.


under the high altar of the church of S. Vibiana " in

a basin of oriental alabaster of oval shape, twenty-five

palms in circumference, with heads of leopards in high


relief."
Stephen V., while rebuilding the church of
SS. Apostoli in 816 A.D., likewise placed the
of
and Claudia " in a basin of

Eugenia

(in concha porpJiyretica).

Two

bodies
"

porphyry
archaeologists, Giovanni

THE MONUMENTS

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

IN

117

Marangoni and Francesco de Ficoroni, have made a


list,

though incomplete, of these precious

interesting

Roman

of

spoils

add

should

baths

another

used

class

of

in

churches

works

of

to

art

we

it

similarly

employed, the sarcophagi, which occasionally take the


place of the bath basins, in spite of their
distinctly

pagan
as

Singular

reliefs of

character.
this

practice

judge of the taste of the

seems

Roman

to

us,

we cannot

clergy in those dark

and semi-barbaric days in the light of our own feelings and education.
They could hardly spell the Latin
words inscribed on the marble

slabs

which they used

in

the pavements, in the walls, and in the altars of their

much

could they understand their meancovered


with symbols of the worship
pedestal
ing.
of the Magna Mater, in its most crude and hateful

churches

less

form, was

used as

church

S.

an

altar

of

Michele in Borgo.
Flavius Agricola from Tibur, with
of

the

Crucifix

round

left front

The high altar in the


Baldacchino.
Teodoro was supported, until 1703, by a
on the rim of Avhich the following words

the

of

S.

altar,

were inscribed

"

On

cense was offered


St.

of

its

grave of St. Peter, in the foundations of the

church of

the

epicurean legend,
14, 1626, a few feet from the

was discovered August

column

in

The tombstone

Paul's without

to

this

the

the

marble of the gentiles

in-

The pavement

of

gods."

walls

miscellaneous inscriptions.

was patched with

931

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

118

worshipper raising his eyes toward the apse of the


church of SS. Cosmas and Damianus, could behold at
the same time the

great mosaic figure of the Saviour,

and a group of the twin founders of the City sucking


In the basilica of Junius
the wolf, in opus sectile.
Bassus on the Esquiline, Christianised under the name
of St. Andrew at the Manger, he could see the group
of the Saviour with the Apostle in the Tribune, and,
turning to the side walls, the portraits of Nero, Galba,
and six other emperors, Diana hunting the stag, Hylas
stolen

by the Nymphs, Cybele on the chariot drawn by

lions, the

chariot

of

Apollo, initiates performing mys-

and other representations from


may mention in the last instance the

terious Egyptian rites,

pagan

cults.

church of

S.

Martina, formerly the Secretarium Senatus,


adorned with the bas-reliefs

the walls of which were

from the

arch

Emperor
Maximus.

Marcus Aurelius, representing the

of

sacrificing before the altar of Jupiter Optimus

The Epitome

of

the

Chronicon

Cassinense,

which

dates from the time of Stephen II. (752-757), says that


"
after the " recovery of the Cross
made by Heraclius
in

629,

he was

diadem

Emperor betook himself to Rome, where


proclaimed Emperor, and given the imperial

the

in the throne

(in augustdli solio


tus

et

room

of the palace of the Caesars

Caesareani Palatii a senatoribus posi-

diademate redimitus, monocrator constitutus

esfy.

This passage of the Chronicon shows that the palace,

THE MONUMENTS

the

Romans

themselves,

ceremonies in the

By

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

119

the pillages of Totila, of Genseric, and of

spite of

in

IN

could

be used for state

still

half of the seventh century.

first

mean the special wing known in classical


" Domitian's house "
(olicia
by the name of

palace I

times

Aedes publicae populi Romani.


This
been
used
as
a
had
never
structure
dwelling by
great
the emperors, but simply as a state residence where

Ao/imafoO) or

they held their levees, delivered their decisions, presided over councils of state, received foreign envoys,

and gave

official

required repairs,
of

its

banquets.

The building had never

on account of

construction.

the enormous solidity

The remains

of

the hall, where

Heraclius took place, are still to be


the
seen. It was excavated by Bianchini in 1724, and again
Judging from the finds made on
by Rosa in 1865.
coronation of

these

two

occasions, there

is

no doubt that in 629

this

throne room was well preserved, not only in its essential parts, such as walls, ceiling, roof, and windows,

but also in

its

two columns

decorative details.

of giallo antico

Bianchini discovered

which stood on either

side

main door, which were sold by the Duke


Parma to the stone-cutters Perini and Macinocchi

of

the

3000 scudi
so

a threshold

made

of a block of

of

for

Greek marble

large that the high altar of the church of the Ro-

tonda has since been cut out of

it
fragments of the
of
columns
sixteen
pavonazzetto supporting the entablature, with capitals and bases exquisitely cut in ivory;

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT HOME

120

two out

marble, and

coloured

statues which stood

the

of

in the niches.

If so

of the decoration of the hall in 1724, after


at the

of lime-burners

mercy
of

space

ten

colossal

eight

much remained
it

had been

and stone-cutters

centuries, the hall itself

may

for the

well have

been in almost perfect condition at the time of the


coronation of Heraclius.

Another wing
the

Domus

of

the palace, the northeast section of

Graiana,

which overlooks the Forum and the

Sacra Via, seems to have been kept in repair and sometimes occupied by the popes, as a practical evidence of
their

in

power

political

under the

care

About 680 one

an

of
of

Rome.
officer

these

This wing was put


styled a euro, Palatii.

officers,

named

Plato, rebuilt

or repaired the long staircase which ascends from the

Clivus Victoriae to the rooms above.

His son, having

been elected pope in 705 under the name of John VII.,


conceived the plan of making the Domus Gaiana the
official

residence

of

the

bishops

Rome, above the

of

present church of S. Maria Liberatrice (super ecclesiam


sanctae

Dei

genetricis

qitae

antiqua vocatur episcopium

construere voluify.

John VII. did not


as

live to see his project carried out

took no interest in

his successors

it,

they repaired

and strongholds of the Palatine only


case of necessity.
There were four of these ecclesi-

to the monasteries
in

astical

establishments on the Palatine, the Ecclesia and

Monasterium

S.

Caesarii in Palatio,

first

mentioned in

THE MONUMENTS

IN

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

121

the time of Phocas, 603 A.D., but probably older, where


the images

to the public as a

the monastery

called

represented by the church of S.

Polveriera in the
the

of

symbol of the power that they

Rome

claimed over

now

Byzantine emperors were exhibited

the

of

still

Palladium,

Sebastiano alia

Vigna Barberini, near the

east corner

a strongly fortified place where the popes

hill,

sought refuge and protection in times of popular outthe Turris Cartularia built on the platform of
breaks
;

the temple of

which

in

the archives of

centuries

many

and

by the arch

Stator,

Jupiter

of

were

the church

Titus,

kept for

lastly the Septizonium, the great-

mediaeval stronghold of the Palatine, garrisoned by


the Frangipanis under the ownership of the abbots of
est

the

monastery

SS.

Andreae

et

ad

Gregorii

Clivum

Scauri.

The

latest bit of evidence

regarding the real or nomi-

Palatine episcopal

of the

nal occupancy

the popes came to light

November

8,

by

1883, during the

excavation of the House of the Vestals.


east

residence

At

the north-

corner of the peristyle the remains of a modest

mediaeval dwelling were discovered, belonging to a high


official

of the court of

wise obscure,

who occupied

942 to 946.
of

the

that

This

pope's

ruins of the

when

Marinus

official

II.,

the chair of St. Peter from

must have been

rooms which were

Domus

this small

Gaiana.

a pontiff, other-

It is

house was

placed

in

charge
among the

important to notice

built, at the

beginning

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

122

tenth

the

of

the

century,

of

pavement

'

the

Atrium

Vestae was already covered with a layer of rubbish


The columns of the peristyle had
five feet thick.

been removed or knocked down from their bases, the


walls

of

stripped

small tesserae

the

from their

setting.

their

marble

the

of

even

mosaic pavement wrenched

Around the

the Byzantine colony, to which


tion of the churches of

and

veneering,

Palatine hill clustered

we owe

the construc-

the Anastasis, of S.

Maria in

Theodore, and of

Schola

Graeca,

St.

existing, as well as those of S. Euplos


which
have long since disappeared. 1
Phocas,

S.

The

S.

of

Saba,

St.

still

George,

and

of

visit of

Heraclius to

Rome

in 629 is connected

with another event in the history of the destruction


He made a present to Pope Honorius I.
of the City.

(625-640) of the gilt-bronze


roof of the temple of

that

to

of

St.

tiles

which covered the

Venus and Rome,

Peter's.

This

fact

to be

proves

removed
that

the

temple was at that time in a good state of repair


while, on the other hand, the stripping off of the tiles
was a sure way to promote the downfall of the build;

ing.

Specimens of these

by Justus

tiles

were seen and described

Rycq and Giacomo Grimaldi

at the time

Paul V., who destroyed, in 1606, the roof and

nave of old

St.

For further

the

Peter's.

Another famous
1

of

edifice fell at the

same time into the

particulars, see the interesting chapter

on the history

of the Palatine in Grisar's History of the Popes in the Middle Ages.

THE MONUMENTS IX THE SEVENTH CENTURY

123

hands of the Pope, the Curia or Senate-house, which


he dedicated to St. Hadrian, a saint otherwise unknown.

The

ancient decorations of the hall, the gilt coffers of

the vaulted roof, the marble panelling of the walls, the


the pediment, and the bronze door did
or alteration with the " Christianisa-

of

bas-reliefs

not suffer damage


tion

"

of the building.

They disappeared
hands

the

partly

in

classic

shape of the building.

at

1654,

of

partly in 1589,

Cardinal

Agostino
Cusano and of Alfonso Sotomayor, who raised the floor
of the church to the modern level, and altered the

removed

to the church of

The bronze doors were

St.

ander VII., but as the folds,


about eighteen by eleven

doorway

John Lateran by Alexwhich filled an aperture

feet,

were smaller than the

a band, ornamented with the

of the Lateran,

Pope (Chigi), was added to the


ancient metal work.
A third edifice, the Heroon of
typical

of the

stars

Romulus, son of Maxentius,


the same time.

roof about

temple from destruction

lost the

bronze

Pope Sergius

I.

tiles of its

saved the

dome with

by covering the

sheets of lead. 1

On

July

5,

663,

Rome had

fortune of an imperial

for the last time the mis-

Constans

visit.

by a guilty conscience on account


1

See

De

Rossi, Bull, di arch,

were afterward

stolen,

up on the bare dome.


found roots of

ilexes,

in the cracks of the

crist.,

and vegetation,

When
and

the

1867, p. 62.

II.,

compelled

fratricide

The

to

sheets of lead

of considerable growth, sprung

monument was

fig-trees,

masonry.

of

restored,

in 1879, I

four inches in diameter, wedged

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

124

wander from sanctuary

Rome

to

pilgrimage

had undertaken a

to sanctuary,

in

the spring of

that

and

year,

was met by Pope Vitalianus and the few inhabitants


the

near the sixth mile-stone of

and

short

of

visit

friendly

proved most disastrous to the


seized

everything

of

value

sieges of Vandals, Goths,

is

not exaggerated.

Christian

emperor

Roman monuments
the

after

which,

of

Dyer

in

he

repeated

and Lombards, had been

The statement

to plunder.

The

Appian Way.

this

left

regard to this

" In the twelve


days which
"
he carried
says this writer,

robbery
Constans spent at Rome,"
off as many bronze statues as he could lay hands on
and though the Pantheon seemed to possess a double
;

claim to protection, as having been presented by Phocas


to

the

and

Pope,

Christian church,
legious

as

yet

having been converted into a


Constans was mean and sacri-

enough to carry

which covered

off

the

tiles

of

After perpetrating these

it.

bronze

gilt
acts,

which

were, at least, as bad as robberies, and attending mass


the

at

tomb

of

St.

Constans

Peter,

carried

booty to Syracuse. His plunder ultimately


hands of the Saracens."

fell

off

his

into the

remarkable discovery has been made in later years


The Embearing on this visit of Constans to Rome.
peror,

between

and

basilicas,

and

ruins.

attendants

his acts of doubtful devotion in churches

found time to

These

visits

by scratching

visit the

pagan monuments

were recorded by one


his

sovereign's

of his

name on

THE MONUMENTS

IX

THE SEVENTH CENTURY

125

prominent part of every building which the party dishonoured with its presence. One of these graffiti is
to be

found on the four-faced arch, Janus Quadrifrons,

on the right side

archway facing the church of


Velabro, the ancient Forum Boarium
of the

S. Giorgio in
another on the very top of Trajan's column.
Possibly more than mere records of a visit of curi;

osity, these scratchings


is

every probability

are records of

that the

statue

plunder.
of

There

"best of

the

was

Princes," on the top of the column of Trajan,

car-

by this visitor. The fate of the statue on the


column of Marcus Aurelius also is not known perhaps
ried off

it

was hurled down from the top

of the

column, and

broken into pieces by the fall.


When the Marchese
Ferrajuoli rebuilt the foundations of his palace on the
south side of the Piazza Colonna, in 1868, the finger
of the left hand of a bronze statue of colossal size

was discovered in the layer of rubbish which covers the


ancient stone pavement of the square.
It is quite possible that a careful examination of the principal Roman

monuments, such as the Coliseum, Pantheon, and the


column of Marcus Aurelius, would lead to the discovery
of *other graffiti of a similar character, and thus enable
us to follow, step by step, the wanderings of the last

Emperor who saw Rome


Normans.

before

the

ravages

of

the

CHAPTER XI

THE INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IX 846, AND THE


EXTENSION OF THE FORTIFICATIONS OF THE CITY

THE

Palermo by the Saracens

conquest of

in

831

caused the reigning Pope, Gregory IV., to adopt cer-

The

tain measures of defence.

tion

Tiber

of

fort

an

as

first

was the construc-

outpost at the

mouth

of

the

another was the abandonment of the churches

outside the walls, in the wilderness of the Campagria,


their contents

being transferred within the shelter of

the City's defences.

The founding of
mouth of the river,

Gregoriopolis,

the

fortress

at

the

described in the Liber Ponti-

is

AVe are informed that the ancient colony and


ficalis.
harbour of Ostia, "stricken with age, seemed to have
been altogether destroyed "
stricken inhabitants

Gregory
a

new

is

line

still

yet there were a few fever-

wandering among the

ruins.

praised by the biographer as having built


of

walls

with

portcullis

gates,

crowned

with powerful batteries (petrariae), and protected by a


The account is greatly exaggerated, to
deep moat.
judge from the

remains
1

of

this

Gregorius, IV. 38.

126

Gregoriopolis which

the late

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN

846

Carlo Ludovico Visconti and

laid

erecting

on the

left

to

in

the

main

the
or

little

two or three blocks

of

side

Ostia

at

amounts

fortifications

simply selected

They

did

actually

and

street

or his

way

of

nothing.

of old houses
filled

up

mud

walls.

also barricaded the openings of the streets

which

the doors, windows, and shop-fronts with

They

bare in

What Gregory IV.

the winter of 1867-1868.


representatives

127

It is possible, although we
found no evidence, that the houses surrounding this
rudimentary fort on the opposite sides of the boundary

ran between the blocks.

were levelled to the ground.


of 846 is a well-known event

streets

The Saracenic invasion


main

in its

lines,

but very uncertain in

The

its details.

biographer of Sergius II. (844-847), a contemporary, and

perhaps an eye-witness, of the


scription at the

most

critical

facts, leaves off

It

point.

his de-

seems that on

the 10th of August, 846, Count Adalbert, Governor of

Tuscany and protector


fleet of

warning that a

seventy-three Saracenic vessels, carrying eleven

thousand men and


nalled

of Corsica, sent

making

five

for

the

hundred

mouth

had been

horses,

Tiber.

the

of

sig-

Count

Adalbert urged the Romans to place within the protection

of

the walls the bodies

apostles, Peter
in gold

and

of

the

princes

of

the

and Paul, as well as the great treasure


which many generations of pilgrims

silver

had deposited over


defenceless basilicas

their
of

outlying

and

Via Cornelia and of

the

tombs

the

in

the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

128

Via

The Romans, however, paid

Ostiensis.

tion to the warning of Adalbert,


selves with

but

little

atten-

satisfied

them-

communicating the contents of his letter to

the villagers and farmers of

the Campagna, that these

might assemble for the defence of the coast.

Villagers

and farmers, likewise, treated the message with


tempt

so that

when

the Saracens landed at the

con-

mouth

Tiber, on the twenty-third of the month, they


found Gregoriopolis abandoned, and were able to make

the

of

that outpost their base of operations.

In these straits the


ness, not

to

shown want
had

call

it

Romans showed

much weak-

cowardice, as they had previously

The only

of forethought.

sufficient

as

inhabitants

who

courage to rush to the defence of Porto

(on the side of the river opposite Ostia, and connected with it by means of a " wretched bridge ") were
the

members

the

of

foreign

colony,

and the Franks, who lived


Biygus, between the castle of

Frisians,

called

the
in
S.

Saxons, the
the

quarter

Angelo and

the Vatican.

After two encounters, in which nineteen skirmishers


lost

their

lives,

Porto was taken by the

the garrison put to the sword

and

the few survivors were

Ponte Galera.

pursued as far as
26th of

infidels

This happened on the


on the following day the Saracens

August
marched upon Rome, while
stream, and took possession
;

their
free

fleet

was towed up-

and undisturbed

of

the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul outside the walls.

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN


I

of

129

846

on the authority
weight of gold and

have taken the pains to estimate


Liber

the

lavished

silver

Pontlficalis

on

the

the

decorations

rich

of

the

two

churches from the time of Constantine down; as nearly


as I can reckon it, about three tons of gold and thirty
of

must have

silver

an

cens,

them

almost

fallen into the

fabulous

hands of the Sara-

booty, which well

repaid

and trouble of their expedition.


While these depredations were going on, the Romans
for the cost

attempted a sally in the "plains of Nero" (the Prati di


The farmers
Castello), but were easily driven back.

Campagna, supported by the villagers from the


Alban and Tiburtine hills, seem to have been more
of the

successful in attacking and dispersing a

near the Basilica of St. Paul.

For

band

of pirates

this reason, or per-

haps because they had secured more booty than their


vessels would hold, the invaders began their retreat,
after slaughtering a

number

of

men, destroying
by fire many towns and strongholds, and carrying off
"a very great booty of people and of all things."
Their infantry and cavalry went south along the Appian

Way, while

great

the fleet skirted the coast as far as Gaeta.

Fleet and crews were ultimately lost in a gale off the


coast of Sicily.

The most important circumstance


events

is

in

this

chain of

the fate of the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul.

There can be no doubt that the Romans despised the


warning of Count Adalbert in regard to the safety of

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

130

in

treasures

the

and

gold

silver

to

belonging

both

these tombs

all the accounts agree in


;
testifying that
Saracens seized in either place innumerabilia bona.

the

Did the people

of

Rome heed

the second part of the

admonition as regards the bodies of the apostles?

Did

they open the sarcophagi and carry the precious contents within the City walls?

The answer

more than doubtful.

Pope Sergius, in
the first place, was so broken down by gout and humor
he was
podagricus that he could attend to no duties
is

for

"good
his

own

from

same
(brutus

source,
et

the

statement

"extremely dull and


valde), and so of even

was

stolidus

In the second place, the Saracens

account.

of

His brother, Benedict, we learn

biographer.

the

passive"
less

according

nothing,"

to

fell

on both sanctuaries like a thunderbolt, according to


a plan of campaign that had been carefully matured
beforehand.

What

this

plan of

the

Moslem invaders was,

it

is

Suppose that the crusaders had


taken possession of Mecca. Would not their first aim
have been to invade the Kasbah and scatter to the
easy to

understand.

four winds the

like policy
bones of the prophet?
in
the
followed
infidels
seems to have been
by
regard to

our sanctuaries.

They

the treasures of the crypt

body

and plundered
reposed the most holy

certainly entered
" where

of the Prince of the

Apostles" (ubi sacratissimum

corpus principis apostolorum requiesdfy ; here

is

the proof

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN


of

it.

Leo

of

gilt

silver,

III.

846

131

had placed over the tomb a

bas-relief

representing the

Redeemer, the Virgin

The basMary, Peter, Paul, Andrew, and Petronilla.


relief was stolen by the Saracens, and a copy was subby Leo IV.

stituted in its place

after the retreat of the

invaders.

would be impossible to discuss

It

ail

present

the arguments

Peter and Paul in 846.

same

My

opinion
in

is

that the fate

all

the

respects

that the sarcophagus of St. Peter, placed in a

subterranean crypt and protected

metal

like the

the sanctuaries of both

two holy places was not

the

book

forward to prove

brought

or to deny the profanation of

of

in a

embedded

in

masonry,

by a case

escaped

of

solid

while

rifling,

that of St. Paul, a plain marble coffin level with the

was certainly injured or destroyed.


the evidence of the fact last mentioned in the

floor of the basilica,

We

find

life

of Benedict III.:

Sepulchrum (Pauli

apostoli)

Sarracenis destructum fuerat, perornavit.

quod

The word

destructum, however, cannot be taken in a literal sense

the lid of

the sarcophagus,

with the epitaph

APOSTOLO MART(YRI) engraved


of Constantine,

Chapter

II. p. 145.

is still

xxii. in

PAULO

in the style of the age

in existence.

saw

it

on Decem-

Duchesne's edition of the Liber Pontificalis, Vol.

The passage

relating to St. Peter's, in the life of

Leo

IV.,

mentions not the grave, but the altar of the Apostle as having been
beatiss. Petri altare violatum et ad vilitatem
injured by the Saracens
:

perductum.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

132

1, 1891, having lowered myself from the fenestella


under the high altar. 1 (Fig. 23.)
The most noteworthy consequence of these events,
from a topographical point of view, was the inclusion

ber

FIG. 23.

The tomb

of St.

Paul and the canopy of Arnolf o

di

Lapo

in S. Paolo

fuori le Mura, after the fire of 1823.

of

the

Vatican district

construction

of

two

in

the

City proper, and the

powerful outlying forts, one at


church of S. Lorenzo fuori

St. Paul's, the other at the


le

Mura.

The

walls

of
1

the

Civitas

Leonina,

See Pagan and Christian Rome,

or
p. 157.

Burgus, are

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN

133

846

and are properly considered a masmediaeval military engineering.


Leo IV.

in existence,

still

terpiece of

undertook to imitate, to a certain extent, the construction of the wall of

and has two

The lower

gallery

within.

The

His structure

Aurelian.

feet thick,

is

is

twelve

galleries, one above the other.

supported by open arcades facing


is level with the battlements.

The upper one

arcades of the lower gallery were walled up in

Pope Borgia, and the gallery


the famous

the fifteenth century by

transformed into a secret passage

itself

Corridojo di Castello

connecting

Vatican with the fortress of

S.

the

palace

Angelo.

To

the

of

this cor-

many popes and cardinals have been indebted for


one of the most strikescape from death or servitude
ridor,

ing instances

May,

is

1527, fled

that of Pope

through

this

Clement VII., who

in

passage from the hordes

of Charles of Bourbon.

The construction

of

the

Leonine wall, so elaborate

in the level stretch between the Vatican

and the

for-

tress of S. Angelo, becomes more simple on the hill


behind the church, the steep slopes of which consti-

tute

we

natural

and

effective

find a plain wall with

line

of

defence.

Here

no

galleries, save a passage


at the height of the battlements, as may be seen in
our illustration. (Fig. 24.) The most exposed angles

were
still

the

by round towers, two of which are


existence and form a conspicuous landmark in

protected
in

Vatican landscape.

The one represented

in

the

134

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT EOME

illustration,

which stands

the

sea,

187 feet above

commands an unlimited view over

pagna and the

FIG.

at a height of

2-i.

Tower

and

is

of the wall of

Leo

coast,

IV.,

unde mare prospicitur


tions of the Vatican group.
turris

the

Cam-

therefore described as the

now

in

used as an observatory.

the

It is

early

now used

representaas an ob-

servatory for photographing the section of the heavens

which was

allotted

to

the

Holy See by the Interna-

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN


Astronomical

tional

used

as

chapel

Congress.
the

for

135

846

The other tower


new summer casino

is

of

Leo XIII.

The

pontifical treasury

zens of

and the resources of the

Rome were unequal

to the task of

the walls in the required time.


service (praestatio operis)

and

to,

the

colonists

of

was

completing

system of forced

in consequence

the

citi-

fortified

resorted

farms of

the

Campagna were called upon to take a share in the


work. Two inscriptions, now affixed to the arch which
spans the Via Angelica, give important details of the
scheme adopted to obtain thus speedy assistance and

cheap labour.
the

One

says,

"In

Pope Leo IV., the Militia

the time of our Lord


Saltisina (a colony

the road to Ardea, fifteen miles from

Rome)

on

built these

two towers, and the wall between them " the other,
" In the time of our Lord the
Pope Leo IV., the
Militia Capracorum (a colony founded by Hadrian I.
;

near the ruins of Veii on the

site of

the present farm

S. Cornelia) built this tower and the wall which


connects it with the next."
Both companies declare

of

that they

worked under the direction

who was probably

of a certain Agatho,

the chief engineer of the Leonine wall.

In 880 John VIII. did

for

St.

Paul's without

the

Walls what Leo IV. had done thirty years before for
St. Peter's, but with this difference, that while the
1

am

This work is entrusted mostly to Cavaliere Mannucci, to


indebted for the illustration.

whom

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

136

Burgus was included


proper, the
astery

Basilica

and

in

and became a part

Ostiensis with

hospices

remained

its

of the City

adjoining mon-

detached

con-

fort,

nected with the City only by means of a colonnade a


to be seen above

founder.

its

the

same

ground

now
after

of

which no trace

second detached fort was built about

time for the

Lorenzo

S.

is

was named Johannipolis

The stronghold

mile long.

fuori le

protection of

Mura.

No

the basilica of

historical

document

but we possess a drawing of Martin


Heemskerk which shows the state of the stronghold
The fact that two inhabited centres of
about 1534. 1

mentions the

fact,

the Campagna, Saltisinum and


nish a strong contingent of

Capracorum, could fursoldier-workmen for the

defence of the Capital, seems to prove that a few fortified farms did escape from the depredation of the
Saracens.

may add

that some of the Saracens them-

namely, the prisoners taken at St. Paul's and


on the road to Gaeta, were compelled to take a share
in the work, the fact being recorded in an inscription. 2
selves,

The extent

of the zone plundered in the fearful visita-

tion of 846 can be determined with the help of the


of churches

list

which Leo IV. had to refurnish with sacred

implements and vestments. None of the church buildings, however, seem to have been materially damaged;
at least I

have not been able to find in the Liber Pon-

Reproduced

De

in

Ruins and Excavations,

Fig. 35.

Rossi, Inscriptiones Christianae urbis

Romae, Vol.

II. p.

347.

INCURSION OF THE SARACENS, IN

any mention of Leo IV. or

tificalis

repaired

137

846

his successors

The

roofs, walls, windows, or doors.

having
list

of

plundered churches comprises those of Silva Candida,


of the delta of the Tiber, of Ostia and Porto.
I must
record especially that of S. Cyriacus on the Via Osti-

because

ensis,

remains

that

it

was

Signor

twenty-five years ago

just in the

Pietro
traces

neighbourhood of its
Rocchi discovered some
one of

of

the

Saracenic

camps, consisting mainly of daggers and poniards with


curved blades of Oriental make.
Other churches are

mentioned on the Tusculan and Alban

hills

(Frascati,

Morena, Massa Maruli), and along the Via Appia as


far as Terracina and Fondi.
Important, above all, is
the

mention of the church of SS. Cosmas and Dami-

anus (S. Cosimato) near Subiaco, because it shows that


the Saracens carried their devastation as far as the

upper valley of the Anio, and into the very heart of


the Simbruine Mountains.

We
day

find a survival

from

this incursion at the present

in the village of Saracinesco,

perched like an eagle's

on a conical

and almost inaccessible peak at a


height of 2500 feet above the sea, and of 1350 feet
above S. Cosimato.
There is no doubt that a foraging
nest

party, having been

cut off from

the

finding a retreat impossible, took

main body, and

shelter

among

these

rocky precipices, and that afterwards they were allowed


to form a settlement and live in peace by substituting
the

cross

for

the

crescent.

Some

of

the

inhabitants,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

138

who come
resque
their

Arabic

Elmansour

is

hood of the
fore,

Rome

to

costumes

names,

like

also the

name

From

village.

the Saas-Thal in

which

El-Mansour

(Almansorre).

of a cave in the neighbourthis point of view, there-

Anio forms a counterpart of


the Valaisan Alps, the villages and

our valley of

peaks of

every winter clad in their pictupainters' models, have preserved

as

the

still

preserve

their

(Monte Moro,

Allalin,

Balferin, etc.),

from the invasion

Saracenic

names

Mischabel, Alphubel, Almagell,


of 927.

CHAPTER

XII

THE FLOOD OF

ON

January

6,

856,

856

when Benedict

III.

was pope, the

Tiber rose violently, broke through the embankments,


and flooded the lower quarters of the City to the

According to the Liber Pontidepth of several feet.


waters
reached
the highest step of the stairs
the
ficalis
of St. Dionysius, near the present church of S. Silvestro
in Capite,

and the architrave of the door of

Via Lata.

in

Houses

fell

or were washed

men and
way down

S.

Maria

away by the

hundred, trees were uprooted,

cattle

and crops destroyed,

the river from

Rome to the sea.


What damage was

all

the

in this instance

monuments we do not know

drowned,

done to the

classic

but the records show that

during the Middle Ages there were several destructive


inundations of the Tiber, and they are described with
an almost stereotyped formula in the Liber Pontifie alls.

The formula runs thus

On

such an hour, on such a day of such a year, 1 the


waters broke through the posterula of St. Agatha, and
1

Hora

diei

X. for the inundation of October

Pontificalis, Vol. II. p. 145, chap, xxiii.

139

30, 860.

See Liber

140

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

rushing over the waste

fields

of

the

Campus

Martius,

followed the line of the Via Flaminia (the modern Corso)


to the foot of the Capitoline hill
this obstacle,

then,

pushed back by

they followed the line of the Pallacinae,

etc.

Such a description would not be applied to a gentle


rising of the waters, which quietly spread over the low-

FIG.

'25.

The Forum Hooded by the Tiber

18%.

lying districts, giving time to the citizens to save

and property

we have

life

here rather a sudden outburst,

produced by the breaking away of an obstacle, whether


a levee, or an embankment, or a wall.
In the inundation
of 856 the obstacle

must have been

in the line of the

THE FLOOD OF

141

856

and Honorius, which followed the left


the river from the Turris ubi umbra Neronis

walls of Aurelian

bank

of

by the present Ponte Margherita, to


There were two or three gaps in
the Ponte Sisto.
din

mansitavit,

the wall, called posterulae, which served to give access


the

to

ferries

The

and

to

the mooring stations

along the

Agatha, through which


inundations broke, was the northernmost of the

bank.
the

posterula

of

St.

and consequently the most exposed of all


any
temporary obstruction of the water here would be apt

gaps,

to give

Even
quent.
at

the

way
in

under the pressure of the flood.


modern times floods have been not
first

Our

illustration

time

inundation

in

of

1557

Aemilius (Fig- 44).

infre-

shows the Forum under water

freshet

carried

(Fig.

25).

away part

A
of

destructive

the

Pons

CHAPTER

XIII

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY

THE name
a

summary

Einsiedlen Itinerary has

description of

century, which
tions,

mostly of

is

Rome

been

given to
dating from the ninth

appended to a collection of

Roman

inscrip-

volume

origin, in a manuscript

formerly in the library of the Abbey of Pfeffers, now


in that of Einsiedeln, in Switzerland.
The volume has

been examined and illustrated in

by Haenel, Jordan, De

its

minutest details

and myself. 1
Our joint
researches have proved that the Itinerary was made up
the

of

legends

of

Rossi,

map

Charlemagne, prepared

Rome

of

for the

of

legends, therefore, are arranged so as to


itineraries,

or

routes,

religious attraction.

between

The

list is

the

time

use of pilgrims.

the

form eleven

main

as follows

of

The

centres

of

ROUTE
I.

From

the Aelian Bridge to the Esquiline, by S. Lucia in

Selce.
II.

From

the Aelian Bridge to the Porta Salaria.

Haenel, in Archiv fur Philologie und Padagogik, Vol. V. (1837)


pp. 115-138; Jordan, Topographic von Horn, Vol. II. p. 329; De Rossi,
1

Inscr. Christ., Vol. II. pp. 9 et seq.; Lanciani,


e

V Ordo

di Benedetto Canonico,

Rome,
142

1891.

V Itinerario di Einsiedlen

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY


III.

From

the Aelian

143

Bridge to the Porta Asiuaria (now

S.

Giovanni).

IV.

From

the Aelian Bridge to St. Paul's without the Walls.

V.

From

the Porta

VI.

From

the Porta Flaminia (now Porta del Popolo) to the

Nomentana

to the

Forum Romanum.

Capitol (Via di Marforio).

VII.

From

the Porta Tiburtina (S. Lorenzo) to the Subura by

the Esquiline gate of Servius

VIII.

From

and again

the Porta Tiburtina to the Subura by the Viminal

gate of Servius.

IX.

From

the Porta Aurelia (S. Pancrazio) to the Porta Prae-

nestina

X.

From

(now Porta Maggiore).

the Circus

Maximus

to the Porta Metroni, across the

Caelian Hill.

XI.

From

the Porta Appia

(now Porta

di S. Sebastiano) to the

Schola Graeca (Bocca della Verita).

The Ninth Route, from west to east, marks what the


camp surveyors would call the decumanus maior; the
Third, from north

to

approximately, gives us
the line of a cardo, at right angles with it ; the others
are designed to illustrate the four quarters formed by
the intersection of the cardo and the decumanus.
The

author of the

south,

document had two purposes

show the pilgrims

in

view

first,
way from one basilica
to another, from the grave of one martyr to that of
and secondly, to point out to them the most
another

to

their

conspicuous

edifices,

profane as well as sacred, which

they would see on the right or on the

left

of

their

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

144

The map used by the compiler of the Itinerary


we have knowledge, after those

path.

the oldest of which

is

which served

of the time of Constantine,

pilation of the Notitia


I

fact,

believe

it

com-

for the

and of the Curiosum Urbis ;

to be a revised

in

Con-

of the

edition

map, because some of the names are so


(as, Vicus Patricii, Minervium, Ha-

stantinian

distinctly classical
as to

drianum)

much

betray a

origin than the

earlier

time of Charlemagne.

The
the

which the pilgrim

streets along

are

City

exactly

those

change had yet taken


their

pavement

of

of

led through

Rome

imperial

in

place

of blocks

is

their

direction,

worn by

basalt,

age,

no

and
was

not yet covered with a layer of rubbish or with sand

from the inundations of the Tiber.


course, in general

deviation

of

for there

the

am

speaking, of

more than one instance

is

from a straight

obstacles placed in

way by

order to avoid

in

line,

downfall of some

the

great building of the Republic or of the Empire.

conception of the importance of this document, as

throwing light on the state of the Roman monuments


in the ninth century, may be gained from the first of
Routes, which

the
to

the

City.

Esquiline,

The

takes
directly

edifices

are

us

from the Aelian

through

the

S(inistra)

The

text says

left,

itself.

in

grouped

those on the right of the path,

the

heart

the

columns

three

D(extra)

Bridge
of

those on

and those crossed by the path

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY

145

ST. PETER TO THE CHURCH OF


LUCIA IN ORTHEA

FROM THE GATE OF


S.

On

The Circus

the

On

Right

The church

Flaiuinius.

the Left

of S. Laurentius in

Damaso.

The

The Rotunda.

theatre

of

The

Pompey.

Cypress.

The thermae

of

The church

Coramodus.

of St. Lawrence.

The

Capitol.

The Forum

of Trajan

and

its

The church

column.

is

The Arch

of Septimius Severus.

The

The Tiber.
The church

of S. Sergius, where

the Umbilicus Romae.

of St. Hadrian.

statue

equestrian

of

Con-

stantine.

The Forum Romanum.


The church

of St. Agatha.

Subura.

The thermae

The church

of Constantine.

of S.

Pudens in Vico

Patricii.

The church
Longo,

of S. Vitalis in Vico

where

the

The church

of S. Laurentius in

Formoso.

Back again by the

beautiful

Subura.

horses are.

The church
Vico

of S.

Euphemia

in

The thermae

The gate

of

of Trajan

ad Vin-

cula.

Patricii.

St.

Peter, from which

gate of the Aurelian wall,

we

which opened

start,

is

Cistiberine entrance to the Aelian Bridge, on the


of the present Piazza di

Ponte

S.

the

at the left or
site

Its classical

Angelo.
Porta Aurelia (nova) .had since the time of
Procopius (Goth. I. 19) been superseded by that of

name

Peter,

of

" the chief of the


apostles."

We now

enter the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

146

Via del Banco

di

S.

and Via del Pellegrino,

Roman

Via dei Banchi Vecchi,


ancient as shown by the re-

Spirito,
all

pavement which are constantly


discovered under the modern pavement at a depth varymains of

basaltic

The buildings pointed


ing from ten to fifteen feet.
the Stadium, where now is the
out on the left are
:

Piazza Navona, to which the


is

wrongly applied

the

name

of Circus Flaminius

Rotunda, or Pantheon

the

Thermae Commodianae, probably the Baths of Agrippa


First on the right are the
restored by Commodus.
Library and archives of the Church of Rome, founded
by Pope Damasus in the barracks of the green squadron
of charioteers (Stabula Factionis Prasinae, S. Lauren-

and the theatre

Pompey, the remains of which occupy the space between the Piazza
di Campo di Fiori and the Via Argentina.
We are not sure what is meant by " the Cypress "
tius in Prasino);

(Cupressus*),
of

Pompey's

which

zetta

of

streets,

of

ruins,

are

Our Ninth Ward (Rione)

Rome.
Piazza

Names

Pigna,

or

mention
even of

from a solitary tree growing conspicu-

a wilderness

ously in

della

in our itinerary follows the

theatre.

quarters, derived

of

" Pine-tree

Ward

"
;

not infrequent in
is

we

actually

have

called
also

" Elm-tree
Olmo,
Square," and a Piaz"
"
Fico,
Fig-tree ; a Via dell' Arancio, etc.

dell'

del

Yet, while such designations

may

be adopted by the

seems hardly credible that they should have


been registered in such a document as the Itinerary,
populace,

it

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY

147

and put down as indicating one of the most important


landmarks of the City.

Resuming our journey toward the Forum, we enter


the Via delle Botteghe Oscure, skirting the east side of

Flaminius (the site of which is indicated


by that of the church of S. Laurentius in Pensilis,
built among and above its ruins), then the Via di S.
the

Circus

Marco

or

Pallacinae,

and

named Clivus Argentarius

in

Prothi in the Middle Ages.


the Capitoline

hill

Via

lastly the

antiquity,

The

and the church

di

Marforio,

and

Ascesa

Itinerary mentions
of

SS. Sergius and

Forum and the column of


left,
Trajan on the right. Entering the Forum Romanum by
the arch of Septimius Severus, we turn at once to the
Bacchus on the

the

and following the succession

left,

della Croce

Lucia

of short streets,

Via

Bianca, de' Monti, Leonina, and Via di S.

in Selce,

corresponding to the Argiletum, Subura,

and to the Clivus Suburanus, we reach the end

of the

journey at the Esquiline gate, in the neighbourhood of


the church of S. Lucia in Orthea, better known under
the

name

of S.

Lucia in Selce.

Nine points of

interest

are

recorded

on

the

namely, the Senate-house dedicated to St. Hadrian

Pope

Honorius

called dei SS.

I.,

the

Quirico e

church
Giolitta

of
;

S.

the

Cyriacus,

church of

left,

by

now
St.

Agatha, the Baths of Constantine, and the beautiful


group of the Horse-tamers, from which the Quirinal
hill

borrowed

its

popular name of Monte Cavallo; and

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

148

churches of

the four

lastly,

Longus (Via di
Pudens, and

of

churches are

which

Lorenzo in Panisperna,
Euphemia on the Vicus Patricii

S. Vitale), of S.

of

S.

Via

Urbana,

(Via

Vitalis on the Vicus

S.

still

Bambino Gesu).

del

All

these

extant except that of S. Euphemia,

was

destroyed by Sixtus V. in 1587, while


cutting open the new street between the Panisperna

and

S.

only

are

Basilica
it

is

Maria

mentioned,
of

S.

On

Maggiore.
Pietro in

true that the

the

Baths

the

Vincoli.

modern

streets

two

right

of

edifices

and

Trajan
in

Though

the

general

mentioned above, dei

Banchi, del Pellegrino, delle Botteghe Oscure, etc., follow


the lines of ancient thoroughfares, the statement must
not

be

too

accepted

slight deviation to

literally.

There

the right or to the

is

usually

left,

in conse-

quence of which the old pavements of basalt have come


to light, as a rule, under the houses which flank the

modern

streets,

rather

than

under the streets them-

selves.

The importance

of the other section of

this precious

document, in which are transcribed some of the monumental inscriptions of the City,
of

that

containing the Itinerary.

inscriptions
ence,

such

Nazzareno,

from the
as

the

edifices

the arch of
obelisk

of

is

almost as great as
I do not refer to

which are
Claudius
the

still

in the

Vatican,

the

in

exist-

Via del
column

Trajan, and the arch of Septimius Severus, but to


those from buildings which have partly or wholly
of

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY


disappeared.

we

Following the order of the manuscript


monument to be the bridge by which

find the first

the Via Salaria crossed the river Anio, broken


first

in

151

down

by Totila in 544, again by the Neapolitan army


and for the third time by the Pope's own

1798,

soldiers in 1867 (Fig.

Next
the

of

26).

order are inscriptions from the square base


mausoleum of Hadrian, the epitaphs of the

in

the second

great emperors of

century buried within.

The epitaphs were destroyed in July, 1579, by Pope


Gregory XIII., who made use of the marbles for the
decoration of the Cappella Gregoriana in

The document mentions furthermore

St.

Peter's.

the triumphal arch

and Theodosius, which stood by

of Arcadius, Honorius,

the church of S. Orso at the entrance of the bridge

Nero (Pons Neronianus or Vaticanus); that of Gratian, Valentinian, and Theodosius, which stood by the
church of S. Celso in Banchi, destroyed toward the
of

fifteenth century ; and lastly an arch built


at
the curved end of the Circus Maximus,
Titus
by
the fate of which is not known.

end of the

We
was

find

a reference

also

to

Nymphaeum, which

century by Flavius Philippus, prefect of the City, at the corner of the Via
della Navicella (Vicus Capitis Africae) and Via dei
rebuilt

in

the

fifth

SS. Quattro (Tabernola);

made about 1500 by


i

C.

we

Peruzzi.

possess a drawing of
1

The monumental

L. VI. 1728 a.

it,

in-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

152

market (macellum) of Li via were

scriptions of the
in

place

they were afterwards made use of

Maria

in

pavement

various

of

restoration

Trastevere,
of

that

churches, including

two

miles

distant,

still

in
of

from

which they came to light again

the
S.

the

in 1868.

The Baths of the Julii Akarii, which, according to


another document of the Einsiedlen manuscript, stood
near the island of S. Bartolomeo, are otherwise unknown.

The Septizonium

at the

south corner of the

Palatine hill seems already to have fallen into a ruin-

The inscription on the frieze of


lower colonnade numbered originally 280 letters,
ous condition.

the
of

which 118 could be copied by the Einsiedlen scribe,


on the extreme left of the building toward the Circus

Maximus, and 45

letters

by the anonymous Barberi-

nianus (Cod. XXX. 25) on the extreme right toward


There was consequently a gap
the arch of Constantine.
of

117

which

between the

letters

were

respectively

two ends

called

Septem

of

the
Solia

ruins,

Maior

and Septem Solia Minor. As the total length of the


building was not far from three hundred feet, twofifths

of

had seemingly collapsed before or about the time


2

Charlemagne.
Another inscription

rather confused

way

of

the

collection

to the repairs

and Honorius to the theatre

of

C.

Ruins and Excavations,

I.

refers

in

made by Arcadius

Pompey, which had

L. VI. 1178.
p. 183.

THE ROME OF THE EINSIEDLEN ITINERARY

153

The Forum of
been half -ruined by an earthquake. 1
and
of
Diocletian
still
the Baths
retained some
Trajan
of their

ment

monumental

Forum Romanum,

the

of

The pave-

inscriptions in place.
of

Sacra Via, of

the

the Vicus Tuscus, and of the Argiletum was

still

clear

from any accumulation of rubbish, as shown by the


fact

the

that

compiler

the

of

collection

could

copy

the inscription of the Caballus Constantini, and others

almost level with the pavement

He saw

itself.

monuments on the Capitoline


siderable remains of the embankment
several

Tiber.
the

It

appears,

lonesome

their epitaphs

and

roads

the

walls

of

also

conthe

many tombs along


Campagna still retained
that

and marble decorations, and that, here


fell on an edict issued, centuries

there, the eye

before,

by some

prefect

regulations

against

Janiculum,

and

the

finally,

of

hill,

and

gates and

Honorius.

of

the

of

frauds

the
of

such

as

the

millers

of

the

City,

the

the customs officers

posterns

of

stationed

the walls of Arcadius and

C.

Ibid., 472, 562, 773, 916, 1014, 1472, 1708.

I.

L. VI. 1191.

Ibid., 1711, 1016, c.

at

CHAPTER XIV
THE USURPERS OF THE HOLY
OF

THE two

AND THE SACK

centuries between the pontificate of

VIII. (872-882) and that


the

witnessed

SEE,

1084

deepest

mediaeval Rome.

As

of

John

Gregory VII. (1073-1085)

degradation in the history of


we follow the chain of events,

roughly described in contemporary chronicles, we are


often reminded of the time of the "thirty tyrants" in
the third century of the Empire, the comparison being

always in favour of these last.


We read of pontificates lasting only weeks or even
days, as that of Boniface VI., which extended over fifteen days
days,

and

Peter

for

popes

in

of
of

Theodore

Benedict V.,

sixty-three

two hundred

who was Pope for twenty


who filled the chair of St.

II.,

days.

There

were

forty-nine

years, and the succession was

determined, not by established usage, but by the prevalence for the moment of one or another faction.
Popes

were elected in

direct

opposition

to

the statutes of

(882-884), Formosus (891elections were secured


896), and John X. (914-928)
by an open purchase of votes, as that of Benedict

canon law, as Marinus

I.

154

THE USURPERS OF THE HOLY SEE


1

VIII.;

there

was a double and even a

that of Sergius III. and

Benedict IX., Sylvester

of

John IX.

155

triple election,

in 898,

and that

and Gregory VI. in

III.,

1045.

The supreme pontiff might be thrown into prison


by his own attendants, as was Leo V., in 903, after
reigning only 40 days
pelled and shut
in

up

usurpers might in turn be ex-

in a monastery, as Christopher

was

might be strangled with a rope, or


with pillows, or stabbed to the heart, as

a pope

904;

suffocated

Stephen VI., Leo V., Christopher I., John X., John


2
or chased from the chair of St.
XII., Benedict VI.;

The grave of a pope might


Peter, as Romanus was.
be violated for the sake of the richly embroidered vestments in which the body had been buried, as was the
tomb of Hadrian III., at Nonantola, in 885 3 in one
;

case the

body

was exhumed from before the high


the face and hands, mutilated, dragged

itself

altar, slashed in

on the

floor of St. Peter's,

such a

lot befell the corpse of

and thrown into the

river,

in 896. 4

Formosus

Sepulchral inscriptions of popes in this period are

still

1 1021-1024.
The sum spent on this occasion is variously stated
at 1000 to 2000 pounds of Papienses, or gold denarii coined at Pavia.

See Lib. Pont. Vol.


2

De

ch. 10

pod.

II.

pp. 270, 275.

Rossi, Inscr. Christ. Vol.

III.

Lib. Pont. Vol.

43

II. p.

II. p.

235, n.

215

1, p.

Auxilius, Defens. Formos.

248, n. 18

Martinus Polonus in Lib. Pont. Vol.

Lib. Pont. Vol. II. p. 225, n.

"Ann. Alamann."

in

Lintprand, Auta240.

3.

Mon. Germ.

Auxilius und Vulgarius, p. 95.

II. p.

Scr. Vol.

I.

p.

53;

Dummler,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

156

"
extant in which their predecessors are called " wolves l

and "unclean." 2

The sacred

office

was

at the

mercy

an unspeakable Theodora vestararia and a Marotia

of

senatrix. 3

Patricians,

like

George

and

Aventinensis

4
Gregory the Nomenclator, were blinded, mutilated, and

dragged from church to church.

Matrons were punished

by being stripped of their garments in the


populace and scourged till the blood ran,
Superista.

There were

foreign

often

invaders, famine, pestilence,

The extent

murders.

to

Maria

like

fights in the streets, attacks

the castle of St. Angelo, appeals


to

face of .the

on

successful
robberies,

fires,

which the moral sense

of

men

w as blunted may be inferred from the fact that the


paternity of John XI. (931-936) is registered in the
r

But

Liber Pontificalis in words that are unquotable.


is

only

affairs

fair

to

remember that

did not prevail in

this

Rome

of

The whole

of

shocking

alone.

it

state

Europe in those dark days was corrupt yet, even in


period, we now and then find a pope of noble
character, whose virtue, wisdom, and sanctity are in
;

this

striking contrast with the tendencies of the age.

To what

vicissitudes the remains of ancient

subject in the tenth century

it

is

easier to imagine than

Be

Ibid. p. 215,

Chronicon of Benedict of Soracte, ad a. 928.


Mon. Germ. Scr. Lang. p. 483 Ann. Fuld. ad

Rome were

Rossi, Inscr. Christ. Vol. II. p. 212.

and Lib. Pont. Vol.

II. p. 258, n. 4.

Defens. Formos. ch. 4.


6 Mon. Germ.
Scr. Lang.

p. 483.

a.

882

Auxilius,

THE USURPERS OF THE HOLY SEE

157

Amidst general disorder and the


strifes of contending factions, they became the prey of
any one who had the power to seize them and use them
to set forth in detail.

own

for his

purposes.

Some

formed into strongholds

great buildings were trans-

others were levelled to the

their occupation by the opposite


few were occupied by the lowest orders of
thus the Forum Transitorium was taken
tradespeople

to

ground

prevent

faction.

by the butchers, the Basilica Julia by the


rope-makers, the Crypta Balbi by the candle-makers, and
possession of

the Circus Flaminius

by the lime-burners.

There was a decline in the number of pilgrims

vis-

in regard
Holy City. Lack of knowledge
and
so
far that,
had extended
reading
writing
after the double election of Sylvester and Gregory,

the

iting

to

in

1045,

pontiff

holy

as

both these popes were

illiterate,

third

was named who could help them celebrate the

offices. 1

The falling off in the number of pilgrims was manifest


in the shrinkage of the " Pilgrim's Pence," the principal
item in the revenue of the Holy See.

This was due to

the insecurity of travel not only in the Campagna, but


also in the rest of Italy and in the Alpine passes.
There

were regular bands of highwaymen, organized to waylay


the pilgrims and rob them of the pence that they were
expecting to offer to the "great beggar," as Rome was
Especially for pilgrims from the northern side

called.
1

See Mon. Germ. Scr. Lang. Vol. VI.

p.

358 ad

a.

1044.

DESTRUCTION OP ANCIENT ROME

158

journey to the "seat of the Apos-

Alps the

the

of

tles" involved risks and sufferings which

An

credible.

now seem

in-

inscription formerly in the parish church

Bourg-St. -Pierre, in the Val d'Entremont, recorded


the murders committed by a band of Saracens in the
of

St.

These were the Moors

Bernard Pass.

neto,

973,

who for more than half a


commanded the passes of

acting

heavy ransoms from

grims.

of

Frassi-

century, from

906 to

western Alps, ex-

the

travellers,

In 940 they crossed the

St.

especially

Bernard and

pilfell

on the rich monastery of St. Maurice in the Rhone


In 973, a distinguished pilgrim, Maiolus, abbot
Valley.
Cluny, was taken at the bridge of Orsieres, and
compelled to pay a large sum in gold to save his
of

life.

The outlaws

of the

Moors

cruelty with the

vied in rapacity and

Campagna
of

Frassineto

and, although

the popes of a later age succeeded in extirpating the


evil,

as

regards

the

existence

of

regularly organized

bands, yet the lonely roads converging to

not until recently been quite secure.

saw

(at least, I
cross
site

There

exists still

a few years ago) a modest

wooden

bank of the ancient Via Clodia, opposo-called Sepoltura di Nerone, which marks

on the
the

it

Rome have

left

the spot where a

murdered

Toward

young female pilgrim was

atrociously

in 1827. 1

the beginning of
1

Shown

this

troubled

in Fig. 17, p. 93.

period the

THE SACK OP

159

1084

revenue from the contributions of pilgrims was


temporarily offset by an increase from an unexpected
loss of

In the pontificate of Stephen VI. (896-897),


the venerable basilica of St. John Lateran fell in.
Negligently built, with spoils from earlier edifices, as were
source.

the other churches of the time of Constantine,

it

had

The walls
long since begun to show signs of decay.
of the nave rested on columns of various kinds of marble,
differing in height

and strength.

These, yielding under

the pressure of the roof, bulged outward so far that

the ends of the beams of the roof-trusses came out of

and the building collapsed. In the


were untold treasures accumulated in the course
their sockets,

turies

as Gaius

Marius

stole

basilica

of cen-

from the smouldering ruins

of the temple of Jupiter on the Capitol (83 B.C.) several

thousand pounds of gold, and Julius Caesar gathered


large sums of money from the demolition of the temple

Forum

of Pietas, near the

the Apostolic

of

treasures, all

its

See

Holitorium, so the "usurpers

bore

from

the

basilica

all

its

furniture of gold and silver, and

all

the utensils."

The chastisement

that followed

sweeping, and introduced a new


the history of the papacy
of the
fate

is

those evil days was

era, at least so far

concerned

as

and the fortunes

papacy were always closely connected with the


Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia,
City.

of the

arrived in sight of the walls of Rome,

May

24, 1084,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

160

and established
ducts, probably

his

camp among

the ruins of the aque-

on the same spot

by the Torre del


where the

Fiscale, fourth mile-stone of the Via Latina

Goths had encamped 547 years before.


The Romans
displayed more courage than might have been expected.

Abandoned by
welcomed

as

the

Emperor Henry

a liberator

IV.,

whom

only a few days

they had

previously,

knowing what they had to expect at the hands of the


Normans and Saracens, whom Gregory VII., Pope
Hildebrand, had summoned to his rescue, they pluckily
entered

on

the

unequal

There were

fight.

traitors

among them, however, chief of whom was the consul


Cencio Frangipane. At daybreak of May 28 the Normans and

their infidel allies effected a double entrance

by the Porta Flaminia (now Porta


Porta Tiburtina (now Porta di

S.

del Popolo)

and the

Lorenzo)

fighting

way through the eastern quarter of the city, they


succeeded in releasing the Pope from the Castle of St.
their

Angelo, and conducted him amid fire and carnage to


the Lateran.
The whole of the Campus Martius and of
the Caelian hill was devastated by the flames, and the

unhappy City became the scene of horrors, in comparison with which the sack of the Vandals seems merciful.

On

the third day the citizens tried to rise once more

against their foes, but the attempt was stifled in blood

and

fire.

The

scene

is

well pictured by Gregorovius.

"When

both flames and the tumult of battle had subsided," says

THE SACK OF
the learned author of

Rome

161

1084

in the Middle Ages, 1 "

Rome

smoking ashes before Gregory's eyes

lay a heap of

burnt churches, streets in

ruins,

the

dead bodies

of

Romans, formed a thousand accusers against him. The


Pope must have averted his eyes as the Romans, bound
with cords, were led in troops into their camp by Saracens.
Noble women, men calling themselves senators,
children, and youths were openly sold like cattle into
others,

slavery;

and among them the imperial

prefect,

were carried as prisoners of state to Calabria.


Goths
and Vandals, nevertheless, had been more fortunate than

were the Normans, since Goths and Vandals had found


Rome filled with inexhaustible wealth, while the plunder
of the

Moslems

in

the service of the duke could no

longer have been comparable to that which their predecessors had ravished from St. Peter's 230 years before.

The

city

was now

terribly impoverished,

churches were devoid of ornament.

and even the

Mutilated statues

stood in the ruinous streets or lay in the dust amid the


relics of

baths and temples.

Hideous images of saints


basilicas, which were

remained here and there in the

already falling into decay, and attracted the spoiler by


the gold which was possibly
votaries.

for

The

still

affixed

to

them by

brutal fury of the victors satisfied itself

some days in robbery and murder, until the Romans,


and a cord round their necks, threw them-

a sword
selves

at

the feet of the duke.


1

The grim conqueror

Mrs. Hamilton's translation, Vol. IV. p. 246.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

162

compassion, but he

felt

could

not

make good

their

losses."

Even

after the lapse of so

Rome

find in

many

The Caelian quarter

as a

it

The few roads which

27).

we can

still

whole has never recovered from

the state of desolation to which


(Fig.

centuries,

traces of this Norman-Saracenic invasion.

was reduced

in 1084

traverse this

silent

region are practically the same as those through which


Gregory VII. had been hurried from the castle of S.

Angelo to the Lateran


the

layer

of

only their present level

from

debris

the

burnt

is

edifices

higher,

having

We

considerably raised the level of the whole district.

have evidence of

this in the

of S. Clemente,

The lower church shows

one above the other.


of

two churches

the level

the city before, and the upper that after, the

The

fire.

reconstruction of S. Clemente was undertaken, after

the withdrawal of Robert Guiscard, by Cardinal Anastasius,

tion

who

of

died in 1126 or 1128, leaving the

the

work

to

Cardinal

Pietro

Pisano.

comple-

This

information has lately been obtained from the epitaph


of Cardinal

was accidentally discovered


new house in Via Arenula. The

Pisano, which

in the foundations of a

marble slab on which this inscription was cut appears


to have been divided up into small squares, at an un-

known

pave a room in a house two miles disClemente. There is a difference in level

date, to

tant from S.

of thirteen feet

and the

and seven inches between the

later church.

earlier

THE SACK OF

The

fate

another

of

ecclesiastical

the church of the

Caelian,

stroyed by the same

somewhat
II. in

dently rolled

down

This

1111 on the same


fire

had

evi-

the slopes of the knoll on which the

building stood, but

it

the original area.

We

II., still

the

Coronati, de-

different.

the reason that the debris of the

level, for

on

building

SS. Quattro

fire, is

church was rebuilt by Paschal

Paschal

165

1084

occupies only a small portion of


learn from the

extant, that he

inscription

of

made excavations under

the marble floor in search of some holy relics: iussit


cavare sub altare quod prius combustum et confractum

fuerat

et invenit

ex proconesso

duas concas

in

quibus

unam

The work was not completed


the same

Pope is due
S. Adriano

churches of
of S.
of S.

porpkireticam

et

aliam

erant recondita sacra corpora.


till

the

also
in the

January

7,

1116.

reconstruction

Forum Romanum

of

To
the

(1110),

Monti (1113),
Salvatore in Primicerio (1113), and of a chapel

Maria in Monticelli, of

S.

Pantaleo

ai

near the Porta Flaminia, erected to scare away the ghost


of Nero, by which it was believed that belated travellers

were pursued on entering the city.


Much has been written in regard to the extent of the

damage done
and

fire

to the

of 1084.

It

pagan monuments by the pillage


must have been great, especially

in the region of the Caelian, of the Oppian,

valley which runs between these

The

and of the

hills in the direction of

old Porta Asinaria was named, after


the catastrophe, the Porta Perusta, or the " burnt gate."

the Lateran.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

166

the abandonment

decay of the City,

In

fact, the final

of

the old level of streets and squares (Fig. 28), the

disappearance of the remains of private houses, and even


dates from this fearful conflaof some public edifices,

The

long since stricken by water famine,


ceased altogether to be inhabited, and the scanty

gration.

now

hills,

population pressed more and more toward the Campus


Martius, where the digging of wells was easier on ac-

count of the alluvial


Tiber.

The

umns

of Trajan

which forms the valley

soil

of the

larger monuments, such as temples, theatres,


and baths, were not much damaged by the fire. The col-

all,

works of

of

and of Marcus Aurelius did not

The

being in the middle of open squares.

suffer at

collection

and that

art in bronze at the Late ran,

of

marble statues on the Quirinal, also went safely through


the ordeal.

Hildebert, Archbishop of Tours,

who

visited

Rome in 1106 or 1107, speaks of great remains which


struck him with admiration, and also of the beautiful
statues in

We

which the City

know one

still

abounded.

of the reasons, at least,

why

the two

massive columns of Trajan and of Marcus Aurelius were


spared in these centuries of wholesale destruction.

They

brought a respectable income to their respective owners,


namely, to the public treasury for the

monks

An

of SS. Dionysius

and Sylvester

inscription in the vestibule of

first,

and to the

for the second.

the present church

of S. Silvestro in Capite, dated 1119, states that both

the column of Marcus Aurelius and the

little

church

THE SACK OF

169

1084

which stood at the foot of

of St. Nicholas

were leased

it

from year to year, on


which could be collected from the

to the highest bidder, probably

account of the fees

tourist or pilgrim that

Rome from
The

a lofty point of observation.

obelisks were less fortunate than the

columns just referred

rative
of

wished to behold the wonders of

commemo-

and the overthrowing

to,

up by Augustus as a sun-dial in

the obelisk set

Campus Martius is commonly attributed to the


Normans.
This shaft was undoubtedly erect on its

the

pedestal in the time

whether, after
sponsible

for

Charlemagne, when the Einbut we are not sure

of

was compiled

siedlen Itinerary

are

to

Were we

destruction.

its

Normans

the

all,

be held
in

re-

possession

of precise records of the discovery of the different obelisks,

indicating the

way

in

which they lay on

their

bed

which the various fragments


were found, the injuries that they had received before,
during, or after the fall, and the nature of the fracof rubbish, the

tures,

depth at

we should probably be

able

agency the giants were laid low.


that the

responsibility of

the

to

tell

But

it

by what
is

throwing down

certain
of

the

monoliths cannot be fixed upon the early barbarian invaders,

because

obelisks were

that

standing

in

some of the principal


and seventh

the sixth

Nor can earthquakes be considered an ade-

centuries.

quate cause

we know

still

why

should the Vatican obelisk have been

the only one to withstand the shocks

Further,

it

has

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

170

been proved that the columns of the porticoes of public

and private buildings destroyed by the earthquake of


422 all fell in the same direction, toward the norththat

east,

is,

toward the point of the compass from


The obelisks, on the contrary,

which the shock came.

appear to have fallen toward every point on the horizon.


The last statement is corroborated by the evidence

man who investigated the subject, Michele


He states that the obelisks discovered by his

of the first

Mercati.

Sixtus

contemporary,

Maxim us, now

in

V.,

the

the two from

Piazza

del

the

Laterano

Circus

and the

Piazza del Popolo, and the one from the mausoleum


had
of Augustus, now in the Piazza dell' Esquilino

not been overthrown by accidental causes.


retained evidence

them down, by
building

fires

of the efforts

drilling

made by man

holes to

insert

all

They

to bring

levers,

or by

about the pedestal. He says that every


saw come out of the ground was broken

obelisk which he

three

into

intact,

pieces,

the upper and middle pieces being

while the lower portion,

which rested on the

showed the edges rounded off by the violence of


Such operations require more time and
the flames.
base,

patience than would have been devoted to such a pur-

pose by the barbarians.


I

have three documents to present in relation to

interesting subject of

the fate of the obelisks.

this

One

is

an unpublished sketch by Carlo Fontana, showing the


1

See

p.

152 of his book Degli obelischi di

Boma, MDLXXXLg.

THE SACK OF

way the
moment

obelisk

of

171

1084

the gardens of Sallust lay at the

of its discovery.
Another is a sketch by
Maria
Bandini, showing the injuries which the
Angelo
lower portion of the obelisk of the Campus Martius

had suffered before or


lastly,

at

the time

my own

the record of

the obelisk of the temple of

of

fall

its

and

experience in unearthing
Isis,

near the apse of the

church of La Minerva.

FIG.

2i).

The

The obelisk

sketch

(Fig. 29),

is

of the gardens of Sallust, as

of

Carlo

it

Fontana,

lay after

here

dated March 21, 1706, and

the private library of

shows the way

Queen Victoria

which one

in

is

at

it

had

fallen.

reproduced
preserved in

Windsor. 1

It

of the obelisks decorating

the Egyptian casino of the gardens of Sallust had fallen,

having been broken into two pieces, one double the


This division of parts is especially
length of the other.
interesting in the light of Mercati's
i

Volume

1,

sheet 249,

statement that in

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

172

their

the

fall

would

obelisks

break

generally

into three pieces of about

equal length.

The drawing given by


Bandini 1 to illustrate the
condition

is

the obelisk

of

Campus Martins

the

in

even more significant.


have reproduced it on

a scale a

one third the

than

less

little

size of the

original (Fig. 30).

This

how

the lower portion of

the

monolith

!/:

dMflFEX-MAXlMVS

off

had

been

away and rounded

eaten

fff/STVS

shows

drawing

by

fire

we can

see

also

the holes drilled in

the

upper

insertion

part

levers

of

iron clamps,

for

by those

the

and

who

were endeavouring to hasten the

But the
1

De

fall of

the shaft.

chief importance

Obelisco Ccesaris Augusti,

Campi Martii ruderibus nuper


eruto.
Romae, MDCCL.
e

FIG. 30.

The

obelisk of the

Campus Marti us.

THE SACK OF
in the fact

lies

we

that

173

1084

from the evidence thus afforded

are able to determine the approximate date of the

fall

The reader

itself.

shaft

is

estal

is

will

observe that though the

greatly injured and in part calcined, the pedin

a remarkable

state

of

The

preservation.

the shaft was protruding


meaning of this is clear
above ground and exposed to injury, while the base was

embedded

and protected by the soil and debris which


had accumulated around it. In other words, when the
in

Augustus fell, the level of


Martius had risen some ten or eleven
obelisk

of

about halfway between the


level of

the City.

We

classical

the
feet

Campus
;

it

was

and the modern

may, therefore, assign the

fall

monolith to the tenth or the eleventh century.


In a line with this conclusion was the condition of

of the

the obelisk of Rameses the Great,


to light

of Isis. 1

June

14, 1883,

AVhen

which was brought

among the ruins of the temple


monument was laid on its

this graceful

pavement of the temple in which it was


standing had already been covered with a thick layer
side,

the

of rubbish.
1

Bull.

Com., 1883,

p.

33 sq.

CHAPTER XV
ROME AT THE END OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY
THE ITINERARY OF BENEDICT

THE

state of

Rome

vasion could in no

before and after the

way be more

Norman

in-

clearly indicated than

by comparing the Einsiedlen Itinerary, of the ninth century, with the Itinerary of Benedict, of the twelfth.
last

This

document, better known under the name of Ordo

Romanus, forms a part of the Liber politicus written


by Benedict, who was canon of St. Peter's under the
pontificate of

Innocent

cated to

of Castello, cardinal of St.

Guy

dict himself

II.

(1130-1143).

was dedi-

It

Mark.

Bene-

became Pope in 1143, under the name

of

His Ordo, edited by Mabillon, Urlichs,


1
Jordan, and myself, describes seven routes by which
Caelestinus II.

the popes used to cross the city at the head of public

processions on certain days of the year.


follows
1

are as

Mabillon,

Museum

Italicum, Vol.

dex topogruphicns urbis Romae,

Horn

They

II. p. 143,

p. 79 sq.

in Altertum, Vol. II. p. 664 sq.

siedlen, p. 87 sq.

174

nn. 50, 51

Urlichs, Co-

Jordan, Topographic der Stadt

Lanciani, IS Itinerario di Ein-

THE ITINERARY OF BENEDICT

175

ROUTE

From

I.

the church of the Resurrection (now S. Anastasia) to

St. Peter's.
II.

From

the church of St. Hadrian to S. Maria Maggiore.

III.

From

the church of

IV.

From

the Lateran to the Vatican, and

Maria Maggiore to the Late ran.

S.

Back from the Vatican

V.

to the Lateran

VI.

From

the Coliseum to St. Peter's.

VII.

From

the church of

mana)

to S.

S.

by a

Maria Nuova (now

different route.

S.

Francesca Ro-

Maria Maggiore.

These seven routes correspond in part with those followed by the Einsiedlen Itinerary, and are specially
important for our study a greater number of landmarks
are mentioned than in the Einsiedlen document, and
;

many changes

are clearly seen to have taken place in

the thoroughfares of the City since the ninth century.

We may
is

ary
fifth

also observe that, while the Einsiedlen Itiner-

based on a

century,

of

map

made

at

the City of the fourth or

when

time

the edifices

still

bore their correct and classic names, the Itinerary of

Benedict has a distinctly mediaeval character, and shows


traces of the influence of that widely used mediaeval
guide-book,

"

The Marvels

of

Rome

"

(Mirabilia Urbis

In fact, Benedict the Canon apparently had


Romae}.
at hand no better source of information for topography,

when

describing

the

City, than this vade


1

There

is

through the
of ignorant pilgrims, which

pontifical

mecum

pageants

an English translation by F. M. Nichols, London.

1889.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

176

had gradually made


of the

Roman

its

way among

the

official

documents

curia, as did the Politicus of Benedict

and

the liber Censuum of Cencius Camerarius.

compare the Tenth Route


of the Einsiedlen Itinerary with the First of the Itinerary of Benedict; both conduct the reader over the
It will be

instructive

to

same ground, between the Circus

The

Crypta Balbi.
of interest

first

Maximus and the

mentions the following objects

Scola Graecorum,

now the church of S. Maria in Cosmedin.


now Piazza della Bocca della Verita.

Templum

temple

Ecclesia Graecorum,

Jovis,

Capitoline
Elephantus,

of

Jupiter

Optimus Maximus,

on the

hill.

i.e.

Elephantus Herbarius, on the Via della Bocca della

Verita.
Portions, colonnade

on the west side of the Via della Bocca della

Verita.

Theatrum, theatre of Marcellus.


Sanctus Angelus, the colonnade of Octavia.
Porticus, the colonnade of Philippus.

Theatrum Pompeii, the theatre of Pompey.

These names, we readily

see, all

belong to the

classi-

Ordo
Byzantine periods. But the names
are of an altogether different class, and their relation
of the

cal or

to the

We

names given in the Mirabilia is at once obvious.


from the church of the Anastasis, which has

start

already been transformed


follow Benedict

over

into

Sancta

the same route.

Anastasia,

The

and

Porticus

usque ad Elephantum has become the Porticus

G-alla-

THE ITINERARY OP BENEDICT


torum,

now

177

represented by the church and hospital of

the temples of Pietas and Hope in


Holitorium
the Forum
have the name of Cicero and the
S.

Galla Patricia

Sibyl; the theatre of Marcellus

Porticus Minucia
the Crypta Balbi

A
is

similar shifting

found

to be

now

is
is

is

a Basilica Joins

Portions

the

Templum

the

Crinorum, and

Craticulae.

from ancient to mediaeval names

in every route of the

Ordo ; nevertheless

always remain a document of the

this will

first

rank for

our knowledge of monumental Rome in the twelfth cenTo indicate its value we may take up the part
tury.
dealing with the Burgus, or Vatican district, which is
not covered by the Einsiedlen Itinerary ; the topographical outline, accurate as well as clear, is as follows
:

1.

Pans, templum, castellum Adriani,


S.

2.

3.

now

the bridge and castle of

Augelo.

collina, the gate of St. Peter, in front of the castle,


destroyed by Alexander VI.
Obeliscus Neronis, the familiar Terebinth of the Mirdbilia, one

Porta

of the great mausolea on the border of the Via Triumphalis.


Peter Mallius describes this mausoleum as resembling in

shape and in height the mole of Hadrian. It was demolished


to take advantage of its beautiful marbles for the building of
the steps and of the court of St. Peter's. The name Terebinthus seems to be a corruption of tiburtinum, which in the language of those days meant an edifice built of stone or marble.

Antonio Filarete has represented the monument, in one of


the panels of the bronze gates, as actually having the shape
of a tree 1
!

The name
N

for turpentine-tree in Italian is terebinto.

DESTKUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

178
4.

Memoria

Tomb

seu sepulcrum Romuli,

This "

Tomb

of

shape, so called to

which we know
S. Paolo.

It

as the

was

represented in

of

Romulus.

Romulus " was a mausoleum of pyramidal


form a pair with the so-called Meta lieini,
pyramid of

Cestius,

also popularly called

Antonio

Meta

by the Porta
di Borgo, and

di
is

Filarete's bronze panel, as well as in

Raphael's fresco of the Vision of Constantiiie. It stood on the


left of the Via Triumphalis, between the church of S. Maria

Transpontina and the palazzo Giraud-Torlonia in the Piazza


Scossa-Cavalli.
Alexander VI. levelled it to the ground to
make room for his Via Alexandriua.
5.

Porticus, Porticus Maior, Via Sacra.

This was a covered way, by means of which the pilgrims


could cross the Borgo under shelter. It started at the Ponte
S. Angelo, and followed the line of the present Borgo Vecchio
to the foot of the steps of St. Peter's.
6.

S.

Laurentius in Porticu Maiore.

The covered way


and

demolished July
donia,
S.

just

shrines, such as S.
13,

now

mentioned was lined with churches

Maria Transpontina de Capite Porticus,

1564

S.

Salvator de Porticu, or de Bor-

Giacomo Scossa-Cavalli

S.

represented by
Laurentius of the Ordo, rebuilt in

its

and the

present shape by the

Cesi d' Acquasparta in 1659.


7.

S.

Maria

in Virgari.

This was a church at the end of the covered way, toward


St. Peter's, so called from the corporation of makers and sellers
of pilgrims' staffs, to
it

8.

in 1568 to

which

it

belonged.

Pius IV. demolished

widen the area mentioned under the next head.

Cortina Beati Petri.

This was a small square at the foot of the steps of

St. Peter's,

ornamented with three fountains, one of which was of porphyry; the other two were of white marble.

Interesting as

it

would be

to follow the

worthy canon

through the other parts of the City, the limits of our task

THE ITINERARY OF BENEDICT


forbid.

Mediaeval

Rome

has

limit of its greater changes.

City in most places

surface.

metropolis

lies

ten

now almost readied the


The level of the ancient
or twelve feet below the

large portion of the site of the once proud


is

wholly deserted

the great monuments,

moss-grown and crumbling except where the

FIG. 31.

179

typical

Roman house

solidity of

of the twelfth century, built with

odd

fragments.

construction was such as to defy Nature herself, are in


part turned to account as habitations, in part exploited
for such building materials as are of use to the scanty

population

of

degenerate

days (Fig. 31), in part

undisturbed in the midst of the wilderness.

left

CHAPTER XVI
MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS OF MEDIAEVAL
AND RENAISSANCE ROME
IN the exploiting of the Roman monuments for valumaterials in mediaeval and early modern times,

able

two

workmen

classes of

in particular wrought the most


These were the Marmorarii, or marble-

serious damage.
cutters,

and the

The Roman

Calcararii, or lime-burners.

marble-cutters, architects, sculptors, and

mosaic-makers, whose work was in a sense a precursor


of the Renaissance,

our

admiration,

whose

are

command

artistic creations still

generally

called

the

" School

of

The Cosmatis, however, are only a branch


great succession of workmen which was founded,

Cosmatis."
of this

about 1150, by the Sons of Paul,

filii

Pauli.

Lawrence,

son of Cosmas, the head of the Cosmati branch, flourished

toward the end of the twelfth century, and was followed


The
by five generations of artists of the same name.
the third branch, which also includes

Vassalecti form

three or four generations, from 1153 to 1275

branch

is

that of Ranuccio

and Nicholas,
son John,

his

who

the last

Romano, with his sons Peter

nephew John Guittone, and

flourished from 1143 to 1209.


180

his grand-

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS


It is not necessary to repeat here

181

what Promis, Reu-

mont, De

Rossi, Frothingham, Richter, Boni, Mazzanti,


and others have written on the origin and progress of

For our purposes

this great school of marble-cutters.


it

is

sufficient

to observe

that for the space of three

centuries the guild lived and prospered and accomplished

work at the expense of the ruins of ancient Rome.


The marble-workers made excavations and destroyed old
monuments with two ends in view, to find models and

its

They were

to secure materials for their work.

especially

fond of epitaphs
whether pagan or Christian it mattered not
because the thin slabs of marble on which
the epitaphs were inscribed could easily be adapted to
their

purpose, being almost ready

and panels
This

is

of

the

for

use in borders

mosaic, ambones, and decorative patterns.

reason

why

the

of

floors

our

mediaeval

churches are so rich in epigraphic documents


about
hundred inscriptions were used in making the
;

two

pavement

of SS. Quattro Coronati after the destruction

of the church

by the Normans, and nearly

were similarly turned to use in the


without the Walls.

The marble-workers

traffic

two and a half

spirit of emulation in building

of

Italy.

Each town

an interprovincial
Roman marbles, which

also inaugurated

and even international


flourished for

a thousand

floor of St. Paul's

felt

in

by the
which had seized the cities

centuries, sustained

impelled to raise a church,

"grand, beautiful, magnificent, whose just proportions

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

182

and length should so harmonise with


the decoration as to make it decorous and

in height, breadth,

the details of

solemn, and worthy of the worship of Christ in

and

duomo

canticles," like the

of Siena

which should reach "even to the

hymns

and campaniles

stars,"

like

that of

Spoleto.

The

first influential

voice heard in remonstrance against

these practices of the marble-cutters,

donment

of the

Roman monuments,

and the utter abanis

that of Petrarch.

His pungent remarks were addressed especially to the


nobles, whom he describes as following in the path of
destruction, treading in the footsteps of the Goths

the Vandals.
the

middle

However,
and lower

if

and

the patricians were to blame,

classes

closely

followed

their

Temples, baths, theatres, and palaces were


their marble ornaments were
demolished piecemeal
example.

broken to pieces and thrown into the lime-kilns, and


even their walls overthrown and their foundations broken

up

for the sake of the stones or of the bricks

After a time the produce of this indus-

they were faced.


try

in excess of the

grew

with which

demand, and more

spoils

were

accumulated than could be disposed of in the local market.


Some of the facts connected with this new phase in
the history of the destruction of

students

are

known

to

but they have yet to be properly grouped

and compared.
tions,

Rome

shall here offer only a

with the hope that they

investigate the subject

may

few observa-

induce others to

more thoroughly.

The

archives

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS


of our great church buildings

183

have yet to be explored

Fumi

the success achieved by Luigi

in

examining the

documents connected with the building of the duomo at


Orvieto leads us to hope that other records

may be

found,

on both sides of the Alps, by means of which this branch


of trade of mediaeval Rome may be illustrated.

The

earliest instance of the

removal of marbles from

the Eternal City to distant lands dates from the time

King Theoderic.

of

In a letter addressed to Festus

the Patrician, Cassiodorius, the king's secretary, orders


that the columns of the

Domus

possession near the gate of the

Pinciana

same name

an imperial
should be

sent to Ravenna.

The portion

of the cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle erected

by Charlemagne

in 796-804,

and consecrated by Leo

III.,

an octagon copied from S. Vitale at Ravenna, designed


and built by Roman marmorarii.
The lofty openings
of the upper story are decorated with a double row of
is

columns of unequal length, of rare marbles and breccias,


1
In fact,
brought from Rome, Treves, and Ravenna.
the

desire

to

follow

Roman

traditions

was

so

great

was actually
the one which then

that the fountain in front of the cathedral

decorated with a brazen wolf, like

stood in front of the Lateran, and with a pine cone,

one which stood on the fountain of Symmachus,


in the atrium of St. Peter's.
like the

The most valuable were

restored at the peace of 1815.

stolen

by the French invaders

in 1794, but

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

184

The
in

cathedral of Pisa, begun in 1063, and consecrated

1118 by Pope Gelasius

taken

from Rome and

the classic

II., is

mostly built of marbles

The workshop in which


remains were transformed into new shapes
Ostia.

by Busketus and Ronald, the architects of the duomo,


Some
has lately been found on the banks of the Arno.
of the marbles actually bear the

mark

of their origin

one near the southwest corner of the transept


scribed

COLOXIAE

GENIO

of Ostia."

OSTIEXSIS,

"

To

the

is

preserved in the
of

also

Camposanto, inscribed with the

Marcus Annius Proculus,

a magistrate

in-

Genius

imported sarcophagi, as that


in
1742
at
the
foot of the high altar, and
covered

They

dis-

now

name

and leading

citizen of Ostia.

The

inexhaustible stores of

Rome were

resorted to for

the construction of the cathedrals of Lucca (1060-1070)

and

of

Monte Cassino (1066)

Salerno (1084

of those of S.

Fig. 32), and of S.

(eleventh century)
in Florence

(begun

Andrea

of the baptistery of S.

in 1100)

Matteo at
at

Amalfi

Giovanni

of the monastery of Nostra

Signora di Tergu, on the north coast of Sardinia, between


Sorso and Castel Sardo, of the church of S. Francesco at
Civita Vecchia, of the cathedral of Orvieto (1321-1360),

and even

of

some parts

Westminster Abbey.
To
some of the buildings

of

this statement in the case of

prove
we need no literary evidence

the shape and quality of

the marbles, and the inscriptions engraved

upon them,
Yet

give unmistakable testimony regarding their origin.

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS

185

Monte Cassino we do have the authority of Alphanus


and of Leo of Ostia, who expressly state that Desiderius
for

FIG. 32.

The

pulpit in the cathedral of S. Matteo at Salerno, built

with marbles from Rome.

"
columns, bases, and capitals, and
purchased in Rome
These spoils were put on
marbles of various colours."

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

186

board light coasting ships (tartane) like those that still sail
up the Tiber to the wharf of Ripa Grande, and landed
at the

mouth

From

of the Garigliano.

Monte Cassino the work

Garigliario to

was accomplished with teams

the

mouth

of the

of transportation

One

of buffaloes.

conse-

quence of the sack of 1084 was the carrying off of


columns and marbles of various kinds by the retiring

adornment

for the

army

We

of the cathedral at Salerno.

are indebted to Luigi

Fumi

for detailed informa-

Rome

tion concerning the use of materials from

building of the cathedral at Orvieto.

The

loads were shipped up the Tiber, from the

forty years the maestri

intendents of

first

barge-

quay

of the

For the space

Ripetta to Orte, in June, 1316.

in the

deW Opera deC duomo,

of nearly

or " super-

construction," sent their agents through

the country around

Rome

in search of blocks of marble

The ruins of Porto (the Portus


carvings.
near
the
mouth
of the Tiber) were attacked
Augusti,
in May, 1321, with the consent of their owners
those
for

their

of Ostia, then probably not subject to individual

owner-

the
ship, shared the same fate in the following year
centre of devastation being the theatre, the shattered

remains of which I brought to light in 1881.


In process of time the villa of Domitian at Castel
Gandolfo, the

mausoleum

of

Hadrian, the

portico

of

Octavia, the temple of Isis and Serapis, and the ruins


of Veii
1

were

in like

Fumi, II duomo

manner put

di Orvieto ed

to ransom.

suoi restauri,

The docu-

Rome,

1881.

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS

187

by Fumi give us many

this

merits collected

Savelli,

who had placed

details of

Pandolfo and Giovanni

remarkable trade in old marbles.

at the disposal of the builders of

the cathedral the remains of the villa of Domitian, were

remunerated with a

gift

of pepper, wax,

and

saffron.

In 1354, while Andrea di Ugolino was superintending


the work, a block of marble purchased for thirty-five
florins

was taken from the colonnade

cut into the beautiful round

Octavia, and

of

window which

occupies the

Other blocks were brought from


the same source in 1359, under the mastership of Andrea
centre of the fagade.

d'

Orcagna.

When

search was

made

a compensation was paid to the


of the colonnade of Octavia,

in private

grounds

owner, as in the case

and of the temple of

Isis,

which belonged respectively to Alessio Matrice and to


Paolo di Converrone.
If the blocks were considered
res nullius, a fee

was paid to the City

for the license of

exportation.

Giacomo Boni, in a paper read at a meeting of the


and American Society of Rome, March 28,

British

makes an interesting statement regarding the use


materials in Westminster Abbey.
"Among
the most important works of a Roman marble-cutter
1893,

of

Roman

still
is

preserved in Westminster Abbey," he says, "there


tomb bearing no inscription, but believed to

a small

be of the daughter of Henry

The name

of

III.,

who

PETRVS ROMANVS civis

is

died in 1257.

engraved in the

basement of the shrine of Edward the Confessor.

Peter,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

188

must have worked

therefore,

which the

year in

.on

relics of the

the place of honour by

Henry

it

toward 1269, the

Confessor were laid in

III.

The tomb

of this

king, the second founder of Westminster Abbey, erected


in 1281, has nothing English about it, save the grey

The

Purbeck marble.

materials of which the

in front of the high altar

Roman-

esque pavement
composed
were certainly imported from Rome by the Abbot Richard
After his election, which took place in 1258,
of Ware.
is

the abbot paid a visit to the Eternal City, and brought


as

back,

a souvenir of his pilgrimage,

porphyry and serpentine.


the following words

Upon

some

his grave

may

slabs

of

be read

HIC

PORTAT LAPIDES QVOS HVC PORTAVIT AB VRBE,

that

is

to say, he lies buried

under the red and green

porphyries (the essential element of a

Romanesque pave-

ment) which he brought himself from the banks


Tiber to those of the Thames."

The attempt

of

Richard of

Ware

to

of the

transplant to

England a style of work which could only find its


proper means of support among the ruins of an ancient
city,

was not successful

but there

is

no doubt

al-

that the Romans


though we yet lack material evidence
found new outlets for their trade to compensate for the

English market.
In presenting this aspect of the destruction of the
Eternal City, I do not wish to cast more blame on the

loss of the

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS


mediaeval

marble -cutters

Much may

189

than

they actually deserve.


be said in extenuation of their treatment of

and many instances of more wanton


destruction might be cited, from the time of Nero to
our own age.
While the army of Vespasian was beancient buildings

sieging the Capitol, and trying to scale

its

walls from

the roofs of the nearest houses, the partisans of Vitellius

hurled bronze and marble statues on their assailants

and the garrison of Hadrian's mausoleum, as we have


seen, defended themselves in a similar manner during
the siege of the Goths.

a legitimate excuse

but

Self-defence
I

may be urged

as

have discovered in the State

archives a petition addressed

on August

20, 1822,

to

Pope Pius VII. by a building contractor, named Matteo


Lovatti, in which he states that, to provide materials
for a house he

would

was raising

in the Piazza del Popolo,

he

like to destroy certain ancient ruins opposite the

church of

Maria in Dominica.

It is astonishing to
think that such a request could have been addressed to

man

S.

like

Pope Pius VII., and more so to know that

the request was granted, on the

favourable report of

Visconti, Fea, Valadier, and Cardinal Pacca.

In 1870, a few months before


of Italy,

Rome became

the capital

Pope Pius IX. determined to raise a monu-

mental column in memory of the Ecumenical Council.


To save time and money, and the trouble of quarrying
travertine from the territory of Tivoli, one of the most
interesting

and best preserved gates

of

the

City, the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

190

The

Porta Tiburtina of Honorius, was sacrificed.


of

which

it

was

built

stones

were sunk in the foundations

of

the column, opposite the church of S. Pietro in Montorio


all

to no

purpose, because the events of September

20 of that year

made

monument out

the raising of the

of the question.

We

have already seen that

Roman

legislation at one

time imposed capital punishment on those who destroyed


old tombs for the sake of the marble of which they were
built, and that Constans substituted a fine for the death

and that these and similar provisions for a


time checked the destruction of the tombs lying close
penalty

highways, while those less exposed to view, or


1
standing on private grounds, were ruthlessly sacrificed.
The destruction did not decrease in the Middle Ages,

to the

and waxed even greater

in the Renaissance.

Chryso-

loras, the master of Poggio Bracciolini, says, referring

to

marbles taken from this source

"
:

The

statues

lie

broken in fragments, ready for the lime-kiln,


made use of as building material. I have seen many
used as mounting-steps, or as curbstones, or as mangers
or are

in stables."

Public

not only tolerated this search for sculptured marbles and for limestone, but sometimes claimed
officials

a share in the profits.

From

document

1426, preserved in the Vatican archives,


1

See

p. 92.

of

we

Diversorum, Vol. IX.

July

1,

learn that

p. 245.

MARBLE-CUTTEKS AND LIME-BURNERS


the papal

while giving a free hand to a

authorities,

of lime-burners

company

191

to

destroy the Basilica Julia

on the Sacra Via for the sake of the blocks of travertine of

pillars

and

of the nave

aisles

were

reserved to themselves half the produce of the

built,

kilns

which the

a present was afterward

from

this source to Cardinal

then

engaged

Eustachio.

in

repairing

made

Giacomo
his

of

Isolani,

titular

income

the

who was

church

of

S.

fate similar to that of the Basilica Julia

fell to

the lot of the

Monte

del

Grano

tomb

Alexander Severus at the

of

thus perished also half of the Coliseum,

the arch of Lentulus, the Circus Maximus, the square

basement of the mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, and a


hundred other monuments, the spoils of which served to
build St. Peter's, St. Mark's, the Palazzo di Corneto, the
" In
Palazzo Farnese, the Cancelleria, the Villa Giulia.
the

early

Marchi,

ging

"many

cellars, in

opening new

Paul

of

years

III." (1534-1550),

says

and statues discovered

torsoes

De

in dig-

planting gardens and vineyards, and in

streets,

used to be thrown into the

kilns,

Greek marble, on account


the wonderful lime which they produced.
Paul III.

especially those sculptured in


of

issued most cruel regulations to the effect that no one

should dare thus

to

penalty of

The

the

death.

number and value

logical collections in
1

destroy

ancient

statuary

under

was a steady increase in


public and private archaeo-

result
of

Rome."

See the article by Miintz in Bevue Archeologique for May-June, 1884.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

192

As

a matter of fact, however, these " most cruel regu-

lations

We

"

of

Paul

may

Greco-Roman

of

III. did not

produce a lasting

effect.

suppose that the destruction of the masterpieces

being, but

it

art

may have

diminished for the time

was by no means suppressed. The spoliaand stone edifices went on with increasing

tion of marble

activity to the

end of the sixteenth century.

We

must

not forget that another edict of the same Pope, dated


"
"
of
deputies
July 22, 1540, put at the mercy of the
the

Fabbrica di

Forum and

S.

Pietro

Via

of the Sacra

all
;

the

monuments

of

the

and they did not hesitate

by the pontifical grant to the fullest possible

to profit

extent.

Pirro Ligorio, the architect, discussing the best

way

of obtaining a particularly fine plaster, suggests the use


of powdered Parian marble, " obtained from the statues

which are constantly being destroyed." 1 Flaminio Vacca,


after describing a certain marble boat with figures on
it,

found

in the

Baths of Caracalla, remarks that " as

it

now it has been made to steer


He makes a similar observation

once floated on water, so

its way through fire."


with respect to a statue found by Orazio Muti, opposite
the church of S. Vitale, "which had been sent to the

kiln to have the moisture taken off

its

back."

Thou-

sands of inscriptions have perished in the same way.

Fra Giocondo da Verona, adducing testimony from


1

Codex Bodleianus, p. 17.


Flaminio Vacca, Memorie, edited by Fea,
Ligorio,

n. 23, 116.

his

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS

own

experience, says that some

Roman

193

citizens boasted

of having had the foundations of their houses and palaces

constructed with ancient statues.

The headquarters

of these destroyers of ancient

at the " Botteghe Oscure," that

was

is,

the Circus Flaminius facing the street of


the arcades were then

Rome

in the

wing
that name

of

in

good state of preservaas a matter of fact,


and
above
but,
tion,
ground;
high
there was no great ruin of marble or stone that did
not have
of

this

its

own

kiln.

of

industry

lime-burning at the

whole

minius that the

So important was the exercise


Circus Fla-

district received the

Lime-pit (calcarario, calcararia).

name

The extent

of

area covered by this designation can be determined

of

the

by

the site of the churches of S. Nicolaus in Calcaria retro


Cesarinos,
Calcarario,

now
now

S.

Nicola

S.

Lucia de Calcarario,

was

also a

dell'

Olmo.

ai

Francesco delle

now

spring named

S.

Quaranta de
Stimmate, and S.

Cesarini, SS.

Lucia dei Ginnasi

there

II Calcarario, in the Piazza

Other famous kilns were those of

S.

Adriano, for the

burning of the marbles of the Imperial Forums of the


Ayosta, fed with the spoils of the mausoleum of Augustus
and of La Pigna, supplied with materials from the
;

Baths of Agrippa and the temple of Isis. Then there


were temporary establishments opened near this or that

which were abandoned as soon as the supply was


exhausted.
We must class among these the kilns by
edifice,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

194

by Flaminio Vacca
Prima Porta, mentioned

the Baths of Diocletian, mentioned


those of the villa of Livia at

by Pirro Ligorio those of the necropolis between the


Via Latina and the Via Appia, seen by Marini those
of the Regia, described by Panvinio, and those of the
;

Basilica Julia,

and

Venus and Rome,

of the temple of

discovered by Nibby and by myself.

Outside the City the burning of lime was practised


for

many

among

years

Ostia and Porto.

the ruins of

The oldest record bearing upon the matter, that is


known to me, is a document of Celestine III., dated
March 30, 1191, where mention is made of a " locus qui
vocatur

calcaria

civitate"

The

extra

portam

non

ab

longe

Hostiensi

exercise of this trade continued without

interruption and with the tacit,

down

the papal authorities,

Fea

if

not open, approval of

to the pontificate of Pius VII.


" To the insatiable
incident

relates the following


"
greed of Giuseppe Vitelli, tenant of the
:

farm at Ostia

the year 1816, "is due the disappearance of some

in

miles of the paving of the ancient Ostian way, which

was

in a

most excellent

as the destruction of

nice from

large pieces of

many

He

Flaminio Vacca, Memorie, 104

Marini, Inscriptiones alb. X.;

well

carved cor-

broke the latter into frag-

Ligorio,

Pauvinio, see

Bull, del lust., 1871, p. 244.


2

preservation, as

the temple of Vulcan, a masterpiece of the

time of Hadrian.

state of

Bullarium Vaticanum, Vol.

III. p. 75.

Codex Neapolitanus, 29
C.

I.

L. Vol.

I.

p.

415;

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS


ments

to

make

liine

in

a kiln close by

195

but

suc-

ceeded in stopping him before the fagots were set on


The fragments thus rescued from the flames are

fire."

shown on the spot (Fig.

still

exquisite entablature had

33).

Other pieces'of

this

been destroyed in 1427, before

the eyes of Poggio Bracciolini and Cosimo de' Medici.


Similar kilns were discovered in 1796 by Robert Fagan,

not far from the temple.

FIG. 33.

Fragments of cornice from the temple of Vulcan, at


rescued from a lime-kiln by Fea.

Ostia,

have myself had no small experience in tracing the

results

of

the operations of the lime-burners

in fact,

none of the important excavations with which I have


been connected, either in Rome or on neighbouring sites,
has failed to bring to light remains of one or more limekilns.

mention two examples as specially worthy of

note.

lime-kiln

was found

in the palace of Tiberius

on

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

196
the Palatine

brim with

Among

was

It

calcined,

Terme

delle

nero antico

atides, in

an ephebus in black

a head of Nero

the exquisite

basalt, published

Mittheilungen for 1895, p. 97-119, pi. 1

little

the

filled to

some

intact.

the latter were the veiled bust of Claudius,

Museo

in the

by Rosa, in 1869.
works of art, some

hill

fine

now

three cary-

statuette

of

by Hauser in the
a head of Har;

pocrates, and other minor fragments.

In February, 1883, in the excavations on the south


side of the

Atrium

of Vesta, a pile of marble

was found

about 14 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet high.

It

was wholly made up of statues of the Vestales maximae,


some unbroken, others in fragments.
The statues and
fragments had been carefully packed together, leaving
as few interstices as possible between them, and the
spaces formed by the curves of the bodies were filled in

There were eight nearly perfect

with chips.

we were

agreeably surprised to find

among

statues,

and

the broken

ones the lower part of the lovely seated Vesta with the
footstool,

which

number

to the

alas

is

now

hardly recognisable, owing


been left exposed in the

of years it has

dampest corner of the Atrium. There were present at


remarkable discovery, which took place at 6.30 A.M.

this

on February
the

in

only four people besides the workmen,

Crown Prince

Frederick

myself

9,

II.,

and

of Prussia, afterward the

Dr. Henzen, one of

I distinctly

my

Emperor
colleagues, and

remember how the

prince, then

the full vigour of health and strength, helped the

MARBLE-CUTTERS AND LIME-BURNERS

workmen

to raise the masses of marble

the golden age of


as

if

and to

it

Roman

were a dream

excavation, and

set the

That was

up against the wall of the atrium.

statues

197

we

recall

it

These beautiful statues had

been piled into a regular oblong, like a cord of wood,

by some diggers

of

marbles,

who had

carefully filled

the spaces between the statues as they lay side by side,

no empty spaces might be left. By what


fortunate accident these sculptures were preserved it is
but one thing at least is certain
difficult to guess

in order that

great

House
kilns

quantity of

of the Vestals

other marbles belonging to

and two deposits

found in the course of the same excavations. 1


1

the

Two

must have perished by


of lime and of charcoal were
fire.

See Notizie degli Scavi, December, 1883,

p. 54.

CHAPTER XVII
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY
IN the fourteenth century Rome was
in the fifteenth

a
at

modern

it

city.

still

mediaeval

began
While the

seat

of

the

Avignon (1305-1377), three-quarters

the

their

prehistoric ancestors

roofs,

and quenched their


are

space

The

in-

with fever and poverty, lived like


in mud huts with thatched

habitants, stricken

We

was

papacy
of

within the walls was put under cultivation.

Tiber.

to be slowly transformed into

told

thirst

that

in

with the waters of the


on the

the year 1377,

return of Gregory XI. from Avignon, there were only


17,000 people in the entire area.
is

exact or not, the

Whether

men who remained

the figure

faithful to their

native soil deserve the gratitude of mankind.

Without

them the site of Rome, completely deserted, might now


have to be pointed out to the inquiring stranger as that
of Veii, of Fidenae, of Ostia, and of Tusculum.
In the abandoned parts of the City a remnant of life
could be found in the churches and fortified monasteries

as

of

that

character

the
of

S.

until

Caelian,

Esquiline,

and Aventine

Balbina, which retained


its

" modernisation "


198

in

its

hills,

mediaeval

1884.

Vines

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


and

199

in the halls of the imperial palace

olive trees

grew
on the Palatine, and

grazed again on the

cattle

site

of

Here and there

the Forum, as in the days of Evander.

stood the dismantled ruins of baronial houses destroyed

by the victor

of the

day

other quarters

towers,

loopholed

and bloodshed.

proof of perpetual warfare


holds

the

of

Campo

were bristling with square


and battlemented, obtrusive

Torrecchiano, for instance


brick

the

Normanni,

Papi,

Romani,

The

strong-

Stefaneschi,

Anicii,

and Anguillara dominated the region of Tras-

tevere,

while

entrance

those

the

Ponte

the

to

of

di

commanded

Pierleoni

Santa

Maria (the ancient

Pons Aemilius, now Ponte Rotto), and those


Frangipani the island of

The

ruins

S.

of

the

Bartolomeo (Fig. 34).

the amphitheatre of

of

the

Statilius

Taurus

(Monte Giordano), and of Pompey's theatre (Campo di


The Savelli
Fiori), were in the hands of the Orsini.
had supplanted the Pierleoni
theatre

of

Marcellus

(Monte

in

the possession of the

The Colonna

Savello).

family occupied a fortified enclosure in the abandoned


quarter about Trajan's Forum, with the centre of their
stronghold at the temple of the Sun on the Quirinal

Augustus and
strongly garrisoned, were util-

(Villa Colonna), while the

the hill of
ised

Monte

by them

Citorio,

as detached forts.

at the corner of the


is

still

mausoleum

standing

One

of

of their towers,

Via Tre Cannelli and Via Nazionale,

there are also towers of the Mellini

and Sanguigni near the Stadium,

of the Sinibaldi

and

200

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

Crescenzi near the Pantheon.

These ugly square struc-

tures were raised to protect the residences of the barons,

which had not the aspect

FIG. 34.

of a palace, but of a cluster

House and tower

of the Margani.

TEE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


of

201

narrow dwellings, enclosed by a battlemented


lived the vassals and partisans,

low,

Around them

wall.

who every night barred with


The great fortress of
lanes.

chains

the

surrounding
Frangipani covered

the

the southern half of the Palatine, the core of the forti-

being the Septizonium

fication

and

posts also at the Coliseum, at the

the Janus Quadrifrons of the

this family

Turns

had out-

Cartularia, at

Forum Boarium, and

the arches of Titus and Constantino

at

The

great Torre de' Conti, erected by Nicholas I.


about 858, and rebuilt by Innocent III. in 1216, was

by Petrarch Turris toto orbe unica from its proIt commanded the district
digious height and strength.
called

The upper

and of the Subura.

of the Carinae

part

having collapsed during the earthquake of 1348, Pope

Urban VIII. pulled down the


the lowest of the three stories.
is

rest, as far as

Much

the top of

better preserved

the Torre delle Milizie, the construction of which was

popularly attributed to Nero. It was very likely built


by Pandolfo della Suburra in 1210. In the second half

same century it became the property of the


Annibaldi, and later passed into the possession of the

of the

Caetani.

The

aspect of

with that of

S.

Rome

may be compared
In many parts there

in those days

Geminiano to-day.

were towers crowned with battlements and with iron


brackets for signal

fires

(Fig. 35).

so great that a district of the City

Their number was

on the slopes and

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

202

at the foot of the

hill

was

actually called the

Torrecchiano.

Campo
All

Oppian

sense

FIG, 35.

of

the

beautiful, all

lane of mediaeval

Rome
in 1877.

appreciation

of

art,

Via della Lungarina, demolished

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY

203

seems to have been lost for a time among the Romans.


While other cities in Italy were raising churches, town
exchanges, fountains, palaces, and splendid private
houses which command admiration at the present day
halls,

on account of the graceful simplicity of their proportions and the finish of their work, the builders at Rome
did little more than pile up and jumble together fragments of older structures, without regard to form or
fitness.
Tivoli, Viterbo, and even Corneto, were in this

Rome

period far superior to


architecture.

They can

in their public

and domestic

point to splendid examples of

the skill and taste of their master masons of the four-

teenth century, while


to

show that

is

influence of the

we Romans have

absolutely nothing

Every trace

comparable.

of the local

Cosmatesque School seems to have

dis-

appeared before the beginning of the fifteenth century.

When,

therefore, interest in artistic construction

of art

no longer existed

began

which form the

auxiliaries

in the City, artisans

from other

to revive, as the handicrafts

from Tuscany, Umbria, and the


region of the lakes of Como and Lugano, had to be

parts of Italy, especially

summoned to Rome.
The first impulse toward

the rebuilding of the City

was given by Eugene IV., who occupied the chair


St.

Peter from 1431 to 1447.

Paul

II.

(1464-1471)

called Palazzo Venezia.

is

splendid memorial

the palace of St. Mark,

Under the

of
of

now

pontificates of Paul's

successors, Sixtus IV., Innocent VIII. (1484-1492),

and

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

204

Alexander VI. (1492-1503), Baccio Pontelli carried to


Rome the artistic traditions of Brunelleschi, and erected
successively the churches of S. Maria del Popolo, S. Pietro in Montorio, S. Agostino, S.
Sistine chapel, the facades of

SS.

the

of

Apostoli,

the

Maria della Pace, the


and

S. Pietro in Vincoli

hospital

of

S.

the

Spirito,

palace of the Governo Vecchio, and the great court of

the pontifical palace, near the church of S. Maria


giore,

owe

Damaso

the beautiful court of S.

Mag-

To B ram ante we

which was recently destroyed.

the Vatican,

in

the Belvedere, the galleries connecting this last with the


pontifical residence, the

round temple in the cloisters


and the palaces of the Riario

of S. Pietro in Montorio,

(now the

now

Cancelleria) and of Cardinal di Corneto,

Torlonia-Giraud.

The

aspect of the City was considerably changed

the erection of these buildings.

by

Early in the fifteenth

century the modern spirit, so methodical in all things


and so fond of straight lines, began to manifest itself
in the cutting of spacious streets through the ruins

rambling habitations

March

30, 1425,

of

the

City.

By

Martin V. reestablished the

bull

and

dated

office of

the

Eugene IV.
in the
and
the
lanes
of
several
straightened
paved
Campus Martius Nicholas V. the Via di S. Celso (now
commissioners of streets (magistri viaruni).

Via

Banchi); and Paul II. paved the Corso between


the Arco di Portogallo near S. Lorenzo in Lucina, and
de'

the Piazza Venezia.

Sixtus IV, was

named "the

great

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


builder

"

205

{gran fablricatore), on account of the

many

improvements made under his rule and Alexander VI.


carried the Via Alexandrina through the Borgo.
;

It

cannot be denied that these improvements in the

material aspect and welfare of the City involved great


losses

on the archaeological and historical

With-

side.

out entering into particulars

regarding the extent of


be fully given in my
volumes on the Storia degli Scavi di Roma, it will be
the transformation,

for our purpose

sufficient

in

his

election

which

will

to

follow Poggio Bracciolini

ride through the City in 1447, the year of the

Nicholas V.

of

describes

Poggio
where the

the

Beginning with the Capitol,

southern

Caffarelli palace

now

platform

of

the

the colossal remains of the temple of Jupiter

few decades

later

hill,

stands, as covered with

columns, capitals,

and

frieze

but a

had

dis-

appeared so completely that archaeologists since then


have found serious difficulty in determining which of
the

two summits

of the hill

was occupied by the Capito-

lium and which by the Citadel. Speaking of the temple


of Isis and Serapis, near the church of La Minerva,

Poggio mentions two interesting particulars.

He

says

that a local gardener in planting a tree had lately dis-

covered a head of one of the colossal river-gods, which,


together with other recumbent figures, once lined the

dromos

but being annoyed by the curiosity of the people, who rushed to see his find, at once
covered it up again. He also speaks of the remains of
of the temple,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

206
a

with

portico

many

columns,

either

Some

-the

1451, to the Loggia of the Benediction at St.

'under

the

skilful

the

temple.

removed in December,

columns were

these

of

on

lying

ground or half buried under the ruins of

of

management

the

Peter's,

engineer

from

Bologna, Maestro Aristotile di Fioravante degli Alberti.

Of the temple
visited

first

Poggio says that when he


1431 the front portico, facing the

of Concord,

Rome

in

Forum, was almost intact; but that later the whole


temple with a part of the portico was destroyed. Similar instances of

in the case of

wanton destruction are recorded by him


portions of the Coliseum, as well as of

the remains at Ostia and other suburban places.

The general

practice followed

tury builders, whether

was

this:

popes,

by these

cardinals,

fifteenth cenpatricians,

or

Before commencing their work

simple citizens,
they would secure the possession of a petraia, that

is,

an ancient structure or part of a structure, from which


they could obtain materials of construction, lime and
ornamental marbles. There is no edifice in Rome dating

from the fifteenth century the erection of which did not


simultaneously carry with it the destruction or the
I add a few
mutilation of some ancient structure.
instances.

When
of

the

Martin V., in July, 1425, undertook the laying


beautiful

cosmatesque

pavement

of

St.

John

Lateran, Antonio Picardi and Nicolao Bellini, contractors

for

the work,

received

the

Pope's permission to

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


of their

strip

marbles

and without the City,"

the churches, "both within

all

in

207

which divine service was no

Apparently the contractors gave to


the grant a very broad interpretation, and laid hands not
only on abandoned places of worship, but on the very
longer celebrated.

tomb

In a brief of March

of the prince of the apostles.

Eugene IV. complains that some precious slabs


porphyry and serpentine had been wrenched off from

29, 1436,

of

the pontifical chair, which was, as

most blessed

the

Peter

"
!

it

were, "the altar of

The same Pope

issued a

second brief for the protection of the Coliseum against


the "diggers of marbles"; and yet I find that stones

from the Coliseum were used by him in the restoration


of the apse of St. John Lateran, and marbles from the
Curia and the

Forum Julium

in the restoration of the

Apostolic palace.

The monuments which


rule of Nicholas

suffered the most under the

V. are the Coliseum, the Circus MaxiVenus and Home.

mus, the Curia, and the temple of

document

of 1452

certifies that

one contractor alone,

Giovanni Paglia Lombardo, was allowed to remove from


the Coliseum 2522 cartloads of travertine in the space
of only nine months.
The temple of Venus and Rome

was worked

as a quarry

columns of both

cellae

from 1450 to 1454, the porphyry


being used as lining for the lime-

kilns on account of their refractory qualities.

Pope
1

The same

destroyed the triumphal arch of Gratian, Valen-

Published by Miiiitz in Revue Archeologique, September, 1876.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

208

and Theodosius, by the church of S. Celso in


Banchi, in order to widen the Piazza di Ponte S. Angelo
and he built also the foundations of the two expiatory

tinian,

chapels at the entrance to the same bridge with statues

and ornamental marbles from the mausoleum of Hadrian.


In 1456 twenty blocks of rare marble were removed from
Ostia to Orvieto and made use of in the decoration of
the facade of the

The building

Duomo.

of the

Loggia of the Benediction at

St.

Peter's, the masterpiece of the time of Pius II., caused

more damage
vasion.

to ancient

monuments than

Materials were

extracted

a barbaric in-

and lime obtained

from the Coliseum, the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus,


the

Forum Julium,

the Senate-house, the bridge of Nero,

the Palatiolum on the hill of S. Spirito, the temple of the

Dea Dia on the Via Campana, the


the

Baths

(SS.

of

Cosma

Caracalla,

the

portico of Octavia,

templum

Urbis

Sacrae

Damiano), the ruins of Ostia, the Mil-

vian bridge, and the massive tombs of the Via Flaminia


near the farmhouses of Valca and Valchetta. The next

Pope, Paul

II., built

the palace of St.

Mark with

the

temple of Claudius on the Caelian, of the


Coliseum, of a temple near S. Maria in Cosmedin, of

spoils of the

the tombs of the Via Flaminia, of the Septa Julia, and


of an

unknown

travertine building (the

the vineyard of the banker


raised

the beautiful

Tommaso

Castello

taken from the Amphitheatre.

at

Gaianum

Spinelli

?) in

and he

Tivoli with materials

Nevertheless, the genial

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


Aeneas Silvio
April

28,

209

Piccolomini issued his famous brief

1462,

commencing,

which

Cum almam

of

nostrum

threatened heavy penalties and


urbem^
the pontifical wrath against the destroyers of ancient
in

he

remains.

Of Sixtus IV. we have two


for
it

our subject.

One

is

briefs that are important

dated

December

17,

1471

authorises "the architects of the Vatican library to

make excavations anywhere

FIG. 36.

The Porta

in order to secure the stone

del Popolo of the time of Sixtus IV.

M. Heemskerk

needed

"

for the work. 1

The

From

a sketch by

(1536).

other, dated April

7,

1474,

"the greater excommunication" on those who


remove marbles from " the patriarchal and other churches
and basilicas." The beautiful round temple of Hercules
inflicts

Victor, the tutelary

god of the charioteers of the circus,


which stood near the Ara Maxima and the Forum Bo*

monuments destroyed under the


The two square towers on either

arium, was one of the


rule of this pontiff.

side of the Porta del Popolo (Fig. 36)


1

were built

Miintz, Les Arts a la cour des Popes, Vol. III. p. 15.

in the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

210

from the tombs

pontificate with marbles

same

of Aelius

Gutta Calpurnianus, the famous charioteer (Fig. 37);


of Valerius
of Lucius Nonius Asprenas, consul A.D. 6
;

Nicias

of a patrician

lady named Postuma, and from

an unknown tomb of pyramidal shape which stood on


the site of the present church of S. Maria de' Miracoli.
Altogether 250 large marble blocks were used in the
1
building of the two bastions.

Fier37.

The

list

Reliefs

from the tomb of Calpurniaiius, the charioteer.

for this century closes

with the destruction

of a triumphal arch (called arcus novus) near S.

in

Via Lata, the materials

cent VIII. in the

of

restoration

Maria

which were used by Innoof this church, and the

removal of the great pyramid of the Borgo


the socalled Meta Romuli 2
which was accomplished by Alexander VI. in the widening and straightening of the

Via Alexandrina.

The same Pope

round tower

built a

near the gate of the castle of S. Angelo with the marble


frieze
1

and veneering

of Hadrian's

Visconti in Bull. Com., 1877,

p.

185

mausoleum.
sq.

See

p. 178.

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY

Among

211

the palaces built by private individuals during

the palace
century I shall mention only two,
of Cardinal Adriano di Corneto, now Torlonia-Giraud,
this

which was built with the

spoils of

and of the four-faced temple

the

of Janus;

Basilica

Julia

and the Palazzo

built by Cardinal Riario with stone


from the Coliseum and with marbles from the triumphal
della Cancelleria,

arch of Gordianus, near the Praetorian camp.


Before passing to the disastrous sack of Rome by the
army of Charles of Bourbon, I must remark that the
first

quarter of the sixteenth century showed a decided

improvement

in the increasing appreciation of the value

of certain classes of ancient

such popes as Julius

II.

monuments on

the part of

and Leo X., and such private

individuals as Raphael and his archaeological advisers,


Fabio Calvo da Ravenna and Andrea Fulvio. Statuary
and inscriptions were especially prized. The finding of

the Laocoon

among

the ruins of the house of Titus on

the Oppian seems to have struck with amazement the

Pope, the court, the

artists, in fact

general search for works

instituted, in the course

of

was afterward

which the remains

buildings suffered great damage.

raphy was

the whole population.

of sculpture

The

of

old

science of topog-

infancy, and the importance of preserving ancient buildings was slow to be recognised.
The last years of Alexander VI., who died in 1503,
in its

were marked by the destruction of a portion of the Baths


of Diocletian, of an unknown temple on the Sacra Via,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

212

and

Forum

of the

Transitorium. 1

Julius II., his suc-

cessor (1503-1513),

was too much absorbed in military

operations to give

much

ancient Rome.

attention

to

However, he took up

the remains of

in earnest the re-

construction of the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter's.

Since the time of Nicholas V. fears had been entertained


for the safety of the building,

and Leon Battista Alberti

and Bernardo Rossellino had been commissioned


pare plans for

its

reconstruction.

gressing

very slowly when

impulse,

placing

who

it

Julius

to pre-

The work was

pro-

new

II.

gave

under the direction of

entered upon his duties in 1503.

it

Bramante,

Bramante's design was to substitute for the old church,


of a pure basilica type, an edifice in the form of a Greek
with a hexastyle portico in front, and an immense
cupola over the centre supported by four great piers.
cross,

Julius II. laid the foundations of the Greek cross in 1506

under the pier now called della Veronica. The four piers
and the arches which spring from them were the only
parts of the structure completed at the time of the Pope's
death.

The

loss occasioned to art, history,

and Christian

by the destruction of the venerable basilica


The west half of the greatest
is simply incalculable.
temple of Christendom was levelled to the ground with
antiquities

all

its

precious decorations in mosaic, fresco, sculpture,

Jahrbuch fur Kunst und Wiss., Vol. IV.

Curiously enough, the old

ramic View

of

(Frontispiece).

St.

p. 70.

Peter's appears in Jenichen's Pano-

Rome, engraved more than

half

century

later

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN CITY


in marble

and

and

its

IX.

Cj-1404),

in

wood, with

its

213

historical inscriptions

pontifical tombs, among which were those of


Celestine IV. (f 1243), Gregory IX. (f 1241), Boniface

Innocent

VII.

(f 1406),

(|1447), and Nicholas V. (f 1455).


Three other churches also disappeared
of Julius II.:

Eugene

IV.

in the pontificate

the old titulus Marcelli, which collapsed

on the night of May 23, 1509 the church of S. Donatus,


demolished for the opening of the Via Giulia and the
;

church of SS. Celso e Giuliano in Banchi, which was


destroyed to widen the Piazza di Ponte.
No great losses are recorded under the rule of Leo X.,

who, on September

2,

1517, issued a bull, written in

language, for the encouragement of those who


be
willing to raise new edifices, "to the end that
might
classic

the City of

Rome might

increase in size

and

in dignity

by reason of additions to its buildings and its populaThe Via di Ripetta and the Via d' Aracoeli were
tion."
opened by the 'same pontiff. The only act of vandalism
which can be brought home to him is the destruction of
a certain part of the Via Tiburtina, called La Quadrata,
the

embankment of which was supported by


The stones were removed to

of travertine.

great walls
St. Peter's.

CHAPTER

XVIII

THE SACKING OF ROME BY THE ARMY OF CHARLES


OF BOURBON IN 1527

THE

sacking of Rome in 1527 was a calamity comparable only with the burning of the City by the
Gauls in 390 B.C., and the destruction caused by the

Normans

One

in

of

1084.

the familiar lullabies sung to-day over the

" Fatti
cradles of restless children begins with the words
"
la ninna, e passa via Barbone
Go to sleep, Barbone
"
is gone," the name Barbone,
the man with the long
:

beard," having usurped that of

the hated conqueror.

So persistent

is the memory of those days of terror


Charles of Bourbon, the remorseless leader of a cruel
!

army, appeared before the crumbling walls of the Leonine City

May

5,

1527, and placed his headquarters in

the convent of S. Onofrio, opposite the gate of S. Spirito


(Fig.

38).

Although he himself

fell

the victim of a

stray shot early on the following day, his forces, comprising


Italians,

twenty thousand Germans, fourteen thousand


and six thousand Spaniards, succeeded in

storming the Borgo while the Pope was seeking shelter


in the

castle of

S.

Angelo.
214

The

pillage of

the

City,

SACK OF

217

1527

with unspeakable horrors, lasted eight days, from the


In so short a time the treas6th to the 14th of May.

Roman

ures collected in the

and con-

palaces, churches,

vents, during the lapse of centuries, were dispersed.

The
the

sacred precincts of

hands

of

Catholic

the

Peter's

St.

fared worse at

and

Spaniards

than they had at the hands of the

Saracens in 846.

The Spaniards searched every tomb.


Julius

the corpse of

II.

of

its

Lombards

They

stripped

vestments

pontifical

they gambled with their booty, and rested themselves


by lying stretched out on the venerable altars; they

used

the chalices of

ship

as

drinking

cups,

women; and they

in

stabled

company
their

of the sanctuary, preparing their

manuscripts collected by Pius


stained glass

broken into

windows
bits,

workman-

marvellous mediaeval

of

II.

horses

profligate

in

the

aisles

with precious
and Sixtus IV. The
litters

Guillaume de Marcillat were

and the Flemish

by Raphael were stolen

with

for

the

tapestries

sake

of

designed

their

gold

threads.

The

fate

of

these world-famous tapestries

connected with

on

the

that

vicissitudes

of
to

the

City,

which

Rome have been exposed

in

and

is

throws

relics

of

these

later

closely
light

antiquity in
centuries.

Pope Leo X., thirteen years before these events, had


given Raphael a commission to draw cartoons illustrating scenes

from

the

New

Testament.

were copied in tapestry by Bernhard

The

cartoons

van Orlay and

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

218

Michael Coxie, and the priceless fabrics thus produced


were exhibited in the Sistine chapel on certain church
The tapestries were stolen by the lansquenets,
festivals.
and were carried off with other spoils from the VatiIn 1553, however, they came into the possession of Anne de Montmorency, who restored them to
can.

their

legitimate

owner

but some of them were lost

forever.

Even the tapestries that had been preserved to this


time were not to be spared further vicissitudes.
They
experienced perhaps a worse treatment in 1798 at the
hands of the French invaders, when they were sold
a nominal sum to a Genoese Jew.
He burnt one

them

for

the sake

of

of

the gold and silver threads, of

which Van Orlay had made use

weaving the bright


did not meet his expectations.
in

but the profits


Pius VII. bought the rest back in 1808.

lights,

siege of

for

Rome

in 1849 they

During the

were exposed to injury for

the third time from General Oudinot's artillery.

Two

cannon-balls entered the gallery where the tapestries


were hung one fell on the floor, and the other burst
;

directly in front of the one portraying the Miraculous

Draught
If

we

of Fishes.
recall the vast collections

which the piety

of

Roman

sacristies

of

centuries,

we can

of

May, 1527.

the faithful

churches

appreciate

of objects of value

had heaped up
during

the

preceding

the losses of the

Sacred vessels of small

size

in the

month

were packed

SACK OF
sacks and carried off

in

219

1527

others which could not be

removed were destroyed, and the most precious relics


were treated with contumely. The busts of St. Peter

Andrew, 1 and that


of John the Presbyter were stolen respectively from
their shrines in the Lateran, in the Vatican, and in

and of

Paul, the

St.

church

the

of

S.

head of

Silvestro

St.

in

Capite.

German

on the point of his lance the spear


which was believed to be the one with which Longinus
hoisted

soldier

had pierced the side of the Redeemer on the cross it


had been presented to Pope Innocent VII. by Bayazed II., and was preserved in the famous shrine of the
;

Santa Lancia, a masterpiece of the school of Mino da


The vail, said
Fiesole, destroyed by Paul V. in 1606.

have belonged

to

to

Veronica, and

St.

to

bear

the

impression of the Saviour's features, was dragged from

among the jeerings and taunts of the


drunken soldiery. 2
The cross of Constantine, which
hung over the Apostle's tomb in St. Peter's, was tossed
tavern to tavern

mud

in the

The head

of the
of St.

Via

Borgo and trampled under

di

Andrew was

stolen again in 1848

and hidden

recess of the city walls between the Porta Cavalleggeri


S.

Pancrazio.

where the
2

This

limina,

relic

relic,

marble statue erected by Pius IX. marks the spot

was re-discovered
the

was kept

first

in a shrine built

of the Virgin alone


it

in 1850.

one which the pilgrims sought on their

stroyed in 1606, together with

of

in a
and the Porta

its

by John VII.

It is

family in the church of S. Marco.

shrine

priceless mosaic pictures.

was saved by Cardinal

to the Ricci of Florence.

The

now

visit ad
was de-

The image

who made a

present
preserved in the chapel of that
Pallotta,

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

220

Even

foot.

the chapel of St. Lawrence in the Lateran

most august shrine of the Catholic world,


was profaned and stripped of all its contents.

palace, the

Furniture, pictures, and works of art of every description

were

destroyed in

private

and

houses

palaces

pearls and precious stones were apportioned among the

German mercenaries by

spoonfuls, the share of an ordi-

nary soldier in the booty being


sand

ducats.

Exquisite

devised to extort
ing concealed

it.

from three to four thou-

refinements

of

cruelty were

money from persons suspected of havThe old Cardinal Ponzetta, although

a partisan of the Emperor,

was held

for a

ransom

of

twenty thousand ducats, and afterward dragged through


the streets of the City with his hands tied behind him
;

he died soon after in great destitution.


nal,

Cristoforo Numalio,

he was lying
cession

and

in

profligate

cardi-

was torn from the bed where

placed on a hearse, and dragged in pro-

ill,

ecclesiastical

his

Another

robes.

women surrounded

Drunken

soldiers

the bier, brandishing

torches and vociferating infamous songs in imitation of

Thus

priestly canticles.

carried into the

the unfortunate old

man was

church of the Aracoeli and lowered

into a crypt, to be buried alive unless a fresh

should be paid.
last

his

ransom

rescue at

the

moment.

Still

more unhappy was the

name ought
of

Friends came to

drunken

fate of

a priest whose

to be enrolled in the list of heroes.


soldiers

group
had dressed a donkey in sacerdotal

SACK OF
robes and

made

it

221

1527

kneel before a street shrine.

Having

caught hold of a priest, they tried to force him to adThe good


minister the holy communion to the brute.
old man, to save the Host from such profanation, swal-

lowed

it

before they could prevent him, and suffered

from those demons in human


rible

martyrdoms recorded

flesh

one of the most hor-

in the history of persecutions.

The loss sustained by the City in those eventful days


has been valued at seven or eight million of ducats by

Como

Scaramuccia Trivulzio, cardinal of


Ulloa, the biographer of Charles
in estimating this loss,

V.

dollars.

In the light of these barbarities,


that

assert that
chisels,

by

while Gregorovius,

mentions a sum of twenty millions

between seven and eight millions of


find

at fifteen

nearly a million and a half pounds sterling, or

of florins

to

Giovio,

many

were

Cappella,

mutilated

or

not surprising

Brantome, and

ancient statues,

frescoes in the Stanze

is

it

the

destroyed

work
that

of

others

Greek

Raphael's

and those of Pinturicchio

in the

Sale Borgia of the Vatican were deliberately injured

by

the smoke of bonfires lighted in the middle of the halls


that the very

the

tomb

under the apse of


was broken into, and the

of St. Peter, deep

Constantinian Basilica,

remains of the Apostle scattered to the four winds ;


but these statements, if not altogether incorrect, are at
least exaggerated.

We

have quite definite information regarding the num-

ber and the quality of the statues discovered and ex-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

222
hibited in

Roman

among them were

palaces and villas before 1527.

Chief

the recumbent colossal figures of the

Nile and of the Tiber, found at the time of Leo X.

the ruins of the temple of Isis

the

and Telephos), found


Campo di Fiori and

attributes of Hercules (Heracles

on

among
Commodus with the

15, 1507, in the Piazza di

May

removed

to the Belvedere gardens

by Julius

of Heracles in the possession of the Colonnas

the torso of the Belvedere

II.;
;

a torso

another

discovered in 1513 under

Ciampolini house at the Campo di Fiori, and removed to the Vatican by Clement VII.; the Sleeping
the
Ariadne, whose place of discovery is not known

the

Belvedere Apollo, found, not at Antium, as is usually


stated, but on a farm of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere,
near Grotta Ferrata

and the Laocoon group, found on

January 14, 1506, by Felice de Fredis in his vineyard


on the Oppian hill. There were also the bronze works
of

art

Sixtus IV. and

the

people by

exhibited in the Palazzo dei Conservatori

the statue of Marcus Aurelius,


hill;

Roman

presented to the Senate and

now on

the Capitoline

marble horse-tamers, the three Constantines,

and the two river-gods of the Quirinal.


All these marbles and bronzes have come down to us
uninjured except one, the Heracles of the Colonna palace,
which has disappeared; and the frescoes of Raphael, as
well as those of Pinturicchio, are

examining these
three years ago

last,

when

by order

of

still

to be seen.

In

the Sale Borgia were reopened

Leo XIII.

observed German

SACK OF

223

1527

names scratched with a pointed instrument, whether a


sword or knife I could not tell, on the lower surface of
the wall

but whether they are names of the mercenaries

of Charles
I

am

V. or of more peaceful

visitors of later times

unable to say (Fig. 39).

FIG. 39.

One

of the Sale Borgia

that of the "Vita della

Madonna"

in

the Vatican.

Reissner asserts that the right arm of the central figure

Laocoon group must have been broken off after


was discovered but it is a fact quite generally known
that the arm was missing at the time of discover}^.
of the

it

The

assertion of a letter published

some years ago by

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

224
I.

Mayerhofer

that the
of

1527,

The

tomb

of St. Peter

751)

p.

was violated during the sack

been distinctly contradicted by Grisar. 1


was written by Theodoric Vafer (alias Ge-

has

letter

scheid),

Jahrbuch (1891,

in the Historisches

and bears the date

of

June

17,

"

1527.

The

" have
soldiers," the writer says,
profaned every church
in

Rome, and have slaughtered

altars of the apostles; they

their

victims

have broken the

on the

coffins,

or

urns, containing the relics of St.

Peter and St. Paul,

and dispersed the precious dust

they have stolen the

sacred vessels used in the divine service," etc.

Professor

we ought not to take too literally the


man writing under the excitement of

Grisar thinks that


expressions of a

the appalling disaster


of

descriptions

certainly not one of the hundreds

by eye-witnesses

of the

events agrees

with this statement.


Interesting discoveries have from time to time been

made

in connexion with this sack of the City.


diarist of the last century,

that

in

named

Cecconi, relates

1705 a treasure of sixty thousand scudi was


cellars of the Palazzo Verospi on the

found in the
Corso,

where

it

had been concealed in 1527.

Again,
an
1, 1879,
apprentice mason
in
the
drain
of
a
house
at No. 23,
engaged
repairing
Via della Stelletta, found a shiny piece of metal, and

on the morning of June

put

it

in his pocket waiting for a chance to

a connoisseur.
1

show

it

to

In the meanwhile the dirt from the drain

See Le tombe Apostoliche di Roma, Roina, 1892, p. 27,

n. 40.

SACK OF

225

1627

was carted away in the direction of the Porta Angelica.


The lad was caught in the act of receiving twenty francs
Search was
from a goldsmith opposite.
once on the spot, and 142 gold coins were found

for his

made

piece

at

Policemen were sent after the

and near the drain.

in

They overtook

carts.

these outside the Porta Angelica,

examined the contents, and found forty-two more pieces,


to the great amazement of the drivers, who had no idea
that they were removing gold from such an unexpected

One hundred and

mine.

eighty-four gold pieces had

therefore been concealed in the drain of the house during

The date

or immediately before the pillage of 1527.


certain

is

the coins bear the effigy, the coat of arms, and

the legend of Pius II.,

who

who

died in 1464

of Innocent

Alexander VI., who died


VIII.,
in 1503; and of other predecessors of Clement VII.,
under whose pontificate the pillage took place.
The
died in 1492;

Clement VII. himself amount to one-third

coins of

the whole number.

The
Tiber

of

hiding-place of chief importance


;

for,

by the invaders, the Romans threw

is

the bed of the

rather than allow their treasures to be seized

the arms of Father Tiber,

muddy

of

treasury,

their valuables into

who gathered them

in his

and has preserved them to our day.

At the time of the discovery it was asserted that a coin with the
and name of Paul III. had been seen in the treasure-trove, a fact

effigy

that, if substantiated,

period than the sack.

would place the concealment of this gold at a later


I have not been able to see the coin in question.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

226

When,

in 1877, the

tion of the

works connected with the construc-

embankments along the

ing and deepening

of its

river

bed began,

and the widen-

made

it

a point

to ascertain the comparative depth of the various finds

with a view to determining the

stratification

objects of every description at the bottom.

of

the

The task

more dredgers were kept at work


and more compressed-air caissons were sunk at the same
was not

easy, because

time than one could watch personally, and, in such


cate inquiries, personal observation is necessary.

deli-

Comparing the notes taken from 1878 to 1889, I have


come to the following result that if we leave out of ac:

count the miscellaneous objects which may pertain to any


age and hence are not conclusive, the archaeological strata
of the Tiber correspond with considerable regularity to

the leading catastrophes in the history of


objects with which the dredgers

first

recall the revolution of 1848-1849,

Rome.

The

came into contact

and bear witness to

the haste with which compromising objects, as republican

symbols and weapons of every kind, were made to disappear as soon as General Oudinot had become the master

The next important

layer seems to correspond with the French invasion of 1798-1799; and the

of the City.

third

from the top yields

mementoes

as

its

harvest innumerable

of the sack of Charles of Bourbon.

CHAPTER XIX
THE MONUMENTS IX THE LATTER PART OF THE
SIXTEENTH CENTURY

THE

wretched state of

Rome

in

the latter part of

hardly concealed beneath the


The following
superficial brilliancy of the Renaissance.
facts, which I have gathered at random from contem-

the sixteenth century

is

porary records, cast light upon the condition of things.


In April, 1566, Pius V. directed the cardinals Crispo,

and Sforza "to

di Montepulciano,

of

Rome

of

summer comes
for years.

when

the heat

the air shall not be tainted."

Ap-

had

been

parently, no attempt to clean

made

see that the streets

are promptly cleaned, so that

As

the

streets

the country roads were only re-

paired four times each century, in the years of Jubilee,


so the streets were only cleaned on great occasions, as

when

a newly elected pope rode in state to the Lateran

to take possession of his

chair.

aspect of the administration, I

To

illustrate

may mention

another

the curious

means adopted by Pius IV. and the City government


diminish vagrancy.
They determined that "the

to

magistrates at the head of the


City,

accompanied

by

thirteen

wards

thirteen gentlemen
227

of the

chosen

by

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

228
the Council

one for each region


should go around
month with the almsbox " (July 8,

their parishes once a

The

1562).

feast of the Birth-day of

Rome, the gloriApril, was no longer

ous Palilia, on the twenty-first of


celebrated, for lack of money, but in 1549 a revival

was proposed on the ground that "some gentlemen


had said that they were willing to contribute from
"

their

private

purse

defray the

to

expenses

of

the

celebration.

In justice to the City magistrates of this period, we


must acknowledge that, so far as relates to the preservation of the ancient monuments, their behaviour was
different

very

from

that

the

and

of

the

authorities

had

popes

While the papal

Chamber.

Apostolic

of

officially sanctioned and encouraged the destruction of

classic

remains, particularly

by a bull

dated July 22, 1540, the municipal


to

raise

and

their

voice

in

to protest against

missioners

for

the

and reverence

of

officials

favour of

their

Paul

III.

never ceased
preservation,

the shameful deeds of the com-

"Fabbrica

di

S.

Pietro."

Their

alma parens was never


crushed by untoward events.
This attitude of mind
was so consistent and unvarying that in the many hunlove

for

the

dred volumes of Records which

have consulted in the

municipal archives, I have found no trace of any opposition

to projects

connected with the safeguarding of

the classic remains, or with the increase of the archaeological collections of the

Capitoline

Museum.

On

the

FIG. 40.

Bas-reliefs

church of

S.

from the arch of Marcus Aurelius, removed from the


Martina in 1525, now in the Conservator! Palace.

THE MONUMENTS
for

regard

contrary,

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

IN

the

the glories of

past

was

times carried to an extreme, and the City Council

and then transformed

it

Even allowing

humanists.

of

itself, as

were, into an
that

this

231
at

now

academy

overzealous

devotion to antiquity might justly be criticised, we are


compelled to admire the patriotism of the City officials,
for

in

trials,

also,

the cause

gloomy

we must

S.

they forgot

all

confess, the sense of justice

away from the

rector

else

present

and sometimes,

prospects for the future,

1525, they took


of

of art

thus in March,
of

the church

Martina the bas-reliefs from the arch of Marcus

Aurelius,

now on

Conservatori

the landing of the staircase of the

without allowing him any com-

Palace,

pensation (Fig. 40).

In 1538, after 320 scudi had been laboriously collected from the Cerrini and other defaulters and criminals in the district of Cori, the City Council voted that

"of the said sum of 320 scudi a portion should be


devoted to the setting up of the equestrian statue of

M. Antonius

(sz'c), according to the design of Master


Michael Angelo, sculptor, and another portion to the

building of

the substruction walls

of

the

Piazza del

Campidoglio." The equestrian statue referred to is the


bronze Marcus Aurelius which was then set up in the
square of the Capitol, where

In the Middle Ages


(Fig. 42);

and

its

it

it

preservation
i

C.

/.

has remained ever since.

had stood near the Lateran


is

thought to have been

L. VI. 1014.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

232

due to the
the

first

The

was a statue

belief that it

of Constantino,

Christian Emperor.

interest of the municipal authorities in the pres-

ervation of statuary

is

illustrated also

by the following

When

Pius IV., in 1561, urged the Municipality to complete in timber the unfinished portion of
the bridge of Santa Maria (now called the Ponte Rotto),
incident.

the suggestion until


"
Monsignor Rufino guaranteed to reimburse the Municipality in the sum of 2000 scudi if the plan should not

Council hesitated to

the

succeed."

It

accept

happened that the repairs were not suc-

City commenced proceedings against


Rutino for reimbursement of the money.

and the

cessful,

Monsignor

After paying 640 scudi, he asked the City to accept in


settlement of the balance due them "two beautiful
statues," to be valued

by experts, for the decoration of


The proposal was acthe new Capitoline buildings.
and
Tommaso de' Cavaand
Mario
cepted,
Frangipani
were appointed appraisers with power to choose a
The statues are still
third appraiser to assist them.
lieri

to

be seen, on either side of the vestibule of the Con-

servatori

found,
in the

Julius

Palace.

according

to

Forum Julium.
Caesar

are

They

that

colossal

somewhat

The one on
on the

left,

in

size,

doubtful

both

tradition,

the right represents

a victorious

Roman

admiral.

In December,
statues

of

1584,

the

restoration

of

the

colossal

Castor and Pollux came to a standstill on

THE MONUMENTS

IN

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

account of the lack of funds.

means

office of

FIG. 41.

complete the

to

233

In order to provide the

work the Council farmed out the

public notary for two of the wards of the City,

The statues

of Castor

and Pollux on the Capitoline

hill,

restored in

1584.

the Rione di Ripa and the

Curia Capitolina, and the

statues were set in the places which they

now occupy

(Fig. 41).

In 1576, in spite of the emptying of the treasury to

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT EOME

234

defray the expenses of the Jubilee of 1575, the

City

fathers voted a large sum, for those days, to bring the

Lex Regia to a
famous document is a

dispute regarding the possession of the


satisfactory

This

conclusion.

copy, engraved in bronze, of the decree by which the


"
" Senate and the Roman
conferred the imperial
people

The

power on Vespasian.
Boniface
St.

VIII.

in

the

John Lateran, and


its

where, showing

set so

awkwardly that

it

could

Cola di Rienzi, in 1346, caused

hardly be read.
be taken from

had been used by


construction of an altar in
tablet

it

it

to

hiding-place and set up in the nave,


to his fellow-citizens, he

was wont to

speak fiery words on the right of the people to choose

own form

their

of

government.

The

efforts

of

the

document had always


the opposition of the Canons of the

municipality to secure the valuable


failed,

owing

Lateran.

to

Compelled

at last

by a decree

of the

Pope

to

take some action, the Canons voted to commit the precious tablet to the guardian care of " the

and

as they

Roman

people,"

begged that they might receive something

gave them 200


gold scudi on condition that they purchase a silver ewer
in return, the Council, out of gratitude,

and basin and a pair of candelabra for use in the basilica.


The 200 scudi were secured by pawning certain objects
of value belonging to the City.

In the minutes of the City Council for May 17, 1580,


" It is
I find the following statement
clearly seen that
:

the antiquities of

Rome

are disappearing every day, on

THE MONUMENTS

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 235

IN

account of the search for marbles, which

is

carried on

in the most reckless manner, with no regard

ruins

the

of

preservation
recent instance of this in the

undermined so

to

as

tion

was sent

him

to revoke all grants given

ber "for

to

Pope

the procuring of

Pietro

Apostles."

and

The

deputa-

Gregory XIII., instructed to ask

the ancient ruins of the


di S.

new founda-

require

and buttresses to be kept standing."

tions

the

have

Palazzo Maggiore (the


where the most beautiful halls

palace of the Caesars)

have been

to

We

themselves.

City, even for

church

the

by the Apostolic Cham-

marble and travertine from

of

the

result of this interview

the

Fabbrica

Prince

may

of

the

be inferred

from the fact that by another apostolic brief the destructive powers of the Fabbrica di S. Pietro were extended
to the ruins of Ostia

and Porto.

In the Autobiography of Cardinal Giovanni Antonio


1
by Professor Cugnoni, a

Santori, edited

instance

is

given of the

way

characteristic

that Sixtus V. dealt with

"

Seeing that the Pope was quite


bent on the destruction of the antiquities of Rome," says
ancient monuments.

the Cardinal,

"many Roman noblemen came

to

beg

me

to try to persuade his Holiness to abandon his strange


purpose, particularly as he cherished the intention of
destroying the Septizonium (as he afterward did), the

Velabrum (that
i

See Vol. XII.

p.

is,

the

372,

four-faced arch of the

and Vol. XIII.

Societa reale di Storia patria.

p. 151, of

Forum

the Archivio della

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT HOME

236

Boarium), and the Capo di Bove," which we know as


the tomb of Caecilia Metella, that rare and splendid

monument

" I

of the Republic.

made

this request

in

company with Cardinal Colonna, and received the reply


that he wished to remove the unsightly ruins in order

And

to repair those that required it."

indeed, in

May,

1589, Giovanni Battista Mottino and Girolamo Leni and


his

brothers

had no

from Cardinal

down

the

difficulty in

obtaining permission

di Montalto, the Pope's Camarlingo, to pull

mausoleum

The

of Caecilia Metella.

however, contained a provision

"

rescript,

Our Sovereign Lord

and Master grants the concession, provided that the

Roman

people

monument,

are

to give here the

This

content."

as I will

show

but

clause

think

it

saved

exact words of the request


of the

the

worth while

made

to

of

the

age
"Gio. Battista Mottino, and Girolamo Leni and

his

the

Pope,
:

so

characteristic

is

it

spirit

brothers, are the owners

the farm-lands of

Capo di
Bove, where there is a tomb, or tower, which it would
be very advantageous to them to dismantle. They
therefore

of

humbly pray your Holiness that they may

be granted permission in such a way that the gentlemen of the City Council (Signori Conservator!) cannot
oppose it by saying it is an antiquity, which they

ought not to say, as it is out of Rome and not in a


public place, and others have been dismantled, one on
the road to Tivoli, another of marble at Ponte

dell'

THE MONUMENTS

IN

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

Arco, yet another at Casal

Rotonno, and

your Holiness will make

If

likewise

be

favour

unceasingly pray
a

that

(popolo

people

special

and

long

many others. 1
concession we think

this

please him, and

to

the

by

will

Roman

the

that

God

happy

237

thus

Romano) will do
we receive will

all

our Master,

of

for

his

be

life

we

and

and

preservation,
to

granted

your

Excellency."

The "popolo Romano," on whom Cardinal

di

Mont-

had sought to lay the responsibility, at first hesidemolition began, but so


tated, and the work of
alto

numerous and serious were the remonstrances


the motion of Paolo

Lancellotti,

Ottavio Gabrielli, and

leagues,

that,

on

seconded by his colAlessandro Gottifredi,

the Municipal Council cancelled the permission, and so

tomb

the

of

others

Metella was saved.

This occurrence, and

same nature, possibly account for the


feeling among the people toward Sixtus V.

the

of

change of
Those same magistrates who had ordered the erection
a statue to him,

of

return

rate

the

the

death

August
1

24,

of

1590

26, 1585, to

commemo-

and plenty, thus announce


the Council on Monday,
Pope
"
To-day, our most Holy Lord, Pope

of

the

November
peace

to

cannot quite make out which tomb on Via Tiburtina is alluded to


Mottino and his friends perhaps it is that described in

in this petition of

Cod. Vat. 3439, f. 35. The antiquita al ponte delV Arco is the tomb of
M. Antonius Antius Lupus, about which see Bull. Com., 1891, p. 221.
The mausoleum of Aurelius Cotta still bears the characteristic name
given

it

in the

memorial (Casal Rotondo).

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

238

Sixtus V., has departed this

life,

amidst the rejoicings

and mutual congratulations of all classes of


But Sixtus V. was great in everything, in
ship and in

his

in

enmity,

magnificence, in the benefits


nal

City,

citizens." 1

his friend-

modesty and in his


he conferred on the Eterhis

and in the contempt he professed toward


It would, perhaps, be more correct

the classic ruins.


to say

toward some

that, in

spite of

him the

classic

so

ruins, for

we cannot forget
we owe

acts of destruction,

many

columns of Trajan and


of Marcus Aurelius, and of the Horse-tamers of the

to

the

restoration of

Quirinal, the discovery

and reerection of three

obelisks,

the removal of the Vatican obelisk to a more suitable


place,

and the renovation

The demolition

of the

whole City.

the

Septizonium of Septimius
Severus took place in the winter of 1588-1589, under
the direction

of

menico Fontana.

of

the

Pope's

Some 905

favourite

scudi were

Do-

architect,

expended

in

the work, but the valuable materials recovered, blocks


of

and

peperino

marbles,
teresting

travertine,

more than
to

see

and

columns

the expenditure.

offset

what became

of

the

rare

of
It

spoils

is

of

in-

this

famous building, the loss of which archaeologists have


regretted more than of almost any other in Rome.
"Thirty-three blocks of stone," I have stated else" were used in the foundation of the
where,
pedestal of
1

Hodie sanctissimus dominus

congratulantibus

et

noster, Syxtus

maxima omnium

laetitia,

papa qtdntus, omnibtis

diem suum clausit extremum.

THE MONUMENTS IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

239

the obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo; 104 of marble in


the restoration of the column of Marcus Aurelius, in-

cluding the base of the bronze statue of

Paul

St.

15

tomb of the Pope in the Cappella del Presepio,


Maria Maggiore, and an equal number in that of
Pius V. The staircase of the Casa dei Mendicanti, or

in the
at S.

workhouse, by the Ponte Sisto, and that of the Trinita


de' Monti, the wash-house (lavatore) in the Baths of
Diocletian, the door of the

Palazzo della Cancelleria;

the north facade of St. John Lateran, the court and


palace, the

staircases of the adjoining

Moses

on

the

Quirinal,

and

Girolamo degli Schiavoni,

S.

spoils of the Septizonium."

The Baths
treated

the

of

all

had

one of the

(February 12, 1588).

church

their share of

not more mercifully

Pope's

"We

admirers,

a portion

of

sings

them

of

had," he says, "this large

tract of land," the present Piazza di Termini,

was

of

the

the destruction of

praises of

the

lastly,

Diocletian were

Gualtieri,

fountain of the

"which

no use because uneven and covered with the

ruins of the baths";


"it has been cleared

but now, thanks to Sixtus V.,

and levelled up."

Not

2,660,000 cubic feet of masonry were broken

course of the work.

The

that the destruction lasted from

up

than

in the

figures can be verified in

the pontifical Books of Account, from which

15 of the following year.

less

The

May

we

16, 1586, to

learn

May

materials were carted

Euins and Excavations,

p. 183.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

240

away and put

to use in raising the level of the Vicus

Bambino Gesu),

Patricius (Via del

of the

Vicus Portae

Viminalis (Via Strozzi), and other adjacent streets.


Next in importance come the damages inflicted in

upon the Claudian aqueduct, the

the time of Sixtus V.

arches

which, seven

of

miles

reached in places

long,

the height of one hundred and twenty feet above the


level of the Campagna.
Many of them were demolished that the materials might be used in the construction

of

the

new

Felice

Aqueduct, which received

its

Pope, Felice Peretti. As we


have seen, the Claudian, the Marcian, the Alexandrine,

name from

that of the

and other aqueducts, had suffered

little

at the hands

of the barbarians, who merely attempted to create a


water famine in the besieged city by removing a few
The Marcian and Claudian
stones from the channels.

aqueducts at any rate were practically intact till near


end of the sixteenth century.
Upon Matteo da

the

Castello

and

Domenico

Fontana,

the

architects

of

Sixtus V., and upon the trustees of the hospital of S.

Giovanni, rests the main part of the responsibility for


their

Whenever the

disappearance.

hospital

was

in

need of money or building materials, a certain number


of arches were sold by public auction, and demolished

by the purchaser.

have found several grants

in the

archives of this charitable institution, conveying the right

and even

to destroy one, two,


1

See

p.

1
four, pilasters at one time.

85 and Fig. 20.

THE MONUMENTS

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

IN

241

which are now the pride of the


City, escaped destruction by a hair's breadth under the
rule of this energetic Pope.
One, as I have already inti-

Some

mated,

of the ruins,

is

Boarium.

the so-called Janus Quadrifrons of the

Forum

In a letter addressed to his architect, Fon-

tana, dated January

1588, Sixtus says:

4,

"I give you

permission to destroy that ancient arch by S. Giorgio


in Velabro, that you may use its marbles for the
pedestal of the obelisk which I have resolved to erect
in

the Piazza del

Laterano, and also for the coat of

arms and the inscription which belong to the same


I grant you also the three columns of portapedestal.
santa which support the portico of a canon's residence,

near the Loggia of the Benediction, and the pieces of a


fourth,

which are lying there on the ground.

you are to use for


S. Maria Maggiore."

the ciborium of

These

our chapel

in

Fontana did not avail himself fully of the permission,


being perhaps afraid to engage in acts, the vandalism of

which was too obvious

and he took the precaution to


provide himself with a safe-conduct from the Pope, which
;

he could use in case the "


him.

In another

letter,

Roman

"

People

should arrest

dated February 5, 1589, the


authorised to excavate, seize,

Pope says: "You are


and remove from any place

you think it expedient,


columns, marbles, travertine, and any other material
necessary for the building and ornamentation of the
chapel, which our sister, Donna Camilla, is adding to

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

242

We

the church of S. Susanna.


a present to her, and
interfere with

you

it

is

our will that no one shall

in the execution of our

The aim which Sixtus had


extenuation of his

We

give these materials as

commands."

view may be urged in


treatment of the ancient monuments.
in

should not forget that while destroying with one


to his mind, had no value, he was

hand ruins which,

with the other raising structures which to this day com-

mand

the admiration of the world.

We

may

freely

concede that the loss of portions of the ancient aque-

compensated by the conAcqua Felice, by means of which the


higher parts of the Esquiline, Quirinal, and Pincian
hills, almost entirely abandoned for eleven centuries on
ducts, for example,

is

fully

struction of the

account of the dearth of water, were again made habitable.

There

is,

one act

however,

archium, or pontifical residence


historic

halls,

we

at

the

Lateran, with

chapels, oratories, banqueting rooms,

loggias, colonnades, mosaic


It

vandalism that

the destruction of the old Patri-

can never forgive,

its

of

pictures,

was the most wonderful museum

that ever existed.

No

and
of

inscriptions.

mediaeval art

one can read the accounts of

Pompeo Ugonio and of Giacomo Grimaldi, without profound regret that so much of priceless value has been
lost.
The oratories of the Virgin Mary, dating from
(858-867), of St. Sylvester and
St. Sebastian, dating from the time of Theodore I. (642-

the time of Nicholas

I.

THE MONUMENTS

IN

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

243

church and monastery of St. Pancras, the


shrines of S. Caesarius, of Michael the Archangel, of
649), the

S. Apollinaris,

dating from the time of Hadrian

I.

(772-

795), the Leonine triclinium, the Loggia of the Benediction, built

by Boniface VIII. (1300), the Council

hall,

View of the Lateran buildings before their destruction by Sixtus V.


In the foreground (6) , the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. From a sketch

FIG. 42.

by Ciampini.

were razed to the ground in a few months.


The
loss most lamented, not only by cultivated men of the
all

day but
of

also

by the populace, was that

of the Oratory

the

Holy Cross (Oratorium Sanctae Crucis), the


shape and location of which are shown in the sketch

by Ciampini (Fig. 42).


This Oratory was in the form

of a

Greek

cross,

with

a small atrium in front, surrounded on three sides by

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

244

columns and presenting the type of a classic nymphaeum.


There were three fountains of rare marble, one occupying
the centre of the vestibule, the others at the sides, each

with water trickling down into it from the capital of


The three doors were cast in bronze and
a column.
inlaid

with

Three of the four arms of the cross

silver.

contained altars, while in the fourth stood the baptismal


Exquisite mosaics adorned the ceiling, and the
walls were covered with the finest marble veneering, of
font.

the sort called opus

sectile.

The

destruction of this

of early Christian architecture is recorded

the following words

torn

down amid

gem

by Ugonio

in

" This most


splendid oratory was

the groans of the City, and

its

destruc-

tion has left a sense of loss in the hearts of all."

The

closing years of the sixteenth century fall in the

pontificate of

1605).

He

transept of

Pope Clement VIII., Aldobrandini (1592undertook, in 1597, the renovation of the

St.

John Lateran, which was

him, the Nave Clementina.

He

called, after

also raised the magnifi-

cent Altar of the Sacrament at the south end of the

same transept.
architect

The names

of Cav. di

marancie,

painters

of

Pietro Paolo

Arpino and Cristof oro dalle Poof Antonio Valsoldo, Francesco

Landini, and Silla Longhi, sculptors;

goldsmith

Olivieri,

of Curzio

of Orazio Censori, founder

and

Vanni,

of Giulio

Lanciani, goldbeater, are associated with this important

work.

But what a destruction

of

old

marbles and

THE MONUMENTS

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 245

IN

bronzes the completion of

involved

it

It is clear

from

the account-book of the clerk of the works, Giovanni

Vaccarone, that for three consecutive years Rome, the


suburbs, and even parts of Etruria were ransacked to

Damages were caused not so much


private speculators who provided, one

secure materials.

by the

small

a column, another a bit of frieze, or a tombstone, or


plain blocks

marble, as by the contractors

of

with the Pope's

official

permission to carry

off

any antique monument that would

to pieces

armed
or pull

suit their

purpose.

Among
rials

mentioned

those

those

who

destroyed

own account are Muzio


who sold the marbles of
Piazza di Sciarra

as

having provided matemonuments on their

old

del Bufalo

Flaminio Vacca,

the arch of Claudius in the

the nuns of S. Silvestro,

who

furnished

marbles from the temple of Mithras at S. Giovannino


Loreto Facciolo, who thus dis(Via della Mercede)
;

posed of the remains of the temple of

Venus

in Calca-

the canons of the Pantheon, who sold the marbles


from the Baths of Agrippa; the monks of La Minerva,
who apparently furnished marbles from the temple of

rario

Isis

Arco
I

the nuns of S. Marta,


di

know

Camigliano

who

sold the remains of the

who
The monks of

and the Duchess

not what splendid remains.

Savelli,

sold

SS.

Apostoli contributed a column of porphyry and a block


of giallo antico
the nuns of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna,
;

many

blocks of travertine from some ruins which occu-

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT EOME

246

pied the slope of the Viminal, in the neighbourhood of


the priests of S. Agnese, in the Piazza
S. Pudenziana
;

Navona, furnished stone and marble from the Alexandrine Stadium

and there were a hundred others that

I cannot take the space to mention.

Meanwhile the papal board of works on its own account undertook excavations and the demolition of ruins,
granting two-thirds of the proceeds to those who did
the work.
Under these conditions Alessandro Senzolino
carried on systematic operations in the

Marmorata
Borrella,

Forum and

Petruccio Bettania, at Ostia ;

Ponte Salario

at

at

La

Gioacchino

Ottaviano da Gubbio, at

the Torre Pignattara and S. Maria Nuova, that

is,

the

Empress Helena and the temple of


Venus and Rome.
They took columns wherever they

mausoleum

of the

could find them, not only from sacred

edifices, like

the

old Lateran, S. Croce in Gerusalemme, and S. Pudenziana,

but even from the street corners.

On

April 25, 1599,

a Pietro Savia, a mason, sold "the shaft of a column of


giallo taken

linare."

On

similar shaft

from the corner of a house near

S.

Apol-

the same day a certain Ippolito conveyed a

"removed from the corner

at the Sette Sale,"

and on

sold a piece of portasanta,

May

2,

of his vineyard

Simon the apothecary

which had served as a curb-

stone at the entrance to the Ponte Sisto.

The worst deeds

of destruction at this time, however,

must be brought home

to Orazio Censori, the builder of

the Altar of the Sacrament.

This masterpiece

is

orna-

THE MONUMENTS

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

IN

247

merited with four large bronze-gilt columns, which supThe guide-books


port a pediment of the same metal.
relate

fantastic

columns.
Jupiter

stories

as

to

the origin of these four

One account assigns them to the temple of


Optimus Maximus according to another, the
;

Emperor Vespasian brought them from Judaea; and a


third version says that they were cast

by Augustus from

the beaks of the ships captured at the battle of Actium.

probably true that the columns, or at least two of


them, were placed in the Lateran by Constantine, to
It is

serve as light-bearers (Pharo-cantharoi) on each side of

the high altar.

As

the necessary metal was

lacking

to

adapt the

columns to the design of the new altar, and to crown


them with capitals and a pediment, Censori made a tour
in Etruria, in the district of Tarquinii and Falerii.
He
brought back to Rome hundreds upon hundreds of
pounds of works of art in bronze, collected from the

tombs

of Corneto

and Civita Castellana, which were

all

melted up in the furnace, together with pieces of the


bronze beams of the Pantheon. An entry dated July,
1599, records the payment of 5089.55 scudi to Censori
"for mending a broken bronze column; for the manufacture of three new capitals with foliage, flowers,
rosettes,

and ovules

cornice, consisting

of

for

the decorations of the entire

16 doves, 16

stars,

and 2 large

angels; and for the expenses of his journey to Corneto

and Civita Castellana,

to bring metal to

Rome."

The

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

248

commune
pounds

Corneto

of

of bronze

received

59.85

scudi

665

for

have not found the account

rela-

tive to Civita Castellana.

In

opposition

to

Apostolic

chamber,

FIG. 43.

The Loggia

permission

to

use

this

the

shameful behaviour
City

Council

never

of

the

granted

of Pietro Squarcialupi, Palazzo del Senators.

materials

from

ancient

structures

without restrictions designed to protect the structures


themselves.

On

September, 1520, Pietro Squarcialupi,

Senator, wishing to complete the Loggia in front of the

Palazzo

del

permission to

on the Capitol (Fig. 43), asked


obtain stones from the neighbourhood of

Senatore

the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus.

The decree

of the Council granting the authorisation is a

model

of

THE MONUMENTS

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

IN

The Senator must excavate on

prudence.

responsibility

excavation

and at

has

his

reached

own
the

expense
desired

his

251

own

and when the

depth

he

must

notify the magistrate, who, with a committee of ten


" shall visit the
citizens,
place, and satisfy himself that

no harm

is

or of other

done to the standing remains of the arch,

monuments

similar instance

in the

may

Forum."

be quoted from the Records

On

of the latter half of the century.

October 15, 1574,

City Council, pressed by Pope Gregory XIII. to


restore the Ponte Rotto (the Pons Aemilius of classic
the

times, Fig.

44), three

arches of which had been car-

away by the inundation

ried

of

September 27, 1557,


accepted the suggestion of Giovanni Battista Cecchini,
the chairman of the Council, to make use of blocks of

The

travertine from the Coliseum for the work.

decree

was worded with the greatest


"
care
It is agreed that the marbles and stones required for the work shall be excavated and removed
from the belt of ruins around the amphitheatre, comof the Council, however,
:

monly called il Coliseo, provided that the said marbles


and stones are found loose, and in no way attached to
any standing part

of the

be extended to other

monument.

The

search can
1

belonging to the S. P. Q. R.,


done to standing ruins
Matteo

sites

provided no harm is
da Castello, our architect, to carry out the instructions
1

an

Senatus Populusque Romanics,

official

designation of the

ancient city.

"The

government

Senate and People of

of the

modern

Rome,"

as well as of the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

252

of the Council

all statues,

or movable antiquities,

which

eventually come to light, shall be the property of

may

the S. P. Q. R."

In this connexion
founders

the

Smetius,

and

Pighius,

of

their

expound

is

worth while to remark that

science

with such matters

all

Fulvio

Ursino,

and to investigate and


concerned

they

Metello,

epigraphy,

copy the greatest pos-

to

inscriptions,

meaning

of

Panvinio,

Ligorio,

aimed simply

number

not at

the

of

Cittadini,

sible

it

as

themselves

the place in which

an inscription was discovered, or its subsequent fate.


They did not seem to think it important to notice
whether a block containing an inscription had been

found in
the

situ, or loose in a

Forum

matter of
stone

Campus Martius.
copied and made known,

was

inscription

indifference

was

Once

the

in

or

mass of rubbish, whether in

removed

to

to

museums, or burnt into

the

Farnese,
or

Cesi,

sawed

was a

it

them whether the

an

original

or

into

Carpi

slabs

to

recognition

of

the importance of recording the minutest details in

all

pave the
branches

floor

of

of

St.

lime,

Peter's.

study having

to

do with

come only with the development


in our

own

days.

full

of

antiquity has

scientific

method

CHAPTER XX
THE MODERNISATION OF MEDIAEVAL BUILDINGS IN
THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES

THE

systematic demolition of the remains of ancient

Rome ends with


which

period,

but the next

the sixteenth century,

from

extends

the

beginning

of

the

seventeenth to the end of the eighteenth century, adds


another chapter to the record of loss and disappearance
Under the
the destruction of mediaeval buildings.
pretext
dinals,

of

restoration

patricians,

and embellishment, popes,

and heads of monastic

orders,

car-

laid

hands upon the most noted and the most venerable churches, which had, until then, preserved their

their

beautiful basilica type in

all

its

simplicity

and majesty.

Paul V., as we have seen, inaugurated the movement

by pulling down the east half


St.

Peter's, 1606-1615.

nessed,

also,

of

other modernisations

Hadrian and

the

old basilica of

The seventeenth century


;

wit-

the twin churches

Martina were disfigured by Piero


da Cortona, under Urban VIII., and by Alfonzo Sotomayor and Borromini, under Alexander VII. In 1651,
of St.

S.

Onorio Longhi destroyed the church of S. Ambrogio


with its marvellous frescoes by Pierino del Vaga, to
253

DESTRUCTION OP ANCIENT ROME

254
build in

place the

its

structure of S.

tasteless

Carlo

al Corso.

In

the

tended.

by
S.

century the list is rapidly exThe old church of S. Alessio was modernised
eighteenth

Tommaso
Anastasia,

urement

Marchis

de

of

S.

Cosma

1750,

was

Apollinare

Fuga, of SS. Apostoli to


SS.

in

by Carlo

in 1722,

Damiano

the .church

The

Gimach.

due

of

disfig-

Ferdinando

to

Francesco Fontana, and

The

to Arrigucci.

basilica

of
of

Croce in Gerusalemme was profaned and reduced


to its present form in 1744 by Passalacqua and GregS.

orini, a restoration classed

of "nefarious" architects.

by Milizia among the works


The same title of dishonour

was given by Fea to Paolo


dict XIV., profaned the attic

Posi,
of

who, under Bene-

the Pantheon, substi-

tuting chiaroscuro daubs for the exquisite marble incrustations

of

the

time

of

Septimius

"nefarious," might most

epithet

Severus.

The

appropriately be

ap-

plied also to Borromini on account of the disfigurement


of

the

Lateran,

to

Antonio

Canevari

for

that

of

SS. Giovanni e Paolo, to Francesco Ferrari for that of

Gregorio on the Caelian, and so on to wearisome


length for the restoration of churches became a general
S.

practice,

and was carried out

in accordance

with a uni-

form plan.
This plan

may

be easily outlined.

"The columns

of

the nave were walled up, and concealed in thick pilasters of

whitewashed masonry

the inscribed, or sculp-

MODERNISATION OF MEDIAEVAL BUILDINGS


marble

tured

255

and the

cosmatesque pavements,
the winwere taken up and replaced by brick floors
dows were enlarged out of all proportion, that floods
of light might enter and illuminate every remote, peaceslabs,

ful recess of the sacred edifice.

made

of

For the beautiful roofs

cedar wood, vaults or lacunaria were substi-

The simple but precious frescoes of the fourteenth century were whitewashed, and the fresh surface
was covered with the insignificant productions of Frantuted.

Gerolamo Troppa, Giacinto Brandi, and


other painters equally obscure." 1 But the most surcesco

Cozza,

that all these profanations could be


not
accomplished,
only without opposition, but amid
general applause; such was the perverted taste of the

prising

fact

is

time.

In this period, however,


cle

we

are called

upon to chroni-

only a few instances of the destruction of classical


Paul V., in 1610, demolished the Baths of

monuments.

Constantino and four churches to

make room

palace of his kinsman, Scipione Borghese,

He

now

for the

the Ros-

ground the
beautiful remains of the temple of Minerva in the
Forum Transitorium (1606) the columns and frieze

pigliosi

palace.

also levelled to the

were cut into slabs and

utilised for the

decoration of

the Borghese Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore, and of the

fountain of the

Acqua Paola on the Janiculum.

The

blocks of stone belonging to the cella of the temple


1

Ancient Some,

p. xix.

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

256

and
the

Forum were given

to the enclosing wall of the

monks

to

of S. Adriano.

In 1632 Urban VIII. damaged the

Templum

Sacrae

and the Heroon Romuli, which are united in


the church of SS. Cosma e Damiano. He raised the
Urbis

level

both buildings twenty-four

of

stones from

presented

church of

from

veneering

Urban

is

of

marble

Senatus

mausoleum
S.

and sold or

Jesuits

for

their

out

reset

of place

the

were obliterated, and the beautiful

responsible

Secretarium
of the

and

fastenings

historic inscriptions

feet,

to the

The bronze doors were wrenched

S. Ignazio.

their

them

of

in
also

(S.

was

sectile

opus

for the

destroyed.

destruction of

Martina),

of

the

some portions

Hadrian, of the old churches of

Maria

in

and

S.

Vibiana,

S.

Salvatore in Campo, and lastly of the bronze roof

Anastasia,

S.

Pallara,

which covered the portico of the Pantheon. The weight


of the metal removed to the apostolic foundry from the
Pantheon was 450,251 pounds.
The last incident we have
nexion

is

to

mention

in

this con-

the demolition of the triumphal arch which

stood at the corner of the Corso (Via Flaminia) and


the Via in Lucina (Ara Pacis), accomplished by Pope

Alexander VII. in 1662.

removed
to

to the Capitoline

Maria Peretti

Savelli.

Two

Museum

Two

were

of the bas-reliefs
;

a third

was given

columns of verde antico

were bought by the Pamphili and placed on either side


of their altar at S. Agnese in the Piazza Navona
two
;

MODERNISATION OF MEDIAEVAL BUILDINGS


others
the

found a resting-place

Lateran.

The key

of

in the

the arch

the vestibule of the University of

257

Corsini Chapel at
is

to

be

found

in

Rome, and the group

dancing Hours, discovered in 1740 at the


foot of the arch, has been removed to the Galleria delle
of the three

Statue in the Vatican

Museum.

CHAPTER XXI
MODERN USE OF AXCIEXT MARBLES
IF

we could only wrest

the secret of their origin

from the marbles, stones, and bricks with which our


palaces, our houses, and our churches were built and
decorated

in

the

period

of

the

Renaissance,

if

the

marble-dust with which the ceilings and the walls were


plastered, and their stucco ornamentation modelled, by
the cinquecento artists, could be again moulded into the
statues

and

bas-reliefs

from which

of the ancient City

it

and

knowledge
art would be wonderfully enhanced.

was obtained, our


of

its

We

treasures of

cannot follow

the record of this practice without a feeling of melan-

we

upon the irreparable loss to culture


and progress which the modern world has experienced in
the disappearance of so many masterpieces in which were
choly as

reflect

embodied the highest

ideals of antiquity.

Nothing would

better illustrate the strange turns of fortune than the

varied uses to which the marbles from ancient structures have been put in

modern times; and

may, perby relating a few


out of the almost numberless instances that have come

haps, fittingly close this brief sketch

to

my

notice.
258

MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MARBLES


The

259

beautiful slabs of portasanta, with which the doors

church of S. Maria

of the

dell'

Anima

are veneered, were

from a marble-cutter's shop, discovered in the


foundations of the same church.
The tombstone of Inigo

taken

Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, Marquis of Capistrano,


Chief Justice of the kingdom of Naples, buried August
29, 1566, in S. Maria del Popolo, was cut out of a cornice

from the Baths of Agrippa.


We know from the Memoirs of Flaminio Vacca that

arms of Pius IV. on the Porta Pia was

the coat of

carved out of the capital of a column of the Porticus

Eventus Boni near the Stagnum Agrippae. 1 In the same


connexion Vacca says: " I remember also that while the
Theatine Fathers were laying the foundations of the
church of S. Andrea della Valle they found a part of a

column

palms long. This was sawn


and one of them was turned into the

of grey granite forty

into several pieces,

threshold of the main door of the church."

Vacca further throws light on the disappearance of


the last

remains
"

Maximus.

of

the

temple

of

Jupiter

Optimus

Tarpeian rock behind the


Palazzo dei Conservatori," he says, "several columns of
Pentelic

large

which
the

the

marble were found.

that
is

Upon

now

garden.

was able

to

Their capitals were so

carve out of one

the lion

in the loggia of the Villa Medici facing

The

others

were used by Vincenzo de

Rossi for the statues of the prophets and other figures


1

See

p. 3.

DESTRUCTION OP ANCIENT ROME

260

which adorn the chapel of Cardinal Cesi in the church


of S. Maria della Pace (Fig. 45).
No fragment of the

G. 4".

The

Cesi chapel in the church of S. Maria della Pace, built with

Peutelic marble from the temple of Jupiter

Optimus Maximus.

entablature was found, but as the building was close to


the edge of the Tarpeian rock I suspect that

must have

fallen over the precipice

"

(Mem.

its

marbles

64).

MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MARBLES


The

correctness of this surmise

261

was proved

in

1780,

one hundred and eighty years after the publication of


" In that
Vacca's Memoirs.
year," says Montagnani,
"

great blocks of entablature of beautiful workmanship

were found under the house at No. 13 Via Montanara,


belonging to Duke Lante della Rovere. The frieze was
ornamented with festoons fastened to the heads of bulls.

They were destroyed on the


make a sketch of them. As

spot before any one could


this

house of

stands at the foot of the Capitoline

Duke Lante
have no

hill,

doubt that the marbles belong to the temple mentioned


by Vacca."

Toward

num-

the middle of the fifteenth century a

ber of fluted columns of giallo antico thirteen feet long

were discovered among the ruins of the temple of Venus


Cardinal Ricci di Montein the gardens of Sallust.
pulciano bought them and used them for the balustrade

He

in his chapel in S. Pietro in Montorio.


also

some alabaster columns found

which he had sawed into slabs for tables


other valuable

present to the

objects

King

were shipped

to

purchased

same

at the
;

place,

these

and

Lisbon as a

of Portugal, but the vessel

which

bore them foundered in a gale.


When the tepidarium or central hall of the Baths of
Diocletian was adapted for Christian worship
the capital of one of the eight granite pillars

Michel Angelo replaced


dentally

among

it

the ruins of

by Pius IV.
was missing;

by another discovered accithe temple of Claudius on the

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

262

The stadium

Caelian.

of Domitian,

now

represented by

the Piazza Navona, has supplied materials for the erection

modern

of several

among them the palace


Madama, the church of

buildings,

Beneinbene in the Piazza


Nicola dei Lorenesi in

with marbles from the mausoleum

of

Giovanni Alberti, who happened to be in


time of

its

in

sketch-book,

his

S.

Borgo
bulls'

erection, has left the following

Sepolcro

now in
" The

heads, sketched

S.

the Via dell' Anima, and the

Casino of Pius IV. in the Vatican gardens.


The chapel of Gregory XIII. in St. Peter's
built

of

on these

with

sheets,

mostly
Hadrian.

Rome at the
memorandum

the Collacchioni
frieze

is

library,

wreaths

and

together with

the architrave and base, was taken from the river-front

mausoleum

of the

of

The marbles

XIII.

Hadrian by order of Pope Gregory


will be used in building the Gre-

gorian Chapel in St. Peter's.

made

these drawings

July 20, 1579." A similar fate befell the marbles discovered in the Augusteum of the Fratres Arvales, near

The Augusteum was an oblong hall, supcolumns


of Greek marble twenty-two feet
ported by
La Magliana.
It

high.

contained statues of imperial members of the

brotherhood, standing on pedestals inscribed with their

The

were saved and were dispersed


among several collections the columns and pedestals
were cut up for the decoration of the same chapel.

praises.

statues

Up

to about the middle of the sixteenth century there

were considerable remains of the Baths of Titus standing

MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MARBLES


east of the Coliseum,

between

S.

263

Pietro in Vincoli and

the Baths of Trajan. 1 Here were found sections of "the


most beautiful cornices," which, according to the prevailing custom, were

sawed up into

slabs,

and were sold

to the Jesuits to be used in their church of Gesu.

mention of

this

church brings to

incident of the same sort.

From

my memory

The

another

the beautiful volume

2
lately published by Plon in Paris, we learn that in or
about 1541, the head of the Roman house of the Jesuits,

Father Condatius, unearthed in the piazza then called


degli Altieri, now del Gesu, some great blocks of marble

which he sold for one hundred ducats.

ment which

Another docu-

have discovered in the state archives

us that the marbles were bought by a lime-burner


and consumed in a kiln close to the church.
tells

The columns

of

verde

antico which

ornament the

balcony of the Farnese palace, and those of the villa


of Julius III. on the Via Flaminia, come from the Baths

Acque Albule, or sulphur springs, in the plain


below Tivoli. The columns of rare breccia on the high
of the

altar of

the church of S. Rocco are from an ancient

building on the

two

site of

the present Orto Botanico.

SS. Apostoli were found in 1728 in the palace of


1

They

chita di
2

The

alabaster columns of the Odescalchi Chapel in the

La

are represented on sheets 17

Roma

of

du Perac

vie de Saint

and 18

of the Vestigi

deW

Auanti-

(edition of 1575).

Ignace de Loyola d'apres Pierre Bibadeneira, son


le P. Charles Clair, S.J., p. 278.

premier historien, par

DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT ROME

264

gustus on the Palatine.


of S.

Teodoro

The

vestibule of the church

paved with pieces of porphyry found

is

The uppermost steps of the Porto di


in
removed
1888, were paved with blocks of
Ripetta,
The piazza and the
serpentine from the same place.

at

La Marmorata.

inclined

travertine

The columns

theon.
of S.

approach of the Capitol were paved


slabs from the area in front of the

with

Pan-

of breccia corallina in the chapel

Sebastiano on the Palatine come from the house


those of the chapel of the Morti in S.

of the Vestals

Lorenzo fuori

le

Mura from

the police barracks on the

Caelian (castra Peregrinorum).

The

Ginetti chapel in S.

Andrea

della Valle

with slabs of Africano discovered at Porto


in S.

nieri

is

inlaid

the Falco-

Giovanni dei Fiorentini, with marbles

Chapel
the Borghese
from the great temple of Juno at Veii
Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore, with the spoils of the
;

temples and palaces on the Aventine; and the Bernini


palace at S. Andrea delle Fratte, modernised by the
present owner in 1868, with the spoils of the Baths of
Licinius Sura.

the left
built

bank

The terminal tower


of the Tiber

of the city wall

on

below Monte Testaccio was

by Honorius or Narses with blocks

of

alabaster

from the neighbouring marble-Avharf at the beginning


of the last century the tower was pulled down and the
;

blocks were used again for the

chapel of Raphael in

the Pantheon.

When we

think of the Avealth of marbles displayed

MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MARBLES

265

the public and private buildings of Rome, and at


the same time consider that every cubic foot has been
in

obtained from the


gain a

new

monuments

of the ancient City,

insight into the

operations of the ancient

we

of the building

magnitude
Romans. We must remember,

marbles used by
and marble-workers were found either

too, that the greater part of the ancient

modern

architects

shapeless or in a form unsuited to the use for which they

were needed, so that at

least

from a third to a half of the

gross cubic content has been lost.

In 1845 Faustino Corsi made a

list

the

of

marble

columns dispersed over the fourteen wards of the city


the total

number recorded by him

is

7012.

Since the

publication of this catalogue fifty-four years have elapsed,

and we may calculate that the number has been increased

by

at least

one-tenth, so that to-day the

sum

total is

probably not far from 8000. This is truly a surprising


number, but it is far from incredible, if we recall that
the City once possessed 3000 statues of bronze alone.

INDEXES
I.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

ABBEY, Westminster, 184, 187 fol.


Auguillara, 199.
Anicii, 199.
Aequa Paola, fountain of, 255.
Anicius Acilins Aginatius, 37; PauAcque Albule, baths of, 263.
linus, 36.
Adalbert, Count, gives warning of the
Aunia Comificia Faustina, house of, 57.
approach of the Saracens, 127.
S. Adriano. See Church, under Ha- Annibaldi, 201.
drian.
Aesculapius, statue of, 29.
St. Agatha, poster ula of,

S.

139

fol.;

memorandum

church

of, 145, 147.


Agilulf, 88.
S. Agnese f uori le Mura,

church
S.

Antonius and

garden

of,

20

S. Apollinare,
of,

246,256.

Agostiuo, church of, 204.


Agrippa, improvement of Rome, 11

S.

Pantheon of, 110; statue


head of (?), 112.
Agrippae Staguum, 259.

of,

111;

Albinus, Lucius, 112.


Aldobraudini gardens, 24.

church

umns

of, 253.

delle Frate,264; at the


della Valle, 4, 259, 264.

Manger, 118;

SS. Andreae et Gregorii ad

Scaurum, church,
S.

Angelo, castle

8,

Appia, 82

Claudia, 80, 85, 240


Felice, 82, 85, 240, 242 Marcia, 80,
85, 240 Virgo, 82.
Aqueducts, water supply of, cut off by
Goths, 79; channels of, neglected,
80 fol.; used for fortifications, 83.
;

Ara Maxima,

17, 209.

Aracoeli, church of the, 220.

Arcadius, inscription relating to, 50;


restored city walls, 53 with Honorius repaired theatre of Pompey,

Clivum

152.

Arcadius, Honorius, and Theodosius.


See Arch.

Arch, of Arcadius, Houorius, and Theoof M. Aurelius,


on the Corso, 118, 231, 256 fol. di
of Claudius, 148,
Camigliauo, 245
dosius, 52, 53, 151

121.

of,

of, 246, 254.

(S. Anastasia). See Church.


Andrea at Amalfi, church of, 184:

Anastasis
S.

church

Also, see Aqua.

of, 247.

Ambrogio, church

of,

Apoxyomenos, copy of, 69.


Appian Way. See Via Appia.
Apusii, tomb of the, 103.
Aqua Alexandrina, 240 Auio Vetus,

of, 254.

See Pope.
Altar of the Sacrament, bronze colS.

temple

Faustina,

VI., VII.

younger,

of, 32.

Apollo Belvedere, 222.


SS. Apostoli. See Church.

82

Aix-la-Chapelle, cathedral of, 183.


Alaric, 53, 91, 115; advance on Rome
in 408, 56 enters the city in 410, 57.

S. Alessio,

of, 57.

111.

of, 20, 32.

Agnese (Piazza Navona), church

Alexander

Anselmo, garden

Antiochia, statue of, 104.


Antonio da Saugallo, the

88, 128, 133,

156, 160, 177, 214.

267

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

268

of
of Constantine, 19, 30, 201
Gratianus, Valentinianus, and Theoof Gordianus,
dosius, 52, 151, 207
211; of Janus Quadrifrons (of the

245

Forum Boarium),
241

34, 125, 201, 235,

arcus novus
Via Lata), 210; of

of Lentulus, 191

Maria

in

(near S.
Septimius Severus, 145, 147, 148, 251
of Titus, 121, 151, 201 of Trajan, 31
of Valentinian and Valens, 53.
Architectus publicorum, 77.
;

Arcus Caelimontani,

78.

See Church.
Bathing establishment discovered on
the Esquiline, 28.
Baths, of the Acque Albule, 263 of the
;

Julii Akarii, 152; of Licinius Sura,


204; of Livia on the Palatine, 23.

See Thermae.
Bath-tubs, pagan, used for holding the
relics of martyrs, 117.
Belisarius, 75, 79.
Belvedere, 204 torso of, 222.

Argiletum, 147, 153.


Ariadne, statue of the sleeping, 222.

Benedict V., VI., VIII.,


See Pope.

Ariulf, 88.
Arruutii, tomb of the, 31.

Art(orius?) Gernianianus, house

Jovis, 177 Julia, 22, 36, 91, 157, 191,


194, 211 Salvatoris in Laterano, 33.

IX.,

Bernini, Lorenzo, discovery


of,

made

by,

41.

Boniface IV., VI., VIII.

24.

XIV.

See Pope.

Augusteum, 110; of the Fratres Ar- Borgia. See Pope.


Bove, Capo di, 236.
vales, 262.

See Caecilia Metella.


Augustus, transformation of the city
during the administration of, 10 Bramante, buildings erected by, 204
fol. places images of the gods in the
designs for St. Peter's, 212.
Compital shrines, 38 statue of, 111
Bridge, Aemilian
(Pons Aemilius,
mausoleum of, 170, 176, 199; palace
Ponte Rotto), 199, 232, 251; of S.
on
fol.
the
263
of,
Palatine,
Angelo (Aelian), 41, 142 fol., 177,
;

Aurelian, walls of, 15.


Aurelius, Marcus, 58 column of, 109,
125, 166, 238, 239 bronze equestrian
statue of, 222, 231 fol. See Arch.
Aurelius Avianius Symmachus, L.,
;

house of, 45, 77.


Aventine, finds on the, 61 fol.
Avidius Quietus, house of, 24.

Avignon, seat of papacy

at, 198.

178; of Cestius (S. Bartolomeo),


34; Milvian, 208; of Valentinian
(Ponte Sisto), 34, 246; Vatican
(Pons Vaticauus or Neronianus), 53,
151, 208.

Burgus, the quarter, 128;


132

walls

of,

fol., 136, 177.

See Tombs.
Byzantine colony about the Palatine,
Burial-places.
122.

Bacchus, statue of the Indian, 29.


Baccio Pontelli, buildings erected by,
204.
S. Balbina, church of, 198.
Balbus, L. Cornelius, 11 capacity of
theatre of, 5; cryptus of, 157, 176,
;

177.

Barbarians not accountable for the


disappearance of Roman monuments,
7.

from the memoirs of


Pietro Santo, 40, (i2, 90.
Basilica of Junius Bassus, 118; of
Bartoli, extracts

Constantino, 110;

Eudoxiana, 75;

S. Caecilia, church of, 116.


Caecilia Metella, tomb of, 92, 96, 191,
236 fol.
Caelestinus II. See Pope.
Caelian, market hall on (S. Stefano
Rotondo), 34, 37; suffered from

Norman-Saracenic invasion, 162.


Caesar, Julius, statue of, 232; statue
of a young, 104.
Caetani, the, 201.
Calcararii, 180 fol.; headquarters of,
193.

Cameos.

See Gems.

INDEX OP SUBJECTS
153; outlaws of 158
desolation of, 101.

Campagna,

Campo

Scaurnm, 121; S. Apollinare, 24(5,


254; SS. Apostoli, 116, 204, 245, 254,
263; of the Aracoeli, 220; S. Balbina,
198; S. Caecilia, 116; S. Carlo al
Corso, 254; S. Celso in Banchi, 151,
208; SS. Celso e Giuliano, 213; S.
Cesario in Palatio, 106, 120; S. Ciriaco (S. Cyriacus), 91, 137, 147; S.
SS. Cosma e
Clemente, 33, 162
Damiano, 37, 110, 118 (Subiaco),137,

final

di Fieri, 5.

Canale di Fiumicino,

33.

Capitolium, 12, 143, 145, 153, 189, 248,


264.
See Museum.
Caracalla, 22. See Thermae.
Carinae, 201.
S. Carlo al Corso, church

of, 254.

Cartularia, Turris, 121, 201.


Caryatides of Diogenes, 111.

Casal Rotondo, 237.


Casino dei Quattro Venti,
Cassino, Monte, cathedral

254, 2.~6

Euphemia

Cathedrals, partially built of Roman


marbles Aix-la-Chapelle, 183 Pisa,
and others, 184 fol. Westminster
Abbey, 187 fol.
Celer, Nero's architect, 19 his mauso;

leum and epitaph, 20.


Celestine IV. See Pope.
S. Celso in Banchi, church of, 151, 208.
SS. Celso and Giuliauo, church of, 213.
Cemeteries, ancient, covered over,
10; cameos and gems found
sites of Christian, 94 fol.

120;

monasterium

church

15,

on the
of, 106,

of, 120.

hill, 40.

Cestius, Gaius,

tomb

256; S. Agostino, 204; S. Alessio,


254 S. Ambrogio, 253 S. Anastasia
(Anastasis, the Resurrection), 122,
175, 176, 254, 256; S. Andrea at
Amalfi, 184 S. Andrea della Frate,
264 St. Andrew at the Manger, 118
;

Andrea della Valle, 4, 259, 264;


SS. Andreae et Gregorii ad Clivum

S.

Vico Patricii, 145, 148;


191
S. Francesca
Romana, 175; Gesii, 263; S. Galla
S.

in

Eustachio,

Patricia,
osseo, 89

S. Giacomo del ColGiacomo Scossa-Cavalli,

177;
;

S.

178; S. Giorgio in Velabro, 122, 125,


241 S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, 264
S. Giovanni e Paolo,
(see St. John)
:

254; S. Girolamo degli Sehiavoni,


239; S. Gregorio, 254; St. Hadrian
(S.

Adriano), 110, 123, 145, 147, 165,


S. Ignazio, 256;

175, 253, 256;

St.

John Lateran,

123, 159, 206, 207, 234,


239, 244, 246, 251 (see Lateran); St.
110
S. Laurentius in
Lawrence,
;

Porticu Maiore, 178; of the Ordo,


178; S. Laurentius in Damaso, 145;
S. Laurentius in Pensilis, 147; S.
Laurentius in Formoso, 145, 148: S.
Laurentius in Prasino, 145, 146; S.

Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St. Lawrence


on the Via Tiburtina), 33, 40, 132,
136, 264; S. Lorenzo in Panisperna,
246 S. Lucia de Calcarario (S. Lucia
dei Ginnasi), 193; S. Lucia in Selce,
;

of, 96, 178.

Cestius (S. Bartolomeo), bridge of, 34.


Christopher. See Pope.
Church, of S. Agatha, 145, 147; S.
Agnese, 20, 32 (Piazza Navoua), 246,
;

Gerusalemme,

of, 184 fol.

Cespian

in

16.

S. Cesario in Palatio,

Croce

S.

246, 254; S. Dionysius, 110, 139; S.


Donatus, 213; S. Euplos, 122; S.

Cassiodorius, 38, 77 fol., 183.


Castor and Pollux, statues of, 232 fol.
Catacombs, abandoned after the Gothic
invasion, 70, 91 devasted by the barbaria ns, 70 f ol who encamped about
the entrance to, 71 restorations of,
relics of martyrs transferred
71
from, 106, 115 fol.
.

269

142, 147; S. Marcello, 90; Marcelli,


213; S. Maria dell' Anima, 25!); S.
S. Maria in
Maria Antiqua, 110
;

Maria in CosmeS. Maria delle


din, 34, 176, 208
S. Maria Liberatrice,
Grazie, 91
120; S. Maria Maggiore, 175, 204,
239, 241, 255, 264; S. Maria ad
Martyres (Pantheon), 90, 110 fol.,
115; S. Maria in Monticelli, 165; S.
Maria Nova, 103; S. Maria Nuova,
91, 175, 246; S. Maria della Pace,
Campitelli, 91

S.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

270

204, 260; S. Maria in Pallara, 25(5;


S. Maria del Popolo, 204, 259; S.
Maria in Schola Greca, 122 ; S. Maria

del Sole, 12 S. Maria Transpontina,


178; S. Maria in Trastevere, 152;
S. Maria in Via Lata, 139, 210; S.
;

Maria
110,

in Virgari, 178; S. Martina,

118, 231, 253

S.

Martino

ai

Monti, 79; S. Michele in Borgo,


117; La Minerva, 171, 205, 245; St.
Nicholas, 169 St. Nicolaus in Calcaria (S. Nicolo ai Cesarini), 193;
S. Nicolo in Calcarario, 90; S. Nicolo
;

dei Lorenesi, 262; S. Orso, 151; St.

Pancras, 79, 243; S. Pantaleo ai


Monti, 165; (see Pantheon = Rotonda ;) St. Paul's without the walls (S.
Paolo fuori le Mura), 33, (50, 117, 128,
132, 135 fol., 143, 181

St. Peter's. 8,

52, 60, 72, 117, 122, 128, 151, 175, 177,

178, 191, 208, 212, 213, 217, 219, 253,


S. Phocas, 122; S. Pietro in

262;

Montorio, 190, 204, 261

S. Pietro in

Vincoli, 75, 148, 204; S. Prisca, HI


S.

11(5; S.

Praesede,

Pudens

Vico
Pudenziana,
in

S.
Patricio, 145, 148
246: SS. Quaranta de Calcarario (S.
Francesco delle Stimulate), 193; SS.
Quatro Coronati, 165, 181 SS. Quirico e Giolitta, 147
S. Rocco, 263
;

Saba, 122; S. Sabina, 61; S. Salvatore in Campo, 256; S. Salvator


de Porticu, 178 S. Salvatore in Primicerio, 1(55 of the Saviour, 110; S.
Sebastiano in Pallara, 91 S. Sebastiano alia Polveriera, 121 SS. SerS.

gius et Bacchus, 110, 145, 14(5 S. Sil""^vestro in Capite (St. Sylvester) 139,
166,219,245; Sistine Chapel, 204; S.
Stefano delle Carozze, 12
S. Ste;

fano Rotondo,

34, 37

S.

Susanna,

242; S. Teodoro, 117, 122, 264; S.


"Vibiana, 116, 25(5; S. Vitalis in Vico

Longo, 145, 148, 192.


Churches outside the walls abandoned,
126.
See Cathedrals.
Circus Maximns, 4, 17, 19, 48, 66, 143,
151, 170, 176, 191,207; Flaminius, 66,
145, 14(5, 147, 157, 193 of Nero, 32.
S. Ciriaco (S. Cyriacus).
See Church.
;

Civita Castellana, 13, 247.


Civitas Leonina. See Burgus.

Claudia Vera, house of, 24.


Claudius (Caelian) temple of, 208, 261
bust of, 196.
Claudius Claudianus, house of, 24.
Clement VII, VIII. See Pope.
S. Clemente, church of, 33, 162.
,

Clergy, ignorance of the


Clivus Argentarius, 147

Roman,

117.

Capitolinus,
34; Sacer, 22, 3(5; Scauri, 19; Suburauus, 63, 147 Victoriae, 120.
;

Clodius Hermogenianus, 36.


Coliseum (Flavian Amphitheatre),
28, 34, 48, 77, 89, 125, 175, 191, 201,
20(5, 207, 208, 211, 251.

Collegium Fortnuae

Felicis, offices of,

27.

Colonna family,

199.

Comes formarum urbis, 78.


Comes port'its urbis Romae,7B.
Commodus, bust of, 222.
Compital shrines, adorned by Augustus, 38.

Concord, temple of, 110, 20(5.


Conflagrations, described by Livy, 16
under the Emperor Nero, in 64 A.D.,

traces of this fire, 19 in the


21 fol.; in the
reign of Titus, 80 A.D., 22, 28; in
the reign of Commodus, 191 A.D.,
22; in the reign of Carinus in 283
A.D., 22; in 1084 A.D., 160 fol.
Constans II., visit to Rome in 663 A.D.,
8, 92, 111, 123 fol.
17 fol.

Forum Romanum,

Constantia, mausoleum of, 32.


Constantine, 29; dismantled earlier
buildings, 31 and erected the basilica of St. Peter's, 31 fol. regionary
catalogue compiled in the time of,
48; equestrian statues of, 145, 153;
statues of, 222. See Arch, Basilica,
;

Thermae.
Constantius

II., 34,

47

fol.

Corneto, treasures from, 247.


Cornificius, Lucius, 11.
Corridojo cli Castello, 133.
Cortile di Belvedere, 90.
Cortina beati Petri, 178.
SS. Cosma e Damiano. See Church.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

271

Cosmatis, school

Eventus Bonus, colonnade

Cosmus, house

Excavations, in the time of Pope Eugenius IV., 112 of Sixtus IV., 66 of


Innocent VIII., 103; of Pius IV., 5,
61; in 1724 (Palatine), 119; in 1762
(Villa Quintiliorum), 103; in 1780
(Appian Way), 105; in time of Pope
Pius VI., 104 by Carlo Torlonia, 104

of, 34, 180 fol., 203.


of, 58.
Craticulae Templum, 177.

Crescenzi, the, 200.


S.

Croce in Gerusalemme, church


2445,

of, 4.

of,

254.

Curator Statuarum, 34.


Curia. See Senate-house.

Cybele, statue of, 70, 112.


Cypress, the, 145 fol.

in 1849, 69; in 1855, 105; in 1862, 5;


in 1864, 66; in 1867-68 (at Ostia),
127; in 1869 (Palatine), 119, 196, (Via

S. Damaso, court of, 204.


Damasns. See Pope.

Severiana), 93; in 1873 (Esquiline),


28; in 1875 (Esquiline), 94; in 1876,
5; in 1877 (near the Coliseum), 19,
(Via Xazionale), 23; in 1879 (Thermae of Constantine), 24 in 1880
(Site of the English Church), 69; in
1883 (House of the Vestals), 121,

Dea

Dia, temple of, 208.

See Thermae.
Decius Albinus, Caecina, Gl
Marius
Venantius Basilius, 77
Trajauus,

Decii.

28.

"
" Destruction " and "
Disappearance

Roman monuments,

of

meaning,

distinction in

4.

Roman

Destruction of

villas,

causes

of monuments in Roman and


in modern times, 189 fol.
Destruction of Rome, three facts
of, 101

prominent in the history of, 13 fol.


Diocletian, 29; repairs buildings in
the Forum, 22; triumph of, 49 fol.
statue of, 104. See Thermae.
;

St. Dionysius, church of, 110, 139.


Domitian. house of, on the Palatine,

119; villa of, 186.


120

Domus Gaiana,
St.

196; by Boccanera in 1883-84, 105;


1885 (Teatro Drammatico) 66;
in 1886, 13, (Piazza Bocca della Verin

ita), 17, (Esquiline), 42; in 1887, 14;


in 1888 (Temple of Isis), 42; in 1891,

4; in 1892 (garden of S. Sabina),


58; in 1895 (near the Coliseum), 89;
in 1896 (Piazza Bocca della Verita), 39; in the Vigna Torlonia and

Vigna Maciocchi,
Fabbrica di
Fabii,

tomb

57.

S. Pietro, 228, 235.


of the, 31.

Fabius Felix Passifilus Paulinns, 36;


Pinciana, 38, 183.

Donatus, church

of, 213.

Titianus, 36.
Factionis Prasinae Stabula, 146.
Falerii, 13.

Elephantus Herbarius, 176.


Ephebus, statuette of, 196.
Equestrian group, pedestal
in

Forum,

Esquiline

of,

found

50.

hill,

covered over and raised

Fates, group of the Three, 87.


Ficoroni, Francesco di, 41, 91 fol.
Flavinus Philippus, 151.
Fontana, Domenico (architect of Sixtus
V.), 85, 238, 240, 241.

by Augustus, 14 the event com- Formosus. See Pope.


memorated by Horace, 15 market- Forum of Augustus, 112.
Forum Boarium, 12, 16 arch
place on, 34 gate of, 147.
;

Eugenius, defeat of, 35.


Eugenius IV. See Pope.
S. Euphemia in Vico Patricii, church
of, 145, 148.

S. Euplos, church of, 122.


S. Eustachio, church of, 191.

Euterpe, statue

of, 104.

of the,

34, 125, 201, 209, 235, 241.


Forum Holitorium, 159, 177.

Forum Julium, 22, 207, 208.


Forum Romanum, 21 fol., 34,

110, 120,
143, 145, 147, 153, 165, 199, 246.
47, 145, 152, 199.

Forum of Trajan, 15,


Forum Transitorium,

157, 212, 255.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

272

Francesca Romana, church of, 175.


Francesco delle Stimulate, church

S.

S.

of, 193.

Frangipani, the, 121, 199, 201.

Hadrian

See Pope.
I., III.
Harpocrates, head of, 196.
Hathor, replica of the sacred cow, 43,
44.
St.

Gabinius Vettius Probianus,

Gaianum,

of, 177.

Gallienus, 32.
Ganymede, statue of, 104.
Gardens, Licinian, 15; of Maecenas,
12 of Sallust, 171.
;

See Pope.
Gems and cameos, engraved, usually
found near the sites of cemeteries,

Gelssius

II.

94fol.
fol., 119,

of, 72.

Emperor,

100.

Heracles, torso of, 222.


Heraclius, 118, 119, 122.
Hercules, Farnese, 44; Invictus, statue
of, 66 Magnus Gustos, bronze statue
of, 66; Olivarius, statue of, 39; Vic;

tor, 209.

Honorius, 50, 53, 55, 72. See Arch.


Honorius. See Pope.
Horse, bronze, of the Palazzo dei ConHorse-tamers, group

of, 145, 147, 222,

238.

455.
Gesii, church of, 263.
S. Giacomo del Colosseo,

church

of,

89; Scossa-Cavalli, 178.


Gildo, Count, 50.
See Church.
S. Giorgio in Velabro.
of, 240.

S.

Giovanni, hospital

S.

Giovanni dei Fiorentini, church


;

S. Ignazio,

Innocent

church

of, 256.

III.,

II.,

e Paolo, 254.

Inscriptions, of the Einsiedlen Itinerary, 151 fol. of Benedict, 174 fol.

See Temple.

Isis.

Itinerary, Einsiedlen, 142


of Benedict, 174 fol.

Girolamo degli Schiavoni, church Janus, bronze statue

fol.,

of, 87;

174

fol.

temple

of, 110.

of, 239.

Gladiator, bronze statue of,


Golden House of Nero, 23.
Gordian, the younger, villa

Via Praenestina,

Janus Quadrifrons, arch

66.

of,

spoils

from the temple

Goths, signs of the pillage of

Rome by

the, 58.
et Schola, 176.

Johannipolis, 136.
St. John Lateran. See Church, Lateran
John VH., VIII., IX., X., XL, XII. See
.

Pope.
Julia

34.

Domna,

22, 104.

Gratianus, 34, 35. See Arch.


Gregorian Chapel, in St. Peter's. 262.
S. Gregorio, church of, 254.

Julian, the Apostate, 48.


Julii Akarii, baths of, 152.
Julius II., III. See Pope.

Gregoriopolis, 120 fol.


Gregory the Great, Gregory III., IV.,
VI., VII., IX., XL, XIII., XVI. See

Juno, temple

Pope.
Guiscard, Robert, 159

of,

57.

6.

Graecorum Ecclesia

of, 125, 201,

211.

on the Jerusalem,

Gothic wars, monument relating to, 50.

Grain Exchange,

See

VIII.

VII.,

Pope.
;

of,

S. Giovanni, in Florence, baptistery


of, 184.
S.

IV.,

servatori, 69.

Genseric and the Vandals, 74

264

Helena, tomb

Henry

87.

Galla Patricia, church

S.

36.

fol.

Hadrian, bust of, 32. See Mausoleum.


St. Hadrian.
See Church.

of, 61, 265.

Maxim us, see


Stator, temple of, 18, 121.

Jupiter Optimus
ple

Kilns.

Tem-

See Lime-kilns.

Laocoon, replica
211, 222, 223.

of,

41;

finding of,

INDEX OF SUBJECTS
in

Lateran, the, 106, 160, 166, 175, 219,


231, 242 fol., 254. See Church, under
St.. John Lateran.
I .:t

lit

in

Pope.
Leonine wall, 133 fol.
Level of the city, rise

celli,

165;

in

Monti-

Nova, 103; Nuova (see

Church); della Pace, 204, 260; in


Pallara, 256; del Popolo, 204, 259;
in Schola Graeca, 122; del Sole, 12;
Transpontiua, 178;

in

Trastevere,

152; in Via Lata, 139, 210; in Virgari, 178.

Marinus I., II. See Pope.


Market hall of theCaelian (S. Stefano
Rotondo), 34, 37; on the Esquiline,

in, 53, 54.

35.

234.

Marmorarii, 180

Liber Politicus of Benedict, 174.


Liber Censuum, 176.
Licinian gardens, 15.
Ligorio, Pirro, 192, 194.
Lime-burners, 180 fol.
Lime-kilns, of Rome, 193 fol. Palace
of Tiberius, 195 fol.; Atrium of
of Ostia and Porto, 194
Vesta, 196
;

of, 152.

264.

Martina. See Church.


Martino ai Monti, church of, 79.
Mater Matuta, temple of, 12, 39.
Matteo da Castello, architect of Pius
S.
S.

IV., 61
S.

Li via, baths of, on the Palatine, 23;


villa of, at Prima Porta, 194 market

fol.

Marmorata, La, 33, 246,


Martin V. See Pope.

fol.

of Sixtus V., 85, 240, 252.


Matte"o at Salerno, cathedral of,
;

184.

Mauritius, 106.
Mausoleum, of Augustus, 170, 17C, 199
of Constantia, 32; of Hadrian, 8, 87,
151, 186, 189, 208, 210, 256, 262; of
the Empress Helena, 246.
;

Loggia of Squarcialupi, 248.


S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura. See Church.
S. Lorenzo, in Pauisperna, church of,
246.

Lucca, cathedral of, 184.


S. Lucia de Calcarario (S. Lucia dei
Ginnasi), 193; in Selce, 142, 147.
Lucilius Paetus, tomb of, 92.

Magna Mater,

of, 75.
fol.

plan of the

city, 18.

by public

fol.;
officials, 190 fol.

Marcella, house of, 58 fate of, 59, 60.


Marcelli, church of the, 213.
;

Marcello, church of, 90.


Marcellus. See Theatre.
S.

dell'

Auima, church

110;

(so called),

temple

of,

95.

Marbles, traffic in Roman, 181

Antiqua,

30.

Minerva Medica

of, 12.

Marble-cutters, 180

tolerated

of, 178 fol.

Mellini, 199.
Meta di Borgo, 178.
S. Michele in Borgo, church of, 117.
Minerva, statue of, 29; temple of, 255.

117.

Maioranus, edict

Maxentius, 22, 31.


Mediaeval Rome, desolation

Meta Sudans,

8, 87.

Maecenas, gardens

Maria,

delle

Ordo, 178; in Pensilis, 147; in Porticu Maiore, 178; in Prasino, 145,


146; on the Via Tiburtiua (S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura). See Church.
Leo II., UI., IV., V., X., XIII. See

S.

Church)

(see

(Pantheon) (see Church)

S. Laurentius, in Damaso, church of,


145; in Formoso, 145, 148; of the

Lysippus,

Cosmedin

Grazie, 91; Liberatrice, 120; Magad Martyres


giore (see Church)

niac, 16.

Lex Regia,

273

in

of, 25!)

Campitelli,

91;

Minerva, La. See Church.


Mirabilia Urbis Romae, 175.
Mithras, temple of, 245.
Mole. See Mausoleum.
Moletta, La, 17.
Monte Giordano, 5 de' Cenci,
;

Moon, temple of the,


Moors of Frassineto,

5.

17.

158.

Moses, fountain of, 239.


Mosileos, the imperial mausoleum of
the Decadence, 72.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

274

Municipal authorities favor the preservation of monuments, 228

fol.

Orvieto, cathedral of, 184 fol.


Ostia, 19, 33, 93, 126, 137, 184, 186, 194,

Museum,

206, 208, 235, 246.

Capitoline, 18, 228, 256; al


Celio, 13, 90; villa di Giulio III., 13;

Torlonia, 105; Vatican, 90, 104, 257;


See Palazzo del Conservator!.

Myron, cow

Pactumeii, palace of the, 58.

Pagan edifices converted

of, 87.

into Christian

churches, 37.
cults, representation of, 'in
Christian churches, 117 fol.
Palace, of Septimius Severus, 3; of
the Caesars in the seventh century,
119, 235; of Augustus on the Palatine, 263 fol.

Pagan
Naevius, Lucius Clemens, house

of.

24.

Natural agencies in the demolition of


ancient buildings, 7.
Nero, 4 thermae of, 14 set the city
on fire, 17 fol. traces of this fire, 19
Golden House of, 23 Circus of, 32
bust of, 19G.
;

Neroue, Sepoltura di, 158.


Neronis Obeliscus, 177.
St. Nicholas, church of, 169.
Nicolas I., V. See Pope.
S. Nicolaus in Calcaria (S. Nicolo ai
Cesarini) church of, 193,
S. Nicolo, in Calcarario, church of, 90
,

dei Lorenesi, 262.

Normanni, 199.
Norman-Saracenic invasion, 159

Nymphaeum,

Rome by

151.

removed

III.

Constantino

II.,

239.

Obeliscus Neronis, 177.


Octavia. See Porticus.
5, 48.

Oppian, 165.
Oratories of the Lateran destroyed by
Sixtus V., 242 fol.
Oratorium Sacrae Crucis, 243 fol.
Ordo Romanus, 174 fol.
Orsini, the, 199.

Orso, church

Palladium, monastery called, 121.


St. Pancras, church of, 79, 243.
S. Pantaleo ai Monti, church of, 165.
Pantheon, 4, 9, 37, 41, 48, 90, 106, 110
fol., 119, 124, 125, 145, 146, 200, 245,
254, 256, 264.

S.

to

48 of the
Vatican, 148, 169, 238; in the Campus Martius, 169, 171 fol. from the
Circus Maximus, 170; from the Mausoleum of Augustus, 170 of the gardens of Sallust, 171 of the temple
of Isis, 173; manner of the fall of,
169 fol. of the Piazza del Popolo,

Odeum,

Pallacinae, 147.
fol.

fol.

Thothmes

Obelisk, of

Frangipani, 201.
Palatiolum, 208.
Palazzo, della Cancelleria, 191, 204,
211, 239; dei Conservatori, 13, 222,
231, 232 di Corneto, 191 Farnese,
191, 263; Giraud-Torlonia, 178, 204,
211 del Governo Vecchio, 204 Rospigliosi, 255.
Palilia, 228.

Nile, figure of, 222.

traces of, 162

Palatine, remains of private houses on


the, 23; late occupancy of, 119 fol.;
desolation of, 199 possessed by the

Paolo fuori le Mura.


Papi, the, 199.
S.

Paschal

See Pope.
I., II.
Patriarchium, pontifical residence at
the Lateran, 242 fol.
St. Paul, tomb of, 129 fol.
St. Paul's without the walls.

See

Church.
Paul II., III., V.

See Pope.
Peace, temple of, 57.
Penates, temple of, 110, 223.
Peregrinorum Castra, 264.
St. Peter,

129

tomb of,
of, 145, 177
224; chapel to, 110.

gate

fol., 221,

St. Peter's, church of.


Petrarch, 182.

Petronilla,
of, 151.

See Church.

Phidias,

tomb

8, 87.

of, 72.

See Church.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

201, 242 Nicolas V., 204, 206, 207,


212, 213; Paschal I., 116; Paschal II.,

Philippus, Marcius, 11.


Phocas, 37, 106 fol., 120.
S. Phocas, church of, 122.
Piazza Navona. See Stadium.

I.,

165

II.,

203, 204, 208; Paul III.,

219, 253, 255; Pius

II.,

Paul V., 122,


217, 225; Pius

See

IV., 5, 55, 178, 232, 259, 261 ; Pius V.,


227, 239: Pius VI., 104; Pius VII.,

See

Pius IX., 55, 189, 219 ;


155; Sergius I., 123; Sergiusll., 127, 130; Sergius III., 155;
Silverius, 70; Sixtus IV., 55, 203, 204,
209, 217, 222; Sixtus V., 82, 148, 170,
235, 237 fol.; Stephen II., 72, 118;

Church.

189, 194, 218;

"

Romanus,

Pilgrim's Pence," 157.


Pinturicchio, frescoes of, 221, 222.
Pisa, cathedral of, 184.
Pisidius Romulus, 52.
II..

Paul

33, 96, 191, 225, 228;

Pierleoni, the, 199.


Pietas, shrine of, 10, 159, 177.
S. Pietro, in Montorio in Vincoli.

Pius

275

IV., V., VI., VII., IX.

Pope.

Stephen V., 116; Stephen VI., 155, 159;


Poggio Bracciolini, 205 fol.
Sylvester III., 155; Symmachus, 20;
Theodore I., 242; Theodore II., 154;
Pompey. See Theatre.
Urban VIII., 55, 111, 201, 253, 256;
Pope Alexander VI., 55, 177, 178, 204,
205, 210, 211, 225 Alexander VII., 96,
Vigilius, 71 Vitalianus, 112, 124.
123, 253, 256; Benedict III., 131, 139; Popes destroy ancient monuments to
Benedict V., 154; Benedict VI., 155;
rebuild Christian churches, 206 fol.
Benedict VIII., 154; Benedict IX., Porta Appia, 143 Asinaria, 143, 165
155; Benedict XIV., 111,254; BoniAurelia, 143, 145 Capena, 31 Colface IV., 37, 110, 112, 115; Boniface
lina, 177
Flaminia, 54, 143, 160, 165
VI., 154 Boniface VIII., 98, 234, 243
Furba, 86; Metroni, 143; NomenBoniface IX., 213; Borgia, 133; Caetana, 143; Ostiensis, 54 Portuensis,
;

Celestine IV.,
213; Christopher I., 155; Clement
VII., 133, 222, 225 Clement VIII., 244
fol.; Damasus, 146; Eugenius IV.,
Formosus,
112, 203, 204, 207, 213
154, 155; Gelasius II., 184; Gregory
the Great, 88, 101; Gregory III.,
112 Gregory IV., 126 fol.; Gregory
VI., 155 Gregory VII., 154, 160, 162;
lestinus

II.,

174, 194

54; Praenestina, 53, 54, 143;


Salaria, 142; Septimiana, 54; Tiburtina, 53, 54, 143, 160, 190 Vimina-

53,

;'

Gregory XL,

198;
Gregory IX., 213;
Gregory XIII., 151, 235, 251, 262;
Hadrian
I., 243;
Gregory XVI., 155;
Hadrian III., 155 Honorius I., 8, 122,

lis,

143.

Porticus, in the Via Bocca della Verita,


176; Crinorum, 177; Eventus Boni,
259; Gallatorum, 176; Maior (Via
Sacra), 178 Maximae, of Gratian, 34
Minucia, 177; of Octavia, 28, 176,
186, 187, 208; of Philippus, 176.
;

Porto. 128, 137, 186, 195, 235, 264.

Portus Licini, 78.


Postumius, M. Festus, house
147; Innocent II., 174; Innocent III., Praedia Aemiliaua, 18.
201; Innocent VII., 213, 219; Inno- S. Praesede, church of, 116.
cent VIII., 103, 203, 210, 225; John Praetorian camp, 89.
VII., 120, 219 John VIII., 135 fol., Principia, house of, 58.
154 John IX., 155; John X., 154, 155
S. Prisca, church of, 61.
;

of, 24.

John

John

XII., 155; Julius


II., 211, 212, 217, 222; Julius III., 36;

Leo

XI., 156;

II.,

116;

Leo

183;
V., 155

III., 131,

Leo
Leo

IV., 131, 133, 136 fol. Leo


X., 211, 213, 217, 222 Leo XIII., 135,
222; Marinus I., 154, 160; Marinus
Martin V., 204, 206 Nicolas
II., 121
;

Prothi Ascesa, 147.


S.

Pudens

in Vico Patricio, church of,

145, 148.
S.

Pudenziana, church

of, 246.

SS. Quaranta de Calcarario (S. Francesco delle Stimmate), church of,


193.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

276

SS. Quatro Coronati, church of, 165, S. Sebastiano, in Pallara, 91


181.

SS.

alia Pol-

veriera, 121.

Quirico

church

Giolitta,

of,

Secretarium Seuatus,

110, 118, 256.

147.

Senate-house, 22, 110, 123, 147, 207, 208.


Quirinal, called Monte Cavallo,' 147; Sentius Saturninus, G., shrine rebuilt
marble statues on, 166; river gods
by, 27.
of, 222.
Sepolcro degli Stucchi, 96.
'

Ranncci Romano,

Septa Julia, 208.


Septimius Severus,

180.

Raphael, tapestries of, 217 foi. frescoes


;

18, 28
restorations of, 22, 28.

palace of, 3
See Arch.

of, 221, 222.

Septizonium, 121, 152, 201, 235, 239.


Serapeum of Alexandria, (55.
Regia, 18, 194.
Sergius I., II., III. See Pope.
Regiouary Catalogue of the time of SS. Sergius and Bacchus. See Church.
Sette Sale, 246.
Constantino, 48.
Remi Meta, 178.
Severus, architect of Nero, 19.
Severus, Alexander, 28, 191.
Rhadagaisus, 50.
Silverius.
See Pope.
Rienzi, Cola di, 234.
S. Rocco, church of, 263.
Silverware, finds of, 63.
Roma Vecchia, 104.
S. Silvestro in Capite (St. Sylvester).
See Church.
Romani, the, 199.
Romanus. See Pope.
Sinibaldi, the, 199.

Record

office, 37.

Romuli, Sepulcrum, 178, 210.

Romulus, Heroon

of, 110, 123, 256.

Rospigliosi gardens, 24.


De Rossi's account, 83, 84.
Rotondo, church of the. See Pantheon.
Ruins of Romau villas, stratification
of, 101.

S.

S.

Saba, church of, 122.


Sabina, church of, 61

garden

of,

58.

Sistine Chapel, 204, 218.


Sixtus IV., V. See Pope.
S. Spirito, hospital of, 204.
Stadium, where now is the Piazza Na-

vona,

5, 48, 146, 19!), 246, 262.

Statilian family, Columbaria of, 94.


Statilius Taurus, 11, 199.
Static Marmorum, 33.

Statuary, removed from pagan places


of worship, 36
used as rubble, 41
fol.; condition of, when discovered,
;

45.
Sacra Via. See Via.
Sacrae Urbis Templum, 208, 256.
Statues, hiding of bronze, in times of
Sallust, gardens of, 58, 89, 261.
panic, 64 fol. concealed by magisS. Salvator de Porticu, church of, 178.
trates, 65.
S. Salvatore in Campo, church of, 256. Stefaneschi, the 199.
S. Salvatore in Primicerio, church of, S. Stefano, delle Carozze, 12; Ro;

165.

tondo, 34, 37.

Sanctus Angelus, 176.


Sanguigni, the, 199.
Saracens, traces of the

Stephen

camp

Bernard Pass,

of, 137

II.,

V., VI.

See Pope.

Stilicho, 50, 53, 56.


Stratification of ruins, 101.

Streets, condition of, 227.


Sarcophagi, used to hold relics of mar- Studio of Greek sculptors on the Esin the St.

158.

tyrs, 117.

Saturn, temple of, 34, 110.


Savelli, the, 199.

Saviour, church of the, 110.


Schola Graeca, 143.

quiline, 42.

Subura, 143, 145, 147, 201.


Sun, temple of, 199.
S. Susanna, church of, 242.
Sylvester III. See Pope.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS
See Church.
See Pope.

St. Sylvester.

Symrnachus.

Tabernola, 15.
Tapestries of Raphael, 217
Tarpeian rock, 259.

house

Titus, 57;

Thermae.
Tombs, fate

of,

See Arch,

of, 211.

91

entrances con-

cealed, 95 fol. destruction of, 190.


Tombs, of the Apusii, 103; Arruntii,
;

fol.

Casal Rotondo, 237


Caecilia
Metella, 92, 96, 191, 236 fol. Gaius
Cestius,96, (Meta Remi), 178; Fabii,
31 on the Via Flaminia, 208
Lucilius Paetus, 92; at the Ponte de41'
Arco, 236, 237 Romulus, 178 Alex-

31

Temple, of Antoninus and Faustina,


111; Claudius (Caelian), 208, 201;
Concord, 110, 206; Craticulae, 177;

Dea

Dia, 208; Hercules Victor,


Hope, 177; Isis, 42, 112, 171,
186, 193, 205, 222, 245; Janus,
Juno Regina, 61; Juno (Veii),

Jupiter Optimus Maximus,

209;
173,

110;
265;
8, 13,48,

52, 74, 159, 176, 205, 208, 247, 259 fol.


Mater MaJupiter Stator, 18, 121
;

ander Severus, 191 Vergilius Eurysaces, 92 Vibius Marianns, 92. See


;

Sepolcro.
Torre, de' Conti, 201 Fiscale, 82, 162
delle Milizie, 201; di Nona, 41;
Pignatarra, 72, 246; dei Schiavi, 7.
;

Minerva
Medica (so called) 95 Mithras, 245 Torrecchiano Campo, 199, 202.
Moon, 17; Peace, 57; Penates, 18; Totila, 119, 151.
Pietas, 10, 159, 177
Romulus, 110, Trajan, arch of, 31; channel of, 33;
house of, 57 column of, 109, 125,
123, 256; Saturn, 34, 110; Sacrae
See Forum,
145, 146, 148, 166, 238.
Urbis, 208, 256 Sun, 199; Venus and
Thermae.
Rome, 8, 22, 48, 110, 122, 194, 207,
246 Venus in Calcarario, 245 Venus Treasures, concealed at the sack of
tuta, 12, 39; Minerva, 255;
,

(gardens of Sallust) 261


,

Vulcan (Ostia), 194.


Temples closed, 35.
S. Teodoro, church of,

Vesta, 18

264.

Pompey,

Turris Chartularia, 121, 201.

5, 48, 77, 145,

152, 176, 199.

14(5,

Theoderic, 38, 77

78.

of Diocletian, 49 fol.
Tulliola, 103.
Turcius Asterius Secundus, 63.

Triumph

Terebinthus, 177.
Theatre, of Balbus, 5; Marcellus, 101,
176, 177, 199;

1527, 224 fol.

Tribunus Volnptatum,

Ugolini house,

fol., 89, 90, 183.

Theodore

See Pope.
I., II.
Theodosius, 35, 50. See Arch.
Thermae (see Baths) areas closed for,
14 their building an important factor in the transformation of Rome,
22 fol. of Agrippa (Commodianae),
,

145, 146, 193, 245, 259; of Caracalla,

722, 23, 33, 90, 116, 192, 208; of


Constantine, 14, 24, 145, 147, 255 of
the Decii, 14, 36, 57, 60 of Diocletian,
;

5.

Umbilicus Romae, 145.


Urban VIII. See Pope.
Vacca, Flaminio, extracts from memoirs of, 5, 39, 90, 192, 194, 259.
Valens. See Arch.
Valentinian I., 33; bridge of (Ponte
Sisto) , 34, 246

prohibited sacrifices,
See Arch.
Valentinian III., 74 fol.
Valerius Severus, 59.
;

35.

14, 22, 27, 116, 153, 194, 211, 239, 261


of Nero, 14 of Titus, 14, 23, 32, 36,
262 of Trajan, 14, 23, 32, 36, 145, 148.
Tiber, 33; inundations of, 139 fol.;
figure of, 222 treasures thrown into,
225 fol.

Vassalecti, 180.

Tigellinus, 4, 18.

Venantius Fortunatus, 109.

Vatican, the, 128, 133, 175.

seum, St Peter's.
Vatican district included

See Mu-

in the city

proper, 132.
Veii, 186.

INDEX OF PASSAGES

278

Venus, Venus and Rome. See Temple.


Vergilius Eurysaces, tomb of, 92.
Verus, Lucius, statue of, 104.
Vespasian, Lex Regia of, 234.
Vesta, temple of, 18 statue of, 196.
Vestals, house of, 121, 122, 196, 264.
Via Appia, 31, 103, 105, 137, 194;
;

Aurelia, 16; Clodia, 158; Collatina,


16; Cornelia, 32; Labicana, 16, 72;
Latina, 96, 160, 194; Nomentana, 20,
32 Nova, 31 Praenestina, 6 Sacra,
34, 36, 52, 110, 120, 153, 178, 191, 211;
Salaria
Salaria Vetus, 15, 65, 151
Nova, 15; Tiburtina, 33 TriumphaSee Clivus, Vicus.
lis, 177, 178.
S. Vibiana, church of, 116, 256.
;

Vibius Marianus, tomb of, 92.


Victory, statue of, 48.
Vicus Capitis Africae, 151 Patricius,
240 Portae Viminalis, 240 Tuscus,
;

See Pope.

Vigilius.

Barberini19, 121
Spithoever, 89 Ceccarelli, 116 Grimani (Barberini), 90; Maciocchi,57;
Moroni, 95 Torlonia, 57.
Villa Corsmi-Pamfili, 16 Giulia, 191,
263; diGiulioIII. (museo),13; Gor-

Vigna Barberini,

dianorum (Via Praenestina),

6, 7;

Livia, 194

fol.

Quintiliorum, 103

Voconiorum,

Vitalianus. See Pope.


S. Vitalis in Vico Longo, church of,
145, 148, 192.

Vitiges, siege of, 79, 89, 115.

Volusianus, Rufus, 33.


Vulcan, temple of (at Ostia), 194.

Wall, Leonine, 133

fol.

of Aurelian,

15.

153.

Zmaragdus,

II.

109.

INDEX OF PASS\GES AND INSCRIPTIONS CITED


HORACE

A. AUTHORS
AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS

Satires

PAGE

PAGE

XVI.

47

10,

ST.

8 fol.,

I. viii.

AUGUSTINE

CASSIODORIUS

iii.

xcvi.,

LIBER PONTIFICALIS
38
38

10,

CL AUDI ANUS
De

VI. Consulatu Honorii

65

42,

CODEX BARBERINIANUS
xxx. 25,

Vol.

II.,

Vol.
Vol.
Vol.

II.,

iv. 38,

145, xxii.,

145,xxiii.,

II.,

225, 235, 240, 248, 270, 275,

II.,

258,

xx vi.
92

DION CASSIUS
11

xliii. 49,

FRONTINUS
80

126
131
139
155
156

LIVY
xxiv. 46,

x. Tit. 17,

13,

Gregorius,

152

CODEX THEODOSIANUS

i.

59
59

xlviii.,

Variae
vii. 13,

JEROME

Letters

65

13,

15

ST.

Serrno cv de verbis Evang. Luc.

X.

105.

27,

16
16

MON. GERM. SCR. LANG.


Vol. I., p. 53,
Vol. I., p. 483,
Vol. VI., p. 358,

155
156
157

INDEX OF INSCRIPTIONS
PRUDENTIUS
Contra Sym.
i.

501-505,

PLINY THE ELDER


Historia Naturalis
vii. 36, 121,

PROCOPIUS
de Bello Gothico
i.

19,

ii.

3,

iv. 22,

SUETONIUS
Octav. 29,

TACITUS
Annales
xv. 43,

VENANTIUS FORTUNATUS
Carmina
iii.

23,

ZOSIMUS
v. 45,

B.

INSCRIPTIONS

Benevento, inscription found


Brick stamp of Theoderic,

Capua, inscription found

at,

at,

Corjms Inscriptionum Latinarum


i.

285,

p. 415,
vi. 472,

562,

773,

279

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