Porta Capena
The Porta Capena was an ancient city gate of the Servian Wall in Rome .
location
The Porta Capena was on the southwest slope of the Caelius . Neighboring gates were Porta Naevia in the southwest and Porta Caelimontana in the east. The Via Appia and Via Latina began at the gate . Nearby was the Camenae grove .
Name and story
The origin of the name is not clear; a derivation from Etruscan, considered in antiquity, is not certain. A connection with the city of Capua , to which the Via Appia led, is also possible.
Domitian is said to have restored the Porta Capena in the late 1st century, which at that time had already lost its function as a city gate due to the expansion of Rome. The work was probably related to the construction of an aqueduct, a branch of the Aqua Marcia that led from the Caelius to the Aventine. Apparently the water pipe was known for its leaks; Juvenal describes the Porta Capena as "damp" ( madidamque Capenam ). Also Rome's oldest aqueduct, the Aqua Appia , led into the city at the Porta Capena.
In the years 1867–1868 the remains of the Porta Capena and the adjoining parts of the Servian Wall were excavated, but are no longer visible today.
The Piazza di Porta Capena is still one of the most important transport hubs in the center of Rome.
literature
- Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide. von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2685-8 , pp. 22, 36-37, 204, 327, 351.
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 1 ″ N , 12 ° 29 ′ 27 ″ E
Remarks
- ↑ a b Frontin , de aquis 5 .
- ↑ Its main branch ended above the Porta Capena: Frontin, de aquis 19 .
- ↑ Juvenal 3, 11 .
- ^ Filippo Coarelli: Rome. An archaeological guide . Zabern, Mainz 2000, p. 351.