Septimontium
Septimontium (from Latin septem "seven" and mons "mountain, hill") was a feast day of the inhabitants of the city hills of Rome from the early days of the Roman Republic . It was celebrated on December 11th. There is no full agreement on the exact date. Alternatively, an appointment in September or the end of December was accepted.
It is clear that the name is derived from seven hills in the ancient Roman urban area, but which one it was exactly remains unclear. It was probably not the Seven Hills of Rome known to Varro ( Aventine , Capitol , Caelius , Palatine , Viminal , Quirinal and Esquiline ).
After Festus , who referred to Marcus Antistius Labeo , the names were: Palatium , Velia , Fagutal , Subura , Germalus , Caelius, Oppius and Cespius . Apparently there are eight "mountains". The subura mentioned here, which can hardly be called a hill, is therefore not counted. Palatium and Germalus were peaks of the Palatine, Oppius, Cespius and Fagutal parts of the Esquiline. Therefore, the area moved to Festus by the pageant formed only part of the later urban area, namely Palatine, Velia, Caelius and Esquilin.
According to Plutarch , the origin of the festival was the memory of the inclusion of the seventh hill in the urban area. According to him, pack animals were allowed to rest from work on the day of Septimontium. The holiday was not a general and public holiday of the Roman people, but was only valid for the inhabitants of the hills (montani) and therefore did not appear in the state fasts .
According to Varro, Septimontium was the original name of Rome, but this is now rejected as an afterthought by ancient scholars.
literature
- Samuel Ball Platner , Thomas Ashby : A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press, London 1929, pp. 471f. ( online ).
- Gerhard Radke : Septimontium. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 5, Stuttgart 1975, Col. 127.
- Leonhard Schmitz : Septimontium. In: William Smith: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. John Murray, London 1875, p. 1028 ( online ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Varro, de origine linguae Latinae 6.24: this Septimontium Nominatus from his septem montibus in quis est urbs sita, feriae non populi sed modo ut montanorum Paganalia qui sunt alicuius pagi .
- ↑ Festus 348: Septimontio ut ait Antistius Labeo hisce montibus feriae: Palatio cui sacrificium quod fit Palatuar dicitur; Veliae cui item sacrificium; Fagutali, Suburae, Cermalo, Oppio, Caelio monti, Cispio monti .
- ↑ Plutarch, Quaestiones Romanae 69.
- ↑ Varro, de origine linguae Latinae 5.41: ubi nunc est Roma erat olim Septimontium nominatum ab tot montibus quos postea urbs muris comprehendit .