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Caseggiato I,XII,7 - nrs. 370-390

The building
Description and function Along Semita dei Cippi is a row of seven shops behind a portico. The northernmost shop leads to another shop to the west. The two southern shops led to the Terme del Foro.
Date The shops were built during the reign of Antoninus Pius.

Nrs. 370-390
Description Cornerstones are found in the portico along Semita dei Cippi. The piers of the portico have been numbered I-VIII, from north to south.

Nrs. 370-371: pier I, north-west corner. Low and mid.
Nrs. 372-373: pier I, north-east corner. Low and mid.
Nrs. 374-375: pier I, south-east corner. Low and mid.
Nr. 376: pier III, north-east corner. Low. At the inside and bottom of the stone is a hole, 0.035 x 0.04.
Nr. 377: pier III, south-east corner. Low.
Nr. 378: pier IV, north-east corner. Low.
Nr. 379: pier IV, south-east corner. Low.
Nrs. 380-381: pier V, north-east corner. Low and mid.
Nr. 382: pier V, south-east corner. Low.
Nr. 383: pier VI, north-east corner. Low.
Nr. 384: pier VI, south-east corner. Low.
Nr. 385: pier VII, north-east corner. Low. In the inside of the stone is a hole with metal, 0.045 x 0.05.
Nr. 386: pier VII, south-east corner. Low. In the inside of the stone is a hole, 0.04 x 0.04.
Nrs. 387-388: pier VIII, north-east corner. Low and mid. In the inside of the low block (nr. 387) is a hole with metal, 0.035 x 0.04.
Nrs. 389-390: pier VIII, south-west corner. Low and mid.

The piers of the portico rest on travertine bases. In these bases are vertical grooves, open at the top, below the stones and almost always exactly below holes in the stones. Normally the grooves are 0.15 wide, with an average depth of 0.13, and an average height of 0.32. Below the stones in the north-west corner in pier I is a semicircular groove, w. 0.07. There is also a groove in the wall opposite the south side of pier VIII (in the south jamb of the entrance of this corridor), w. 0.06. There are no stones above the latter groove, but the wall may be modern.
There are no stones in pier II, which has been preserved to a low height, and in the south-east corner of pier VIII, which is modern.
Date The stones belong to the first building period.
Measurements Visually the low and mid blocks are at the same height. Meas. according to VdM, low stones: starting at average h. 1.43 from ground; av. l. 0.23, av. w. 0.37, av. h. 0.18; mid stones: starting at average h. 2.16 from ground; av. l. 0.23, av. w. 0.40, av. h. 0.17.

Remarks
As suggested by the situation in the Terme del Bagnino Buticosus (I,XIV,8), the grooves may have been used to put away ropes suspended from metal hooks, when the ropes were not used. Because here there are grooves on either side, there must have been two ropes between the piers. There are, however, only a few stones with holes / holes with metal. It may be noted that the stones without holes are in modern masonry. These stones could well be modern.

Plan of the building

Plan of the building. After SO I.


Photos



The portico seen from the north-east, with pier I at the right.




The central part of the portico, seen from the south-east, with pier VI at the left.
Note the stones in modern masonry.




Pier III, north, with a hole in the lower part of the stone,
not precisely above the centre of the groove below.




Piers VII and VIII, north, seen from the north-east. Note the holes with metal in the low stones.




Detail of low stone 387 in pier VIII, north, with a hole with metal.
Seen from the north-east.




The portico seen from the south-east.
Note the modern masonry in the south-east corner of pier VIII
and the hole in the low stone (nr. 386) in pier VII.




The narrow groove in the wall opposite the south side of pier VIII,
seen from the north-east.