Introduction
The oldest road on the right bank of the Tiber that we know of was called Via Campana. It received its name from the campus salinarum romanarum, the "plain of the salt pans of the Romans". According to ancient historians the Via Campana was the work of king Ancus Marcius. The road ran close to the meandering Tiber and was the responsibility of the same official who oversaw the Via Ostiensis on the other side of the Tiber.
Claudius improved the road system in relation to the installation of his harbour at Portus. A shortcut was created between localities Pozzo Pantaleo (a bit to the south of railway station Roma Trastevere) and Chiesuola di Ponte Galeria (several kilometers to the east of the airport). This road was further away from the Tiber and straighter, cutting through hills. In this way it was also safe from Tiber inundations. It was further improved by Trajan and took the name of Via Portuensis. The Via Portuensis left Rome at the Porta Portuensis, part of the wall of Aurelianus, not far from the river harbour now called Porto di Ripa Grande. In the time of Claudius and Trajan it must have started further towards the city centre. Probably that was near the Forum Boarium, to the west of the Circus Maximus.
PORTA PORTUENSIS
The Porta Portuensis was part of the city wall of Aurelianus. More than a century later the gate was raised by Arcadius and Honorius, in 401-402 AD. An inscription on the arch was added, which is now lost. It mentioned the Praefectus Urbi, Flavius Macrobius Longinianus, who oversaw the work. The inscription also referred to the Roman general Stilicho, but his name was erased after he had been executed by political opponents in 408 AD.
The ancient Porta Portuensis drawn by Giuseppe Vasi (1743, based on older drawings).
S(enatus) P(opulus)Q(ue) R(omanus)
IMPP CAESS DD NN INVICTISSIMIS PRINCIPIBVS
ARCADIO ET HONORIO VICTORIBVS AC TRIVMFATORIBVS
SEMPER AVGG OB INSTAVRATOS VRBI(s) AETERNAE MVROS
PORTAS AC TVRRES EGESTIS INMENSIS RVDERIBVS EX SVGGESTIONE
V(iri) C(larissimi) ET INLVSTRIS [COMI]TIS ET MAGISTRI VTRIVSQ(ue) MILITIAE
[STILICHONIS] AD PERPETVITATEM NOMINIS EORVM SIMVLACRA CONSTITVIT
CVRANTE [FL(avio) MACROBIO LONGINIANO V(iro) C(larissimo)
PRAEF(ecto) VRBIS] D(evotus) N(umini) M(aiestati)Q(ue) EORVM
The senate and people of Rome
for the emperors, caesars, our lords and most invincible sovereigns,
Arcadius and Honorius, victorious and triumphant,
always majesties, to celebrate the restoration of the walls, gates and towers
of the eternal city, after the removal of immense quantities of debris, at the suggestion
of the distinguished and illustrious companion and commander of both armed forces,
Stilicho, has erected statues in perpetual remembrance of their name.
Flavius Macrobius Longinianus, distinguished man,
prefect of the city, devoted to their divinity and majesty, took care of the work.It was through this gate that the Vandals, led by king Geiseric, entered Rome in 455 AD. This happened shortly after the murder of Valentinianus III. Petronius Maximus then declared himself Emperor, and wished to marry the widow of Valentinianus, Licinia Eudoxia. She however was enraged by the murder of her husband and called in the help of Geiseric. His arrival and the intervention of pope Leo I is recounted by Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, France: "Holy bishop Leo met Geiseric outside the gates and his supplication mollified him through the power of God to such an extent that, when everything was given into his hands, he was held back nevertheless from burning, killing and torture. Then for fourteen days, through an untrammeled and open search, Rome was emptied of all its wealth, and many thousands of captives, all that were satisfactory as to age or occupation, along with the queen and her children, were taken away to Carthage" (translation A.C. Murray). Petronius Maximus was then killed by his own troops.
Pope Leo I and king Geiseric in a miniature from c. 1475. Image: Wikimedia.When Portus became less relevant for Rome, the area near the gate changed into a swamp. In the 17th century the gate was torn down and replaced by a new one, 500 meters further away from the centre of Rome. This work was carried out by popes Urbanus VIII and Innocentius X. Today it is called Porta Portese, and known for its flea market on Sunday morning.
The 17th century Porta Portese. Photo: Wikimedia.
THE NECROPOLIS
The area outside the gate and around the railway station Roma Trastevere was a vast necropolis, and tombs have been excavated in various localities. Here was the Monteverde hill, the "Green hill", named after the colour of the tuff of which it consisted. Extensive tuff quarrying took place from antiquity until the 19th century. For the tombs the galleries of the quarries were used, but new tombs were built also. For the construction of railway station Roma Trastevere the hill was levelled (the station was inaugurated in 1911). Several archaeological discoveries were made during the work, supplemented by more recent excavations. Some tombs stand out because of their decoration, with paintings, stucco reliefs, and mosaics.
Painting from a tomb with people playing a ball game.
THE JEWISH CATACOMBS
Amongst the tombs were Jewish catacombs. They were to the west of the Via Portuensis, a bit to the north-west of railway station Roma Trastevere. The first investigations took place in the 17th century. The catacombs were completely destroyed by a landslide in 1928, due to the tuff quarrying. They had been in use from the mid-third to the fifth century. Further to the west are the catacombs of Pontianus.
Impression of the quarries below the Jewish catacombs. Photo: Corriere della Sera.
A drawing of part of the Jewish catacomb and of a lamp, by Giuseppe Vasi (1747).
A SHRINE OF HERCULES
Amongst the tombs was also a little shrine dedicated to Hercules. In the ancient tuff quarries a niche had been hacked out, above which the inscription L(ucius) DOMITIVS PERMISSVS FECIT was found. Below the niche traces were found of a stucco relief, perhaps of dancing figures. The finds have now mostly disappeared. Many statuettes were encountered, some of tuff and painted red, others of terracotta and marble. Two are of Hercules, the others of Jupiter, Minerva, Bacchus and Egyptian deities. Two altars were found, one of tuff, the other of travertine, carrying an identical inscription: IMPERIO HERCVLI SACRV(m) L(ucius) DOMITIVS PERMISSVS. The area in front of the aedicula was decorated with marble and busts resting on herms. The shrine was in use from the first century BC until the second century AD.
Left: the aedicula of Hercules with the two altars.
Right: the two statues of Hercules.
Drawings: Estienne 2003, figs. 1 and 6.One of the statues shows Hercules lying down. It may not be a coincidence that the regionary catalogues of the fourth century AD mention in this area a place called Hercules cubans, "Hercules reclining". In that period however the little shrine had not been used for a long time. A long inscription found in this area mentions a temple of Hercules Victor at the end of the second century AD. There are other clues suggesting that there was a concentration of shrines of Hercules in this neighbourhood.
SANTA MARIA DEL BUON RIPOSO
A bit to the north of the railway station are the ruins of the chapel of Santa Maria del Buon Riposo in Via Portuense, built in the 17th century. A considerable stretch of the ancient road was found here, paved with basalt blocks, flanked by blocks of tuff and travertine.
The ruins of Santa Maria del Buon Riposo in Via Portuense. Photo: Corriere della Sera.
THE INTERSECTION OF THE ROADS
We now reach the intersection of the Via Portuensis and Via Campana, the achaeological area of Via di Pozzo Pantaleo. Excavations were carried out from 1983 to 2015. A stretch of the Via Campana was found (50 meters long), 4.60 meters wide, with wheel ruts. The road was flanked by sidewalks. A mansio was found, a stopping place for people and animals, where travellers could rest, eat, drink and sleep. Baths were included, with black-and-white mosaics depicting a Triton, a Nereid and a fishing putto, standing on an amphora. The finds suggest that there were designated bathing rooms for men and women. Remains were also found of the Via Portuensis. We will now follow the Via Campana.
A stretch of the Via Campana.
The mosaic of a fishing putto on an amphora, in the baths.
SANTA PASSERA
After 1.3 kilometers the Via Campana reaches the Tiber, where we find the church of Santa Passera. There is no saint called Passera, and the name might be a corruption of another name. The present church is mostly from the 13th-14th century and was used especially by miners working in nearby tuff quarries. Underneath is an oratorium from the 5th century, and below that remains from c. 200 AD. According to an inscription from the 11th century the bodies of saints Cyrus and Iohannis are buried here. They were crucified in Egypt in 303 AD, and brought here a century later, in 407 AD. The relics are now in a church in Naples.
CORPORA S(an)C(t)A CYRI RENITE(n)T HIC ATQVE IOH(ann)IS
QV(a)E QUONDA(m) ROM(a)E DEDIT ALEXANDRIA MAGNAThe holy bodies shine again here of Cyrus and of Iohannis
that were once given to Rome by great Alexandria
The church of saint Passera. Photo: Wikimedia.
MAUSOLEUM IN VIA TEODORA
After 600 meters to the south of the church, in Via Teodora, we find the remains of a cylindrical Roman tomb from the first century AD. It is incorporated in a medieval tower overlooking the Tiber (Torre del Giudizio). It was built in the ninth century as a defensive measure against the Saracens.
TRULLO DEI MASSIMI
When we now follow the Tiber for about 3.5 kilometres we will find the remains of a Roman tomb on the banks of the Tiber. Only the concrete core remains. Its marble and travertine decoration were taken away in the 15th century. A square base supported a round funerary chamber. Inside are seven niches. The tomb must originally have been approximately five meters high. The Italian word "trullo" means a cylindrical house with a conical roof. The mausoleum can be seen on a map of Eufrosino della Volpaia from 1547, on which it is called Turlone.
The ruins of the tomb. In the background is EUR. Photo: Arvaliastoria.it.
THE CATACOMBS OF GENEROSA
At a distance of 5.4 kilometers from the intersection of the two roads are the catacombs of Generosa. For the graves, sandstone quarries in Monte delle Piche were used, owned by a woman called Generosa. Ancient sources tell us that in antiquity the area was called ad sextum Philippi ("at the sixth milestone, of Philippus"), and that the martyrs Simplicius, Faustinus (also Faustinianus) and Viatrix (later called Beatrix) were buried here. Simplicius and Faustinus were executed in 303 AD, after which the bodies were thrown in the Tiber. They floated to this location, where Viatrix collected and buried them. Still in the fourth century a basilica was added, half buried in the ground.
The tomb of Simplicius and Faustinus was protected by a wall decorated by a painting referred to as coronatio martyrum. In the centre we see Christ, flanked by four martyrs holding the crown of martyrdom. Their names are painted: the three mentioned before, and Rufinianus. The painting is from the 7th century. The relics of Simplicius and Faustinus were later taken to Santa Maria Maggiore, but some also to Fulda, Germany, of which they and Beatrix became patron saints. This is symbolized in the coat of arms of Fulda.
Drawing of the basilica and an inscription mentioning Faustinus and Viatrix.
The painting of the coronatio martyrum.
THE ARVAL BROTHERS AND DEA DIA
We are now in an area with structures related to the oldest Latin-Roman religion. Here the Fratres Arvales met, the Brothers of the Fields. They formed a college of twelve. Their task was to offer public sacrifices for the fertility of the fields. According to legend the college was instituted by Romulus. The office was for life. They wore a wreath of grain ears, fastened on their heads with a white band. In May they celebrated a festival of three days in honour of dea Dia, related somehow to Ceres. They then assembled in the lucus, grove, of dea Dia, in the area where we are now.
An account of the different ceremonies of this festival is preserved in inscriptions. These also contain a hymn, which appears to have been sung at the festival. The priests furthermore performed sacrifices called the Ambarvalia at various places on the borders of the ager Romanus, the original territory of Rome. There is a resemblance to the rites of the rogation of the church. These consisted of processions through the fields, accompanied with prayers (rogationes) for a blessing on the fruits of the earth.
Plan of the area used by the Fratres Arvales. Broise-Scheid 1993, fig. 2The location of the area used by the Brothers was established through the place of discovery of inscriptions. It stretched from the Tiber to the Monte delle Piche. Excavations were undertaken in the 19th century, and quite recently. Today the area is almost completely urbanized. Important building phases have been dated to the Flavian period and the reign of Alexander Severus (222-235 AD). Near the hill was the grove, with a round temple of dea Dia. It was connected with structures near the Tiber by a porticus, U-shaped near the river. Here must have been a shrine for the Imperial cult, with statues of Emperors, of which some pedestals with inscriptions have been found. The Brothers stayed in rooms behind the U-shaped part (the papiliones), where baths were also available (balneum).
There do not seem to be noteworthy archeological remains along the Via Portuensis between the two intersections (Pozzo Pantaleo and Ponte Galeria). There are however extensive remains around Ponte Galeria, which are discussed on the next page.
