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Rome's District of
Mons Aventinus
Praefectus:
Outside the Pomerium, the Aventine Hill was the original chosen home of the
Plebians of Rome. By the time of Augustus, it was much more.
[Citybuilders: Decius Aemilius, Maria Marius, Heraklia Aelius; map graphic
by QuintusCinna Cocceius]
 Many Romans have worked hard to build on the Aventine Hill, and we welcome you to our favorite part of Rome! If you would like to read the tour of our district a description of some of the Aventine's best-known buildings, you will find it goes right back to the beginning. At the foot of the hill, the Circus Maximus and the Forum Boarium; on one side, the steep streets leading down to the docks of the Tiber; lovely, intimate squares and squalid dead-end streets, the Aventine shows the whole range of Rome. The Temples range from some of the oldest in Rome to new cults brought in by immigrants from all over the Empire. You can visit the beautiful Temple of Diana Aventinensis; the The Temple of Bacchus; the ancient and lovely Shrine of Bona Dea ; the Temple of Minerva Aventinensis; the Temple of Juno Regina ; the Temple of Isis; the Temple of Hercules Victor; and the Temple of Libertas, which includes Rome's first public library, decreed by Caesar and created by the great historian, Asinius Pollio. Or if you want to browse the shops and galleries of the Aventine, there are many to choose from, including some of the most elegant craftsmen in Rome. Finally, you can end your visit by a stroll through one of Rome's most beautiful parks, or drop in for a quick cup of wine at The Sign of the Owl
 Where the wine is spicy and the company spicier. You are welcome to Mons Aventinus.
The Aventine was traditionally the territory of the plebeians, who had their main temples and sanctuaries there. During much of the Republic as well as the Empire the Aventine was a distinctly lower-class neighborhood. Temples to Diana, Luna, and Juno stood on the hill, as well as Varro's extensive library and the Armilustrium (where arms were ritually purified). The Aventine's plebeian neighborhood was thriving and prosperous, with the Circus Maximus situated at its base (between the Aventine and Palatine).
The first public library in Rome was that founded by Asinius Pollio in 25 B.C. from the spoils of his Parthian campaign. It was located within the Atrium Libertatis on the Aventine. The Atrium Libertatus contained the offices of the censors, some at least of their records, and some of the law on bronze tablets. Asinius Pollio's library contained Greek and Latin books, with portrait busts of authors, and seems to have served also as a museum for works of art in general. The Temple of Consus on the Aventine probably was vowed or built by L. Papirius Cursor in 272 B.C. on the occasion of his triumph. (This may be inferred from the fact that Papirius was painted on the walls in the robes of a triumphator.) Consus, the deity of Time who is still sometimes personified as Father Time, was also a protector of the harvest. On December 15th the Temple of Consus, which was located underground on the Aventine, was uncovered and opened to public worship. It is probable that this temple was near that of Vortumnus on the north-west side of the Aventine. Vortumnus was probably worshipped in Rome on the Aventine after being brought to the city after the distruction of Volsinii.
At the foot of the Hill on the North side there are the two tiny well preserved Temples of the Forum Boarium dedicated to Hercules and Portunus dating from the 2nd century B.C. The former was dedicated to Hercules Victorus (Hercules of the Victory) near the Porta Trigemina. The latter , although called the Temple of Portunus, was more probably dedicated to Fortuna Virilis. Also on the north side of the hill were the Arch of Janus, dating from the 4th century A.D. and the Arco degli Argentari dedicated to the Emperor Septimius Severus in A.D. 204. The Arch of Janus is a four-fronted arch across a crossroads at the Velabrum (an area of Rome next to the Forum Boarium). It was built at the beginning of the fourth century AD and was probably dedicated to Constantine the Great. The Arcus Septimi Severi (in foro Boario), Arcus Argentariorum or Monumentum Argentariorum are modern names given to an arch which probably served as an entrance to the Forum Boarium. It was erected in 204 A.D. by the argentarii et negotiantes boarii huius loci qui invehent in honor of Septimius Severus, his wife, his sons Caracalla and Geta, and Caracalla's wife Fulvia Plautilla, the daughter of Plautianus. The inscription seems to have been modified three times. First after the fall of Plautianus in 205, then after the murder of Plautilla in 211, and finally after the murder of Geta in 212. The arch is not a true arch, but a flat lintel resting on two piers. It is entirely of marble, except the base, which is travertine. It is 6.15 meters in height and the archway is 3.30 meters wide. At the corners of the piers are pilasters with Corinthian capitals, and the whole exterior surface is adorned either with coarse decorative sculpture or reliefs representing sacrificial scenes. On the inside the figures of the imperial family are carved in relief (those of Plautilla and Geta have been removed). The ceiling is cut in soffits, and the inscription is on the lintel.
The most important temple of Diana in Rome was on the Aventine. Diana was a patron of women and hunters. Her temple on the Aventine housed the foundation charter of the Latin League and was said to date back to King Servius Tullius in the 6th century BC (its inscriptions were actually in Greek). In her Aventine cult, Diana was considered the protector of the lower classes, especially slaves. Her festival in both Rome and Aricia on the Ides of August was a holiday for slaves. When founded the temple may have been connected with the conflict of the orders, but any political associations to her worship were forgotten in later years. On her feast day, all Romans had to give their slaves the day off. Her temple became a sanctuary for runaway slaves. Bona Dea possessed a grotto on the northern end of the eastern part of the Aventine on which a temple was erected beneath an overhanging rock. Bona Dea was a goddess of healing, and herbs and other medicaments were for sale to the women of Rome at her temple. Sacred serpents resided in the shrine and were allowed to wander freely about the sanctuary. (The serpent was considered a symbol of healing, as on the caduceus.) Although sick women were tended in her Aventine garden, no men were permitted near the temple precincts. The public festival of Bona Dea was held on the Kalends of May in the Aventine temple and included a ceremony open to all the women of Rome. (A second celebration of Bona Dea occurred in December as a private, invitation-only, set of rites conducted in the home of the senior magistrate resident in Rome.) The Vicus Frumentarius ran in the neighborhood of the warehouses on the Tiber below the Aventine. It most probably was occupied by dealers in grain. Today the Aventine hill is an elegant residential part of Rome with a wealth of interesting architecture.
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