part II - the eastern side

~ page 2 ~
 map of the tour - part II
general map of the walls and main roads

Just past Porta Tiburtina we come to a larger square, where a large passage was opened through the walls in modern times, for traffic reasons. From this spot [map ref. 4] springs the new via Tiburtina, some 100 m or yards further south its ancient origin.
The name of this gate, as well as the name of the neighborhood, comes from the basilica of St.Laurence Outside the Walls, located along via Tiburtina, about 800 metres - ½ mile off this spot.
Naming the city gates after nearby religious sites, such as basilicas or catacombs, became a popular custom in medieval times.

We carry on along the narrow via di Porta Labicana, following the railway lines, which run up above the street level, just beyond the wall.
the walls along via di Porta Labicana

As soon as you pass by a small old fountain,turn back and take a look at the interesting view of this stretch of wall, running straight, with mighty towers protruding at regular intervals (see picture above).

traces of the roman house above the row of corbels
Suddenly the wall's surface turns almost flat for about 50 metres (or yards), and one of the towers from the regular series seems to be missing. You will notice a row of corbels projecting from the wall and, looking carefully at the brick texture above, traces of windows (now blind) on two different levels: these are likely the only signs left of a roman three-storey house that once stood against the wall on this spot.

Instead no trace is left of another particular feature, somewhat similar to the Castrum Praetorium, but smaller in size, called Vivarium, which once likely bulged from the wall's perimeter by Porta Praenestina, as described by Procopius of Caesarea (6th century). Instead no trace is left of another particular feature that may have originally been here. In the 6th century, Procopius of Caesarea wrote that Vitiges, the Gothic general who was sieging Rome, « ...then went to Praenestina Gate with a great force, to a part of the fortifications which the Romans call the Vivarium, where the wall was most assailable (Gothic War, I, XXII).
The Vivarium was an enclosure where all the wild animals used for fights or for venationes ("hunts") held in the Colosseum were kept in pens and/or cages. It is worthwile quoting an excerpt by the aforesaid historian, in which he describes an episode of the siege that in 537 the Ostrogoths led by Vitiges set to Rome, defended by the Byzantine general Belisarius:

But Bessas and Peranius summoned Belisarius, since Vittigis was pressing most vigorously upon them at the Vivarium. And he was fearful concerning the wall there (for it was most assailable at that point, as has been said), and so came to the rescue himself with all speed, leaving one of his friends at the Salarian Gate. And finding that the soldiers in the Vivarium dreaded the attack of the enemy, which was being pressed with great vigour and by very large numbers, he bade them look with contempt upon the enemy and thus restored their confidence. Now the ground there was very level, and consequently the place lay open to the attacks of any assailant. And for some reason the wall at that point had crumbled a great deal, and to such an extent that the binding of the bricks did not hold together very well. Consequently the ancient Romans had built another wall of short length outside of it and encircling it, not for the sake of safety (for it was neither strengthened with towers, nor indeed was there any battlement built upon it, nor any other means by which it would have been possible to repulse an enemy's assault upon the fortifications), but in order to provide for an unseemly kind of luxury, namely, that they might confine and keep there lions and other wild animals. And it is for this reason that this place has been named the Vivarium; for thus the Romans call a place where untamed animals are regularly cared for. So Vittigis began to make ready various engines at different places along the wall and commanded the Goths to mine the outside wall, thinking that, if they should get inside that, they would have no trouble in capturing the main wall, which he knew to be by no means strong. But Belisarius, seeing that the enemy was undermining the Vivarium and assaulting the fortifications at many places, neither allowed the soldiers to defend the wall nor to remain at the battlement, except a very few, although he had with him whatever men of distinction the army contained. But he held them all in readiness below about the gates, with their corselets on and carrying only swords in their hands. And when the Goths, after making a breach in the wall, got inside the Vivarium, he quickly sent Cyprian with some others into the enclosure against them, commanding them to set to work. And they slew all who had broken in, for these made no defence and at the same time were being destroyed by one another in the cramped space about the exit. And since the enemy were thrown into dismay by the sudden turn of events and were not drawn up in order, but were rushing one in one direction and one in another, Belisarius suddenly opened the gates of the circuit-wall and sent out his entire army against his opponents. And the Goths had not the least thought of resistance, but rushed off in flight in any and every direction, while the Romans, following them up, found no difficulty in killing all whom they fell in with, and the pursuit proved a long one, since the Goths, in assaulting the wall at that place, were far away from their own camps. Then Belisarius gave the order to burn the enemy's engines, and the flames, rising to a great height, naturally increased the consternation of the fugitives.

excerpt from Procopius of Caesarea, Gothic War - Book I, chapter XXIII

Procopius does not explain where the Vivarium was exactly located, nor how it was accessed, i.e. whether at least a small gate led into the enclosure. The main wall, damaged by the Goths, was rebuilt without any passage; in fact, the Vivarium completely disappeared, having become useless, as the same historian wrote (although occasional venationes kept being held in the Colosseum, up to the end of the century).

With a turn to the right, the old wall crosses the railway, and just a few metres further on also the street comes to a large crossing. Walk under the railway bridge, and past three tall modern arches the tour reaches a crucial stop: Porta Praenestina, also named Porta Labicana, or Porta Naevia, now known as Porta Maggiore [map ref. 5].
Here two large adjoining squares, piazza di Porta Maggiore (inside the walls) and piazzale Labicano (outside the walls), are divided by the most lavish gate among the original roman ones.
the three arches by piazzale Labicano
Here ran a main road, via Labicana, which led to Labici (by this town, the road joined via Latina). By the gate's double arch, the road made a "Y" junction: the left branch continued as via Labicana, also named via Casilina because further south via Latina reached Casilinum, near Naples, while the right branch was via Praenestina, leading to Praeneste, now Palestrina (see picture, and map of ROME'S ANCIENT SURROUNDINGS). Therefore, this was likely a busy southern approach to the city.
Also this gate is older than Aurelian's walls: just as the nearby Porta Tiburtina, previously described, the double arch of white travertine was part of an aqueduct which emperor Claudius had built by the mid 1st century AD.

← the mighty Porta Maggiore

Two centuries later, the structure was incorporated into the wall built on this spot, turning into a perfect gate for Aurelian's architects.

Looking at the top part of the structure from its sides, you will notice a double tunnel, now in cross-section, which carried water drawn from two different springs: Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus (see Aqueducts page 3 for details).

Walking close to the gate, the dimensions of the whole structure appear really huge.
the blocks were given a rough
finish, as a form of decoration
The columns and the blocks have a rough finish, to make an artistic contrast with the smooth surface in the upper part.
The inscription above the arches remembers the name of Claudius, and those of two more emperors, Vespasian and Titus (second half of the 1st century AD), who had restorations carried out to the aqueduct.

Below one of the gate's archways, a short stretch of the original pavement gives the complex a very genuine look. Note how the irregular stones were smoothened by the busy traffic entering and leaving Rome, and how, through the ages, carts and carriages left a deep crease along the way. Crossed by the crease is also a fragment fallen from the gate in old times and simply left there on the floor, which later became part of the paving.


the tomb of Eurysaces

↑ above: the double water tunnel;
→ right: the roman paving

Standing in front of the gate is a monument with a most unusual shape, unfortunately incomplete: the tomb of Eurysaces [map ref. b] and his wife Atistia, dating back from c.30 BC. Eurysaces was a wealthy pistor, i.e. a baker, likely a freedman (a former slave who had bought back his freedom), whose business undoubtly flourished, as he was a state purveyor. This gives reason for such an important and peculiar tomb, whose shape mimics the container where flour was kneaded into dough. A relief that runs along the top part of the monument features small scenes related to baking. An inscription on the sides of the monument reads: THIS IS THE TOMB OF MARCUS VERGILIUS EURYSACES, BAKER, PURVEYOR, APPARITOR (the latter was a servant of a public official, such as a magistrate or a priest).


↑ above: "THIS IS THE TOMB OF MARCUS VERGILIUS EURYSACES"
↓ below: scenes of bread making in the upper part of the baker's tomb

 Around year 400, in order to defend the gate more easily, emperor Honorius added a tower on each side and a small bastion centrally, which completely encased Eurysace's tomb, thus it projected from the original archway; the tomb may have been partly cut on this occasion. The outer surface of this structure was then strengthened by adding the usual white stone layer.
This arrangement can be seen in old etching that feature the gate (picture on the right). The windows of the stone facing that looked towards the archway leading to via Praenestina (right) were higher that those of the facing looking towards via Labicana (left), as the two roads were likely located at different heights. Therefore, this alteration almost split the double doorway into two separate passages at different levels.
Furthermore, the gate pointing towards via Labicana was also walled up, in order to defend this spot more easily. Probably this occurred within one century after the aforesaid alterations, i.e. just before Rome was sieged by the Ostrogoths (537), having such measure been already taken by Honorius for Porta Appia and Porta Portuensis (see further), the other two gates which originally had a double archway.
Porta Maggiore from the outside (etching by Giuseppe Vasi, mid 1700s):
note the bulging bastion, whose windows were located at different
levels, and the two towers on the sides of the gate

Only in 1838, when pope Gregory XVI decided to restore Claudius' arches (as a large plaque hanging on one end of the gate says), all the additional parts were removed, the blind archway was opened again, and the tomb was found. By that time, the only extra part left to the original gate was a wall built to shrink the width of the doorway, for security reasons.

traces of the 5th century's stone layer by the gate;
below: a detail of the inscribed names "ARCADIO ET HONORIO"

This last alteration was finally removed in the 1930s, when also the original ground level below the gate was excavated and the old paving was unearthed.

A surviving fragment of the white stone facing that protected the outer side of the gate has been set to the left of the dual archway; it is inscribed with the famous initialism S.P.Q.R. (for the Senate and the People of Rome) in large letters and, below, a long text in Latin, whose first line mentions the two names "...ARCADIO ET HONORIO", the sons of emperor Theodosius the Great, both of whom reigned after him.

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