Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill
One of the seven hills of Rome
Latin namePalatium; Collis Palatinus
Italian namePalatino
RioneCampitelli
BuildingsFlavian Palace
PeopleCicero, Augustus, Tiberius, Domitian
EventsFinding of Romulus and Remus
Ancient Roman religionTemple of Apollo Palatinus, Temple of Cybele, Lupercalia, Secular Games
Mythological figuresRomulus and Remus, Faustulus
View of the Palatine Hill from across the Circus Maximus
A schematic map of Rome showing the seven hills and the Servian Wall

The Palatine Hill (/ˈpælətn/; Classical Latin: Palatium;[1] Neo-Latin: Collis/Mons Palatinus; Italian: Palatino [palaˈtiːno]), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire".[2] The site is now mainly a large open-air museum whilst the Palatine Museum houses many finds from the excavations here and from other ancient Italian sites.

Imperial palaces were built there, starting with Augustus. Before imperial times the hill was mostly occupied by the houses of the rich.

The hill originally had two summits separated by a depression; the highest part was called Palatium and the other Germalus (or Cermalus). Using the Forma Urbis its perimeter enclosed 63 acres (25 ha); while the Regionary Catalogues of the 4th century enclose 131 acres (53 ha).[3]

  1. ^ Lewis and Short, A Latin Dictionary: Palatium
  2. ^ Merivale, Charles, A General History of Rome: from the Foundation of the City to the Fall of Augustulus, B.C. 753— A.D. 476. New York: Harper & Brothers (1880), p. 39.
  3. ^ The Atlas of Ancient Rome, Biography and Portraits of the City, Ed. Andrea Carandini, Paolo Carafa, trans. Andrew Campbell Halavais, Princeton University Pressm 2012, pp. 216=17, ISBN 978-0-691-16347-5

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