Aventine Hill
The Aventine Hill stands as the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. It possesses two distinct heights that define its physical character today. One height rises greater to the northwest and bears the name Aventinus Major. A lesser height exists to the southeast known as Aventinus Minor. These two elevations divide by a steep cleft. This natural gap provides the base for an ancient roadway between the heights. During the Republican era, scholars debate whether these two hills functioned as a single entity or separate entities. Lawrence Richardson asserts they were recognized as one during the Republic. O. Skutsch argues they were originally named separately with the Aventine being only the northwestern height. The Augustan reforms later recognized the ancient road between them as a common boundary. Regio XIII absorbed Aventinus Maior while part of Regio XII became Aventinus Minor.
Most Roman sources trace the name of the hill to a legendary king named Aventinus. Servius identifies two kings of that name buried on the hill in remote antiquity. One was an ancient Italic figure and the other an Alban king. Servius believes the hill was named after the ancient Italic king Aventinus. He rejects Varro's proposition that Sabines named it after the nearby Avens river. In Virgil's Aeneid a cave on the Aventine's rocky slope next to the river is home to the monstrous Cacus. Hercules killed this monster for stealing Geryon's cattle. The divinely fathered twins Romulus and Remus hold a contest of augury here. Remus sets up his augural tent on the Aventine while Romulus sets his up on the Palatine. Each sees auspicious birds but Remus sees fewer than Romulus. An earlier variant found in Ennius has Romulus perform his augury on one of the Aventine Hills. Remus performs his elsewhere perhaps on the southeastern height identified with Ennius' Mons Murcus. Skutsch regards this variant as most likely since augural rules required each twin take auspices at different places.
According to Roman tradition the Aventine was not included within Rome's original foundation. It lay outside the city's ancient sacred boundary known as the pomerium. The Roman historian Livy reports that Ancus Marcius defeated the Latins of Politorium. He resettled them on the Aventine. Servius Tullius built a temple to Diana on the Aventine during the late regal era. This structure served as a Roman focus for the new-founded Latin League. Around 493 BC the Roman Senate provided a temple for the so-called Aventine Triad. Ceres, Liber and Libera were patron deities of the Roman commoners or plebs. The dedication followed one of the first in a long series of threatened or actual plebeian secessions. The temple overlooked the Circus Maximus and faced the Palatine Hill. It became an important repository for plebeian and senatorial records. In c.456 BC a Lex Icilia allowed or granted the plebs property rights there. By c.391 BC the city's overspill had overtaken the Aventine and left it vulnerable to attack. The Gauls overran and temporarily held the city around that year.
In the imperial era the character of the hill changed completely. It became the seat of numerous aristocratic residences including private houses of Trajan and Hadrian before they became emperors. Lucius Licinius Sura friend of Trajan built the private Baths of Licinius Sura there. The emperor Vitellius and the Praefectus urbi Lucius Fabius Cilo also lived there at the time of Septimius Severus. The Aventine was also the site of the Baths of Decius built in 252. This new character of an aristocratic neighbourhood probably caused its total destruction during the sack of Rome by Alaric I in 410. The poorer population had meanwhile moved further south to the plain near the port known as Emporium. They relocated to the other bank of the Tiber river. The concentration of foreign cults on this hill meant no other location approached its density of religious sites. Camillus established a Temple of Juno Regina here in 392 BC. Later introductions included Summanus c. 278 and Vortumnus c. 264. Minerva arrived at some time before the end of the 3rd century.
During the Fascist period many deputies of the opposition retired on this hill after the murder of Giacomo Matteotti. They ended their presence at Parliament through the so-called Aventine Secession. The hill is now an elegant residential part of Rome with wealth of architectural interest. Palaces, churches, and gardens define the modern landscape including the basilica of Santa Sabina. Santi Bonifacio ed Alessio stands among these significant structures. The Rome Rose Garden offers another point of cultural interest. The Aventine Hill belongs to Ripa the modern twelfth rione or ward of Rome. It remains one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. The area preserves the memory of Roman history while serving contemporary residents.
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Common questions
What is the Aventine Hill and where is it located?
The Aventine Hill stands as the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. It lies outside the city's ancient sacred boundary known as the pomerium.
Who named the Aventine Hill after a legendary king?
Servius identifies two kings of that name buried on the hill in remote antiquity. He believes the hill was named after the ancient Italic king Aventinus.
When did Ancus Marcius resettle Latins on the Aventine Hill?
Ancus Marcius defeated the Latins of Politorium and resettled them on the Aventine Hill during the late regal era. This event occurred before 493 BC when the Roman Senate provided a temple for the so-called Aventine Triad.
Why did the character of the Aventine Hill change during the imperial era?
The Aventine became the seat of numerous aristocratic residences including private houses of Trajan and Hadrian before they became emperors. The concentration of foreign cults meant no other location approached its density of religious sites.
How many distinct heights make up the physical character of the Aventine Hill today?
The Aventine Hill possesses two distinct heights that define its physical character today. One height rises greater to the northwest and bears the name Aventinus Major while a lesser height exists to the southeast known as Aventinus Minor.
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