Alta Semita in the context of 14 regions of Augustan Rome


Alta Semita in the context of 14 regions of Augustan Rome

⭐ Core Definition: Alta Semita

The Alta Semita ("High Path") was a street in ancient Rome that gave its name to one of the 14 regions of Augustan Rome.

The Alta Semita brought traffic into Rome from the salt route (Via Salaria) that had existed since prehistoric times. The great antiquity of the street is also suggested by semita, a Latin word usually meaning "footpath" and not used for any other Roman street. It ran most likely along the modern Via del Quirinale and Via Venti Settembre, on the spine of the Quirinal Hill, creating a straight route southwest from the Porta Collina in the Servian Wall to a major temple from the Hadrianic era on the Collis Salutaris. It probably connected to the Vicus Iugarius.

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Alta Semita in the context of Porta Collina

41°54′26.42″N 12°29′55.37″E / 41.9073389°N 12.4987139°E / 41.9073389; 12.4987139

The Colline Gate (Latin Porta Collina) was a landmark in ancient Rome, supposed to have been built by Servius Tullius, semi-legendary king of Rome 578–535 BC. The gate stood at the north end of the Servian Wall, and past it were two important streets, the Via Salaria and Via Nomentana. Within this area the Alta Semita linked the Quirinal with the Porta Carmentalis. Several temples were located near the gate, including temples of Venus Erycina and Fortuna. To a person facing the gate in the 4th century AD, the Gardens of Sallust would have been on the left, with the Baths of Diocletian on the right.

View the full Wikipedia page for Porta Collina
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