The Servian Wall (Latin: Murus Servii Tullii; Italian: Mura Serviane) is an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to 10 m (33 ft) in height in places, 3.6 m (12 ft) wide at its base, 11 km (6.8 mi) long, and is believed to have had 16 main gates, of which only one or two have survived, and enclosed a total area of 246 hectares (610 acres). In the 3rd century AD it was superseded by the construction of the larger Aurelian Walls as the city of Rome grew beyond the boundary of the Servian Wall.
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👉 Servian Wall in the context of Oppian Hill
The Oppian Hill (Latin, Oppius Mons; Italian: Colle Oppio) is the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven hills of Rome, Italy. It is separated from the Cispius on the north by the valley of the Suburra, and from the Caelian Hill on the south by the valley of the Colosseum. The Oppius and the Cispius together form the Esquiline plateau just inside the line of the Servian Wall.
In the divisions of the Septimontium (seven hills) Fagutal appears as an independent locality, which implies that originally "Oppius" was strictly applied to this spur except the western end. The northern tip of this western end was also called Carinae, which extended between the Velian Hill and the Clivus Pullius, looked out to the southwest (across the swamps of the Palus Ceroliae towards the Aventine), incorporated the Fagutal and was one of ancient Rome's most exclusive neighborhoods.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Servian Wall
- 👉 Servian Wall in the context of Oppian Hill
- Servian Wall in the context of Palatine Hill
- Servian Wall in the context of Capitoline Hill
- Servian Wall in the context of Seven hills of Rome
- Servian Wall in the context of Quirinal Hill
- Servian Wall in the context of Ancient Roman defensive walls
- Servian Wall in the context of Aurelian Walls
Servian Wall in the context of Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill (/ˈpælətaɪn/; Classical Latin: Palatium; 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". 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.
Servian Wall in the context of Capitoline Hill
41°53′36″N 12°28′59″E / 41.89333°N 12.48306°E
The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill (/ˈkæpɪtəlaɪn, kəˈpɪt-/ KAP-it-ə-lyne, kə-PIT-; Italian: Campidoglio [kampiˈdɔʎʎo]; Latin: Mons Capitolinus [ˈmõːs kapɪtoːˈliːnʊs]), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
Servian Wall in the context of Seven hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome (Latin: Septem colles/montes Romae, Italian: Sette colli di Roma [ˈsɛtte ˈkɔlli di ˈroːma]) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Servian Wall in the context of Quirinal Hill
The Quirinal Hill (/ˈkwɪrɪnəl/; Latin: Collis Quirinalis; Italian: Quirinale [kwiriˈnaːle]) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has come to stand for the Italian president. The Quirinal Palace has an area of 1.2 million sq ft (11 ha; 28 acres).
Servian Wall in the context of Ancient Roman defensive walls
Defensive walls are a feature of ancient Roman architecture. The Romans generally fortified cities, rather than building stand-alone fortresses, but there are some fortified camps, such as the Saxon Shore forts like Porchester Castle in England. City walls were already significant in Etruscan architecture, and in the struggle for control of Italy under the early Republic many more were built, using different techniques. These included tightly fitting massive irregular polygonal blocks, shaped to fit exactly in a way reminiscent of later Inca work. The Romans called a simple rampart wall an agger; at this date great height was not necessary. The Servian Wall around Rome was an ambitious project of the early 4th century BC. The wall was up to 10 metres (32.8 ft) in height in places, 3.6 metres (12 ft) wide at its base, 11 km (7 mi) long, and is believed to have had 16 main gates, though many of these are mentioned only from writings, with no other known remains. Some of it had a fossa or ditch in front, and an agger behind, and it was enough to deter Hannibal. Later the Aurelian Wall replaced it, enclosing an expanded city, and using more sophisticated designs, with small forts at intervals.
The Romans walled major cities and towns in areas they saw as vulnerable, and parts of many walls remain incorporated in later defences, as at Córdoba (2nd century BC), Chester (earth and wood in the 70s AD, stone from c. 100), and York (from 70s AD). Strategic walls defending the frontiers of the Empire by running across open country were far rarer, and Hadrian's Wall (from 122) and the Antonine Wall (from 142, abandoned only 8 years after completion) are the most significant examples, both on the Pictish frontier. Most defences of the borders of the Roman Empire relied on systems of forts and roads without attempting a continuous barrier.
Servian Wall in the context of Aurelian Walls
The Aurelian Walls (Italian: Mura aureliane) are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC.
The walls enclosed all the seven hills of Rome plus the Campus Martius and, on the right bank of the Tiber, the Trastevere district. The river banks within the city limits appear to have been left unfortified, although they were fortified along the Campus Martius. The size of the entire enclosed area is 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres). The wall cut through populated areas: in reality the city at the time embraced 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres). Pliny the Elder in the first century AD suggested that the densely populated areas, extrema tectorum ("the limits of the roofed areas") extended 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) from the Golden Milestone in the Forum (Natural History 3.67).