''Carinae'' was an area of ancient

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It was one of its most exclusive neighborhoods, where many of the senatorial class lived.
Florus described the ''Carinae'' as the "''most celebrated part of the city''" (''celeberrima pars urbis'').

Description

The ''Carinae'' occupied the western end of the southern spur of the

Esquiline hill The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' ( Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

. The district likely incorporated the earlier Fagutal, with the northern tip of the

Oppian Hill The Oppian Hill (Latin, ''Oppius Mons''; it, 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 its western side; it extended between the

Velian Hill The Velia — or Velian Hill or Velian Ridge — is a saddle or spur stretching out from the middle of the north side of the Palatine Hill towards the Oppian Hill (itself a spur of the Esquiline Hill) in Rome. In later times, the Velia was cal ...

and the ''Clivus Pullius''. Its outlook was southwestern, across the swamps of the ''Palus Ceroliae'' toward the Aventine. The slopes of the neighborhood near the Velia were crossed by the ''vicus Cyprius'', where, according to a Roman tradition taken up by

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

, Tullia would have killed his father

Servius Tullius Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 578 to 535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome ...

, overwhelming him with her chariot pulled by horses. The same passage from Livy indicates the existence of a temple dedicated to Diana in the ''Carinae''. The ''

Murus Terreus The Murus Terreus Carinarum is an obscure earthwork fortification of the ancient city of Rome known from a passage in the works of Varro. The Murus Terreus may have been a part of Rome's earliest fortifications, often referred to as the Servian Wall ...

'' also crossed the ''Carinae''. The district housed the residences of

Marcus Tullius Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

and Gnaeus Pompeius, whose house was later owned by

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

and then became a possession of the imperial state property (Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

lived there for some time).

Etymologia

According to

Servius Servius is the name of: * Servius (praenomen), the personal name * Maurus Servius Honoratus, a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian * Servius Tullius, the Roman king * Servius Sulpicius Rufus, the 1st century BC Roman jurist See ...

, the name of the district comes from the fact that certain buildings rising close to the

Temple of Tellus The Temple of Tellus was a sanctuary in Ancient Rome, erected after 268 BCE and dedicated to the goddess Tellus. History The temple was founded by Publius Sempronius Sophus, following a vow he took when an earthquake occurred when he was command ...

represented the keels (''carinae'' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) of ships.''ad Aen.'' 8.361

Notes

{{reflist Topography of the ancient city of Rome