The Palus Caprae (or Capreae; meaning "Goat Marsh" or "the Goat's pool") was a site within the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which cove ...

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. In

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representa ...

, the Palus Caprae was the place where Romulus underwent ascension into godhood.

Description

The marsh was fed by a stream called ''Petronia Amnis'', but by the Augustan period it had disappeared or been drained. The Palus Caprae was in the small basin where the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

was later built, west of the Altar of Mars supposed to have been established by Numa Pompilius, Romulus's successor.

Ludwig Preller Ludwig Preller (15 September 1809 – 21 June 1861) was a German philologist and antiquarian. Biography Born in Hamburg, he studied at Leipzig, Berlin and Göttingen, in 1838 he was appointed to the professorship of philology at the University ...

thought it might be the same site as the Aedicula Capraria in Regio VI (

Via Lata The Via del Corso is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is straight in an area otherwise characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas. Considered a wide street in ancient times, the Corso is approximately 10 metres w ...

), as listed by the

Regiones ''Regiones'' (singular: ''regio'') or ''provinciae'',(singular: ''provincia''), also referred to by historians as small shires or early folk territories, were early territorial divisions of Anglo-Saxon England, referred to in sources such as Anglo ...

, and

Filippo Coarelli Filippo Coarelli is an Italian archaeologist, Professor of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the University of Perugia. Born in Rome, Coarelli was a student of Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli. Coarelli is one of the foremost experts on Roman antiquiti ...

conjectured that the mythic significance of the ''Palus Caprae'' was the reason for siting the Pantheon there.

In myth

On the

Nones Nones may refer to: * ''Nones'' (Auden), a 1951 book of poems by W. H. Auden * ''Nones'' (Berio), a 1954 orchestral composition by Luciano Berio *Nones (calendar), or ''Nonae'', days of the Roman Calendar *None (liturgy) Nones (), also known as N ...

Quinctilis In the ancient Roman calendar, Quintilis or Quinctilis was the month following Junius (June) and preceding Sextilis (August). ''Quintilis'' is Latin for "fifth": it was the fifth month (''quintilis mensis'') in the earliest calendar attributed to ...

(July 7), Romulus was reviewing the army on the Campus Martius near the ''Palus Caprae''. Suddenly a storm broke out, accompanied by a solar eclipse, and a deluge consumed the place. When it cleared and the terrified Romans reemerged from their places of refuge, their king was nowhere to be found. Julius Proculus claimed that Romulus appeared to him in a dream and announced that he was henceforth to be known as the god

Quirinus In Roman mythology and religion, Quirinus ( , ) is an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, ''Quirinus'' was also an epithet of Janus, as ''Janus Quirinus''. Name Attestations The name of god Quirinus is recorded across Roman sou ...

, because the gods had taken him up to live among them. Although Romulus is not said to have died, his tomb was supposed to be located on the

Comitium The Comitium ( it, Comizio) was the original open-air public meeting space of Ancient Rome, and had major religious and prophetic significance. The name comes from the Latin word for "assembly". The Comitium location at the northwest corner of th ...

under the

Lapis Niger The Lapis Niger (Latin, "Black Stone") is an ancient shrine in the Roman Forum. Together with the associated Vulcanal (a sanctuary to Vulcan) it constitutes the only surviving remnants of the old Comitium, an early assembly area that preceded t ...

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

, ''Life of Camillus'' 33.
LacusCurtius edition
and ''Life of Romulus'

here as summarized by Grimal, ''Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', p. 408. The occasion was commemorated ritually by the Nonae Caprotinae.

References

{{Reflist Topography of the ancient city of Rome Campus Martius Roman mythology