The Seven Halls, or ''Sette Sale'', is the name of the complex of

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

s located on 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 ...

, Rome. The name comes from the fact that, when the complex was noted in the mid-eighteenth century, only seven chambers were recognised.

Description

This large cistern holding over 8 million litres supplied the

Baths of Trajan The Baths of Trajan ( it, Terme di Traiano) were a massive ''thermae'', a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome starting from 104 AD and dedicated during the ''kalendae'' of July in 109. Commissioned by Emperor Trajan, the complex of ...

and was fed by a branch aqueduct that came from the Esquiline hill. Since it is oriented on the same axis as the nearby and differently than the Baths, it was once thought to have belonged to the Domus Aurea. However, the many brick stamps found in its wall prove that it was built at the same time as the Baths. It is on two levels, each consisting of nine (not seven) parallel compartments more that 5 m wide and 30 to 40 m long (differing because of the curve of the eastern perimeter wall). The lower level is a crypotporticus supporting the true reservoir on the upper level which was high enough for water to flow out with enough pressure to supply the Baths. The compartments' walls and floors were lined with waterproof plaster. The cistern was partially underground, with the back curved wall and the two side walls partially covered and buttressed by the embankment, while the impressive straight front wall with alternating rectangular and semicircular niches was visible. Large openings in the niches of the upper level provided ventilation. Water flowed out of pipes in the low-level niches into a large pipe a part of which has been found in front of the northeastern exedra of the Baths. Also on the ground level of the complex were found the remains of a

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

lined with slabs of marble belonging to the Domus Aurea. In the fourth century a

domus In Ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (plural ''domūs'', genitive ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...

was built on top of the complex, likely from a building used to service the tank itself. In the Middle Ages, the northernmost chambers were used as

catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

and more than a thousand skeletons were discovered here during the 1967 excavations. Located at the edge of the park, the cistern is well preserved (entrance on the Via delle Terme di Traiano).

Bibliography

* ''ROMArcheologica. Guida alle antichità della città eterna'', quinto itinerario, Elio de Rosa editore, Roma - ottobre 1999 * Romolo A. Staccioli, ''Acquedotti, fontane e terme di Roma antica'', Newton & Compton Ed., Roma 2005

External links

La cisterna delle sette sale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Halls Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Ruins in Italy Rome R. I Monti