The main road to the Roman Capitol, the Clivus Capitolinus ("Capitoline Rise") starts at the head of the Roman Forum beside the

Arch of Tiberius The Arch of Tiberius ( it, Arco di Tiberio; la, Arcus Tiberii) was a triumphal arch built in 16 AD in the Forum Romanum to celebrate the recovery of the eagle standards that had been lost to Germanic tribes by Varus in 9 AD. The Roman general Ge ...

as a continuation of the

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The ro ...

; proceeding around the

Temple of Saturn The Temple of Saturn (Latin: ''Templum Saturni'' or '' Aedes Saturni''; it, Tempio di Saturno) was an ancient Roman temple to the god Saturn, in what is now Rome, Italy. Its ruins stand at the foot of the Capitoline Hill at the western end of ...

and turning to the south in front of the

Portico Dii Consentes The Porticus Deorum Consentium ( it, Portico degli Dei Consenti; en, Portico of the Harmonious Gods), sometimes known as the Area of the Dii Consentes, is an ancient structure located at the bottom of the ancient Roman road that leads up to the C ...

, it then climbs up the slope of the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. ...

to the

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, also known as the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus ( la, Aedes Iovis Optimi Maximi Capitolini; it, Tempio di Giove Ottimo Massimo; ) was the most important temple in Ancient Rome, located on the Capitoline ...

at its summit. This was traditionally the last and culminating portion of all

Roman triumph The Roman triumph (') was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state or in some historical tra ...

Triumph

The street is significant as one of the oldest roads in Rome as well as its central location around temples and judicial offices leading to the largest and most important of the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

temples.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

is said to have climbed this road on his knees to offset a bad omen during his triumph.

History

The earliest history of the road as well as the hill itself is not completely clear as much of Rome's earliest records were destroyed in a sacking of the city. The road may have been part of the original route to the

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines di ...

settlement altered when the Temple of Saturn was built. The hills of Rome have an extensive amount of construction built on top of ancient Etruscan stones that can be seen at the rear of the remaining chambers of the Portico Dii Consentes.

References

External links

Clivus Capitolinus
Encyclopædia Britannica Ancient Roman roads in Rome Rome R. X Campitelli {{AncientRome-stub