The Southern part of the Campus Martius and its buildings. Source of image: http://www.hardav.co.uk.

The Circus Flaminius

This circus was built around 220 BCE by the order of C. Flaminius Nepos. It is located to the left of the Theatre of Marcellus, on the northern bank of the river Tiber. A medieval source refers to it as the circus Flammineus ad pontem Iudeorum (i.e. the pons Fabricius). Since 1960, the circus is really regarded as having been situated there, when G. Gatti scientifically re-arranged the Southern part of the Campus Martius in the Forma Urbis Romae. The Crypta Balbi, which before Gatti's re-arrangements was regarded as the Circus Flaminius, is since 1960 localised at the Via delle Botteghe Oscure. The Crypta and the Theatre of Marcellus both date from 13 BCE.

Rome, Southern part of the Campus Martius. The red dot localises the Circus Flaminius. Source of image: D. Lauvernier.

Reconstruction of the Circus Flaminius. Source of image: D. Lauvernier.

Porticus Octavia and Porticus Octaviae

The Porticus Octavia and the Porticus Octaviae are mostly regarded as one and the same building on the Southern part of teh Campus Martius. They are certainly not.

The Porticus Octavia was built around 168 BCE, by order of Cn. Octavius. Nothing much is know about this porticus. Ancient sources are not consistant about it and archaeologists are not sure about its exact position. The Porticus Octavia does not occur on the Forma Urbis Romae. Especially this ancient source (the Forma Urbis is an ancient map of Imperial Rome in stone) points out the locations of many ancient buildings, which could be (partially) identified because of this means, whereas we would otherwise remain uncertain of their function and locality. Many buildings mentioned in this article have not or just partially been preserved from antiquity.

The Porticus Octaviae was built in 20 BCE, by order of Augustus Caesar's sister, Octavia. This building has been localised on the Forma Urbis and it could therefore be recognised to the North of the Circus Flaminius and the Theatre of Marcellus. Nowadays, we can see parts of the Propylaea of this building, with an inscription bearing the name Octavia. Not certain is, whether this porticus replaced the Porticus Metelli, which had been built there earlier on, or whether the Porticus Metelli was incorporated within the Porticus Octaviae.

Porticus Octaviae, reconstruction of the propylaea. Source of image: www.vroma.org.

The Porticus Octaviae today. Source of image: www.indiana.edu.

Four temples in the Southern part of the campus Martius

I. The temple of Apollo Sosianus: it is located 6 m. from the Theatre of Marcellus. The oldest part of this temple complex was initiated in 431 BCE, the youngest part in 34 BCE. The cognomen "Sosianus" for the deity worshipped here is from 34 BCE. The temple's podium was made of tufa and travertine blocks in opus caementicium. The temple had 6 front columns, 3 free columns on each side and 7 half free columns on each side. The capitals of these columns were made in an Italic type of the Corinthian style, which was in fashion in the late Republic.

Recent reconstruction of a part of the Apollo Sosianus temple. Source of image: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com

II. Temple of Bellona: this temple was located to the right of the Apollo Sosianus temple. Hardly anything of it has been preserved, but we know exactly when this temple for the Roman war goddess has been initiated and by whom: on June 3rd 296 BCE, by the famous Appius Claudius Caecus.

III. Temple of Hercules Custos: the location of this temple is not very certain. F. Coarelli places it to the West of the Circus Flaminius, as well as F. Zevi. According to him, the circus was a kind of area sacra, over which divine powers were suppose to watch. From the Fasti (a Roman calendar) we have learned that in the area sacra of the Circus Flaminius a temple was initiated for Hercules Custos in 218 BCE. Later on, the temple was rebuilt by Sulla, during his rule as dictator, which was remembered by an inscription. This second initiation has been mentioned by the poet Ovidius in his Fasti.

The Mars Temple: nowadays, this temple is localised at the site of the San Salvatore in Campo, which coincides with the finding of the famous statue "Ares Ludovisi" at this site. The temple, of which only small traces have been preserved, dates from 132 BCE.

Ares Ludovisi, Source of image: http://www.electaweb.it

Bibliography:

Boethius, A. and Ward-Perkins, B., Etruscan and Roman Architecture, Harmondsworth, 1970.

Coarelli, F., Guida archeologica di Roma, Firenze, 1974.

Coarelli, F., Dialoghi di archeologia, 1970-1971.

Gatii, G., Capitolium, 1960.