The Lacus Curtius ("Lake Curtius") was a pit or pool in the ground of the

Forum Romanum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along ...

. The area where the Forum would be built was likely once a lake, as the wider area is known to have been surrounded by brooks and marshes. One part was never drained and gradually shrank until only a basin, known as the Lacus Curtius, was left.Lacus Curtius
'' Livius.org'' Its nature and significance in Rome’s early history is uncertain, and several conflicting stories exist about its origin and purpose. The name of the place is likely connected with the Curtia gens, a very old Roman Family with

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

origins.

History

The exact history of the feature was not well known even to the Romans themselves, and at least three different explanations were given for its name. Two were given by

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a 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 traditional founding i ...

, and another by

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...

. By order of when they are said to have taken place:

Livy's Sabine war origin

According to the oldest story (8th century BCE), the Lacus Curtius was named after a champion of the

Sabines The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

, the horseman Mettius Curtius. In the war that followed the Rape of the Sabine Women, he was said to have gotten stuck in the marsh during battle. This is corroborated by the fact that the Forum was once marshland, the fact that the Curtia Gens was of Sabine origin, and that the name ''Mettius'' was an authentic Sabine one taken from the word ''medìss'' "leader".

Varro's lightning origin

A second version (~445 BCE), and also the most prosaic, says Gaius Curtius Philon, a

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

, had consecrated the site after a lightning strike had hit it.

Livy's mythical origin

Campitelli - Campidoglio Tabularium - Lacus Curtius 1020814 - cropped

The Lacus Curtius may have been regarded with some veneration by ancient Romans. The most popular story (~362 BCE), and also the one Livy deemed most likely, was a myth glorifying the nation: Rome was endangered when a great chasm opened on the Forum. An

oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

directed the people to throw into the chasm “that what constituted the greatest strength of the Roman people,” and doing so would make the Roman nation last forever. After dropping various things into the ravine without result, a young horseman named Marcus Curtius (again, of the Curtia gens) saved the city by realizing that it was ''

virtus () was a specific virtue in ancient Rome that carried connotations of valor, masculinity, excellence, courage, character, and worth, all perceived as masculine strengths. It was thus a frequently stated virtue of Roman emperors, and was perso ...

'' that the Romans held most dear. In full armour on his horse, he jumped into the chasm whereupon the earth closed over him and Rome was saved.Liv. vii.6
/ref> The story, though clearly

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

in nature, was likely a copy of another very similar Greek story concerning king

Midas Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...

Other possibilities

A bit to the east of the Lacus Curtius were found the skeletal remains of a man, woman, and child who had been bound together and drowned. This supports the notion that legends of Mettius and Marcus Curtius are perhaps warped recollections of a very ancient sacrificial drowning ritual done when the feature was still large enough to form a pool. Alternatively, they could have been related to “profaners” mentioned in the inscription on the nearby Lapis Niger, making it a special location of punishment. The theme is related to high-medieval Celtic stories about lake-bursts.

In art

Marcus Curtius' self-sacrifice has been a popular theme since the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, depicted by

Paolo Veronese Paolo Caliari (152819 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( , ; ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of religion and mythology, such as ''The Wedding at Cana (Veronese), The Wedding ...

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder ( ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German ...

, and many others.

References

External links

Article by Samuel Ball Platner, with photographs
{{Authority control Roman mythology Topography of the ancient city of Rome Roman Forum Rome R. X Campitelli