
The Regio XIII Aventinus is the thirteenth
regio of imperial
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, under
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
's administrative reform. Regio XIII took its name from the hill which dominated the region, the
Aventine.
Geographic extent and important features

Regio XIII not only contained the
Aventine Hill
The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth '' rione'', or ward, of Rome.
Location and boundaries
The Aventine Hill is the ...
, but also the plain in front of it. In extent, this region was bordered by the
Tiber River
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Ri ...
to the west, the
Circus Maximus
The Circus Maximus ( Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and ...
to the north, the ''Vicus Piscinae Publicae'' and the
Via Ostiensis
The Via Ostiensis ( it, via Ostiense) was an important road in ancient Rome. It ran west from the city of Rome to its important sea port of Ostia Antica, from which it took its name. The road began near the Forum Boarium, ran between the Aventin ...
to the east, and the
Aurelian Walls to the south. Its principal gate through the walls was the
Porta Ostiensis
The Porta San Paolo (English: Saint Paul Gate) is one of the southern gates in the 3rd-century Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy. The Via Ostiense Museum (') is housed within the gatehouse.
It is in the Ostiense quarter; just to the west is the Roman ...
. A measurement taken at the end of the 4th century recorded that the perimeter of the region was 18,000
Roman feet
The ancient Roman units of measurement were primarily founded on the Hellenic system, which in turn was influenced by the Egyptian system and the Mesopotamian system. The Roman units were comparatively consistent and well documented.
Length
...
(approximately 5.3 km).

The region contained a number of temples, including the
Temple of Diana (reportedly built by the king
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 578 to 535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, R ...
), the
Temple of Minerva and the
Temple of Juno Regina
The Temple of Juno Regina (Latin: ''templum'' or ''aedes Iuno Regina'') was a temple in ancient Rome dedicated to "Queen Juno". It was near the Circus Flaminius in the southern half of the Campus Martius. It was vowed by consul Marcus Aemilius Lep ...
. It also contained several baths, including the
Baths of Licinius Sura The Baths of Licinius Sura or ''Thermae Suranae'' were a private ancient Roman bath complex built by Lucius Licinius Sura on the Aventine Hill (Regio XIII Aventinus) in Rome.
They were restored during the short reign of Gordian III. The baths wer ...
and the
Baths of Decius
The Baths of Decius (Latin: ''thermae Decianae'') were a thermae (baths) complex built on the Aventine Hill by the emperor Decius in 249 or 252. Its site was between the present-day sites of the churches of Santo Alessio and Santa Prisca, on the V ...
. In this region, the ''
Armilustrium
In ancient Roman religion, the Armilustrium was a festival in honor of Mars, the god of war, celebrated on October 19. H.H. Scullard, ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic'' (Cornell University Press, 1981), p. 195. On this day the weap ...
'' was also celebrated.
Regio XIII also contained the ''
Emporium
Emporium may refer to:
Historical
* Emporium (antiquity), a trading post, factory, or market of Classical antiquity
* Emporium (early medieval), a 6th- to 9th-century trading settlement in Northwestern Europe
* Emporium (Italy), an ancient town ...
'', the first port built on the Tiber, and attached to the port were the warehouses of the ''
Horrea Galbae
The Horrea Galbae were warehouses ('' horrea'') in the southern part of ancient Rome, located between the southern end of the Aventine Hill and the waste dump of Monte Testaccio. They ran for a substantial distance, possibly extending as far as th ...
'', built around the tomb of
Servius Sulpicius Galba Servius Sulpicius Galba may refer to:
* Servius Sulpicius Galba (consul 144 BC)
* Servius Sulpicius Galba (consul 108 BC)
* Servius Sulpicius Galba (praetor 54 BC), assassin of Julius Caesar
* Galba
Galba (; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 2 ...
, while nearby was the ''
Forum Pistorium Located most likely on the Aventine Hill, the Forum Pistorium or the forum of the bakers numbered as a ''forum venalium'' of ancient Rome. This forum is mentioned only in the ''Regionary Catalogues'' as belonging to ''regio XIII Regio (pl. ''region ...
''. The region also possessed two unusual features still present today:
Monte Testaccio
Monte Testaccio (; alternatively spelled Monte Testaceo; also known as Monte dei cocci) is an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of ''testae'' ( it, cocci), fragments of broken ancient Roman pottery, nearly all discarded amphorae d ...
, an artificial hill, and the
Pyramid of Cestius
The pyramid of Cestius (in Italian, ''Piramide di Caio Cestio'' or ''Piramide Cestia'') is a Roman Era pyramid in Rome, Italy, near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It was built as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a member of the Epulo ...
. At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio contained 17''
aedicula
In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, n. ...
e'' (shrines), 130 ''
domūs'' (patrician houses), 35 ''
horrea
A ''horreum'' (plural: ''horrea'') was a type of public warehouse used during the ancient Roman period. Although the Latin term is often used to refer to granaries, Roman ''horrea'' were used to store many other types of consumables; the giant Hor ...
'' (warehouses), 60 ''
balnea
In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
e'' (bath houses) and 88 ''loci'' (fountains).
Subdivisions
At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio was divided into 17 ''
vici'' (districts) and 2,487 ''
insulae
The Latin word ''insula'' (literally meaning "island", plural ''insulae'') was used in Roman cities to mean either a city block in a city plan, i.e. a building area surrounded by four streets, or, later, a type of apartment building that occup ...
'' (blocks). It had two
curators
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
and was served by 48
Roman magistrate
The Roman magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome.
During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, ju ...
s.
[''Notitia'', REGIO XIII AVENTINVS]
Notes
{{reflist
References
* Platner, Samuel Ball, ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'', Oxford University Press (1929
(online version)* Gregorovius, Ferdinand, ''History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages'', Vol. 1, (1894)
''Curiosum - Notitia''. 4th-century descriptions of the regions of Rome and their main buildings
from the original on 8 June 2019.
Regions of Augustan Rome
Subdivisions of Rome
Topography of the ancient city of Rome