The ''castra'' (or forts) of ancient Rome represent the complex of camps (or barracks) that housed the various military corps located in the city of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

''Castra Praetoria''

The

Praetorians The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortes praetoriae'') was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and gathering military ...

were the main body of the imperial guard. Established under

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

between 29 and

20 BC __NOTOC__ Year 20 BC was either a common year starting on Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a common yea ...

, they had great influence in the history of the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

, until their dissolution under

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

. The barracks was built between 20 and

23 AD AD 23 (Roman numerals, XXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gaius Asinius Pollio (consul 23), Pollio and Gaius Antistius Vetus (consul 23), Vetus (or, less ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

on the advice of the powerful commander (''Praefectus Praetorio'', literally "Prefect to the Praetorium", given that the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

verb ''praeficio'' takes the dative case)

Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus ( – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as Sejanus (), was a Roman soldier and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Of the Equites class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, the imperia ...

, to house in it the nine existing cohorts. The ''castra'' had a quadrangular perimeter, with rounded corners and an oblique southern side. Three sides and traces of the fourth western side are still preserved. The enclosure of the ''castra'' was incorporated into the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

built by Emperor

Aurelian Aurelian (; ; 9 September ) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 270 to 275 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had nearly disinte ...

in the second half of the

3rd century The 3rd century was the period from AD 201 (represented by the Roman numerals CCI) to AD 300 (CCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, starting with the assassination of the Roman Emperor ...

. The ''Castra Praetoria'' give the name to the

Rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

Castro Pretorio Castro Pretorio is the 18th ''rione'' of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. XVIII, and it is located within the Municipio I. The ''rione'' takes its name by the ruins of the '' Castrum Praetorium'', the barracks of the Praetorian Guard, i ...

''Castra urbana''

Three permanent

urban cohorts The ''cohortes urbanae'' (Latin meaning ''urban cohorts'') of ancient Rome were created by Augustus to counterbalance the enormous power of the Praetorian Guard in the city of Rome and serve as a police service. They were led by the urban prefe ...

, established by Augustus and reorganized by Tiberius, constituted the body in charge of maintaining public order in the city; they were under the command of ''

Praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

'' (also in this case the term ''Praefectus'' takes the dative ''urbi'', so the literal translation of the expression is "Prefect to the town"). Probably at the beginning they were also housed in the ''Castra Praetoria'', since during the emergencies they were used as auxiliary troops of the praetorian cohorts for the defense of the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. Later, starting at least from the time of the Emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...

, they had their own barracks: we know from sources that it was in the VII Augustan region (''Via Lata''), probably in the area of

Piazza di Spagna The Piazza di Spagna is a square in the centre of Rome, the capital of Italy. It lies at the foot of the Spanish Steps and owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. The Column of the Immaculate Con ...

''Castra equitum singularium''

The body of the ''

Equites singulares The ''equites singulares Augusti'' or ''equites singulares Imperatoris'' (lit: "personal cavalry of the emperor" i.e. imperial horseguards) were the cavalry arm of the Praetorian Guard during the Principate period of Roman Empire, imperial Rome. B ...

'' was part of the guard of the Emperors and was composed of soldiers of

barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

origins; it was probably established by the Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

and suppressed by Constantine I. The body had two barracks. The remains of the oldest one (''castra priora equitum singularium'') were found in

1885 Events January * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 17 – Mahdist ...

1889 Events January * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...

on the Celian Hill (Via Tasso), together with numerous inscriptions with dedications to different deities, that were probably housed in the sanctuary of the barracks. The second barracks (''

Castra Nova equitum singularium The Castra Nova equitum singularium was an ancient Roman fort in Rome housing part of the emperor's cavalry bodyguard. The site of the fort now lies beneath the Basilica of St John Lateran. The ''Castra Nova'', or "new fort", was one of two cav ...

'') was built under the Emperor Septimius Severus between

193 Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this ye ...

and 197 (as attested by some dedicatory inscriptions) in an area formerly occupied by private houses (''domus Lateranorum'') near the Lateran. When the body was suppressed by Constantine I, the ''castra nova'' were burnt down and the basilica dedicated to the

Savior Savior or saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or li ...

((later the

Basilica of St. John Lateran The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...

) was built in their place. The remains of the Severian buildings were found on several occasions under the church. The body also had a burial ground on

Via Labicana The Via Labicana was an ancient road of Italy, leading east-southeast from Rome. The course after the first six miles from Rome is not taken by any modern road, but it can be clearly traced from remains of pavement and buildings. It seems possibl ...

(in the locality called ''ad Duas Lauros''), where numerous inscriptions mentioning the two barracks have been found. Many of the sepulchral epigraphs of this burial ground were later reused as construction material for the circular church of Saints Marcellinus and Peter ad Duas Lauros.

''Castra misenatium''

A special detail of the sailors (''classiarii'') of the military fleet stationed in

Miseno Miseno is one of the ''frazioni'' of the municipality of Bacoli in the Italian Province of Naples. Known in ancient Roman times as Misenum, it is the site of a great Roman port. Geography Nearby Cape Miseno marks the northwestern end of th ...

was used to maneuver the ''

velarium A ("curtain") was a type of awning used in Ancient Rome, Roman times. It stretched over the whole of the , the seating area in Amphitheatre, amphitheaters, to protect spectators from the sun. Retractable awnings were relatively common through ...

'', which protected the spectators of the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

from the sun and rain, and probably also for the '' naumachiae''. The detail was housed in a barracks near the amphitheater, probably close to the

Baths of Trajan The Baths of Trajan () were a massive ''thermae'', a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome and dedicated under Trajan during the '' kalendae'' of July 109, shortly after the Aqua Traiana was dedicated. History Commissioned by Emp ...

, on the slopes of the

Oppian Hill The Oppian Hill (Latin, ''Oppius Mons''; ) 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 on the sout ...

, where an inscription was found relating to an enlargement of the barracks in the

''Castra Peregrina''

They were the headquarters of the

secret service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

of the Empire, made up of ''peregrine milites'' such as the ''

frumentarii The ''frumentarii'' were an ancient Roman military and secret police organization used as an intelligence agency. They began their history as a courier service and developed into an imperial spying agency. Their organization would also carry o ...

'' and the ''

speculatores The ''speculatores,'' also known as the ''speculatores augusti'' or the ''exploratores'', were an ancient Roman reconnaissance agency. They were part of the ''consularis'' and were used by the Roman military. The ''speculatores'' were headquarte ...

''. The soldiers of the legions, who stationed in the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

and obtained particular merits in the field, could in fact be detached to the capital for particular functions (as happened for the ''frumentarii'' and the ''speculatores''). The ''speculatores'' (Latin for "explorers" or rather "espionage officers") were in fact in charge of gathering informations in all the provinces of the Empire and of the security of the State; the ''frumentarii'' (Latin for "couriers" or better "secret police" assigned to internal security) were those who – in Rome and in the provinces of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

– "probed everyone's secrets", that is, they were assigned to internal control and therefore to the security of institutions such as the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the Emperor. They were commanded by the ''princeps peregrinorum'', responsible for the global security of the State, which, in its functions, reported directly to the Emperor. They had an independent barracks - not even subject to the control of the

and of the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin language, Latin: ''cohortes praetoriae'') was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and ga ...

- located in the

Caelian Hill The Caelian Hill ( ; ; ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a moderately long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill overlooks a plateau from wh ...

, whose remains were found close to the Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round and in the excavations below the church itself. Inside there was a temple dedicated to ''Iuppiter Redux'', but also other cults were practiced, as evidenced by the presence of a

mithraeum A Mithraeum , sometimes spelled Mithreum and Mithraion (), is a Roman temple, temple erected in classical antiquity by the Mithraism, worshippers of Mithras. Most Mithraea can be dated between 100 BC and 300 AD, mostly in the Roman ...

. The structures show various phases and reconstructions between the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

and the

4th century The 4th century was the time period from 301 CE (represented by the Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Mid ...

. Some scholars assume that the construction of this camp was started by Augustus, at the time of the division of the city of Rome into 14 ''regiones''.Giada Fatucci, ''Regione II. Caelimontium'', in «Atlante di Roma antica», edited by

Andrea Carandini Andrea Carandini (born 3 November 1937) is an Italian professor of archaeology specialising in ancient Rome. Among his many excavations is the villa of Settefinestre. Biography The son of Italian diplomat Count Nicolò Carandini (1896–19 ...

, vol.I, Mondadori Electa, Milan 2012, pp. 342-358.

Fort (Castrum) of Amba Aradam-Ipponio

The Castrum of Amba Aradam-Ipponio was a fort in ancient Rome probably dating back to the time of the emperor

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

. It was found during archaeological excavations in the future Amba Aradam-Ipponio Metro station (later named after Giorgio Marincola), in 2016. The area occupies 1750 m² and is at a depth of ܃9 m. According to the archaeologists it could be one of those that we know housed special militias, the emperor's secret services (which were usually housed in the ''castra peregrina''). It was near to other barracks from different periods that have been found on the southern slope of the Caelian Hill: two ''Castra Nova Equitum Singularium'', one under St. John in Lateran and another in via Tasso, and ''Castra Peregrina''. A fragment of the ''

Forma Urbis Romae The ''Forma Urbis Romae'' or Severan Marble Plan is a massive marble map of ancient Rome, created under the emperor Septimius Severus between AD 203 and 211. Matteo Cadario gives specific years of 205–208, noting that the map was based on ...

'', the marble map of Rome, that was recently discovered shows another barracks near

Villa Celimontana The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian. Location The Villa Celimontana is situat ...

. The castrum was built along a stream, the Aqua Crabra, which was used to irrigate the gardens and then went into the Tiber. In 2018 elaborately decorated rooms belonging to the commander and other officers were found with mosaics and also the so-called ''domus'' of the centurions.The Amba Aradam Castra https://metrocspa.it/en/stazione/amba-aradamipponio/ The fort was abandoned then buried during the construction of the

Aurelian Walls The Aurelian Walls () are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC. The walls enclosed all the ...

(271-275 AD), which also had to have a clear area in front for defensive reasons. It had been stripped of reusable materials like lead piping (though some remained) and partially razed.

Bibliography

* Eva Margareta Steinby (editeb by), ''Lexicon topographicum urbis Romae'', entry ''Castra'', vol. I, Rome 1993. * Paolo Liverani (edited by), ''Laterano 1. Scavi sotto la Basilica di S.Giovanni'', ''Monumenta Sanctae Sedis'', 1, Vatican City 1998 (about the ''Castra nova equitum singularium''). * K. Baillie Reynolds, ''The Journal of Roman Studies'', ''The castra peregrinorum'', 1923.

Notes

{{Reflist Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Praetorian Guard Roman auxiliary forts in Rome