The Curia Hostilia was one of the original senate houses or "

curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

e" of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

. It was believed to have begun as a temple where the warring tribes laid down their arms during the reign of

Romulus Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of th ...

(r. c. 771–717 BC). During the early monarchy, the temple was used by senators acting as a council to the king.

Tullus Hostilius Tullus Hostilius (; r. 672–640 BC) was the legendary third king of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius. Unlike his predecessor, Tullus was known as a warlike king who, according to the Roman historian Livy, b ...

(r. 673–641 BC)Livy, ''History of Rome'', i. 30. was believed to have replaced the original structure after fire destroyed the converted temple. It may have held historic significance as the location of an Etruscan mundus and altar. The

Lapis Niger The Lapis Niger (Latin, "Black Stone") is an ancient shrine in the Roman Forum. Together with the associated Vulcanal (a sanctuary to Vulcan) it constitutes the only surviving remnants of the old Comitium, an early assembly area that preceded ...

, a series of large black marble slabs, was placed over the altar (known as the

Volcanal The Shrine of Vulcan (), or Vulcanal, or Volcanal, was an 8th-century BC sacred precinct on the future site of the Roman Forum in Rome, modern Italy. Dedicated to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, it was traditionally considered to commemorate th ...

) where a series of monuments was found opposite the

Rostra The Rostra () was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the Comitium towards the senate house and deliver orations to t ...

. This curia was enlarged in 80 BC by

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

during his renovations of the comitium. That building burned down in 52 BC when the supporters of the murdered

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher ( – 18 January 52 BC) was a Roman politician and demagogue. A noted opponent of Cicero, he was responsible during his plebeian tribunate in 58 BC for a massive expansion of the Roman grain dole as well as Cic ...

used it as a pyre to cremate his body.

History

There has been a meeting house for the people of Rome through most of Rome's history. This one likely began as a temple.

Architecture and layout

There may have been a small shrine to the god Vulcan from the earliest period, a stone altar with a marble stele inscribed with a dedication from a Latin king. An honorary column was also among the tightly packed items. This spot was separated from the rest of the

comitium The Comitium () was the original open-air public meeting space of Ancient Rome, and had major religious and prophetic significance. The name comes from the Latin word for "assembly". The Comitium location at the northwest corner of the Roman Foru ...

with a low rising concrete fence to keep pedestrians from walking atop it. The Curia Hostilia architecture had changed a number of times, but maintained its original form even after a number of refurbishments. The structure was where all of Rome's early political life centered. It is said that the public was always allowed to stroll into the Curia Hostilia to listen to the senators debate. Relatively little is known about the Curia Hostilia. One feature of the Curia that is mentioned in almost all sources is the "Tabula Valeria", a painting on the exterior of the Curia's western wall. It depicted the victory of

Manius Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla Manius Valerius Maximus Messalla was consul in 263 BC with Manius Otacilius Crassus as his consular collegae. Messalla served as censor in 252 BC. Biography Manius Valerius Maximus was the son of Marcus Valerius Maximus Corvinus, consul in 289 ...

over

Hiero Hiero or hieron (; , "holy place" or "sacred place") is an ancient Greek shrine, Ancient Greek temple, temple, or temenos, temple precinct. Hiero may also refer to: People * Hiero I of Syracuse, tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily from 478 to 467 BC * ...

and the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

in 263 BC. Pliny says that the painting was the first such picture in Rome. Another detail that most sources agree on is that the Curia Hostilia was located on the north side of the comitium. It is believed that the circular set of stairs of the Comitium, which also doubled as seating for citizens listening to speakers at the

, led up to the Curia's entrance. With regard to the Curia's location, Stambaugh writes, " e Curia Hostilia was built on rising ground so as to dominate the whole space of the Forum Romanum". Given its prominent place in the Forum, it seems that the Curia Hostilia was a symbol of the strength of the

. The original Etruscan Temple was probably used as the meeting place of the separate tribes of the seven hills. It may have had only two columns and an open portico. It is believed the temple was converted by bricking up the front portico creating an anteroom. There may have been a balcony created above this space with an opening for public viewing but little is known about how this addition may have looked like. It is believed the exterior may well have looked almost exactly the same as the Curia Julia as the classic lines of the simple structure match the lines of the Etruscan Temple.

Destruction by fire

The building was destroyed in 52 BC after the makeshift funeral fire (with benches from the curia) for

ignited the structure, burning it to the ground. It was replaced with the

Curia Cornelia The Curia Cornelia was a place where the Roman Senate assembled beginning c. 52 BC. It was the largest of all the ''Curiae'' (Senate Houses) built in Rome. Its construction took over a great deal of the traditional comitium space and brought the s ...

, located in almost the same space. This structure was in turn replaced by the

Curia Julia The Curia Julia () is the third named ''curia'', or senate house, in the ancient city of Rome. It was built in 44 BC, when Julius Caesar replaced Faustus Cornelius Sulla's reconstructed Curia Cornelia, which itself had replaced the Curia Hostil ...

started by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

and finished by

Emperor 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 ...

Notes

References

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External links

Curia Iulia – introduction
Digital Roman Forum

{{Sulla Buildings and structures completed in the 7th century BC Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC Roman Kingdom Roman Forum Fires at legislative buildings Rome R. X Campitelli Roman Senate