The Regio X Palatium is the tenth regio of imperial

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, ...

, 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 ...

's administrative reform. Regio X took its name from the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; Classical Latin: ''Palatium''; Neo-Latin: ''Collis/Mons Palatinus''; ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the ...

and the imperial palaces located on it.

Geographic extent and important features

Regio X was centred on the

. In extent, the region largely followed the contours of the Palatine, and so was bordered by the

Velabrum The Velabrum () is the low valley in the city of Rome that connects the Forum with the Forum Boarium, and the Capitoline Hill with the western slope of the Palatine Hill. The outer boundaries of the area are not themselves clear. Roman etymologi ...

on the north west, the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...

to the south west, the

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The road ...

on the north east, and on the south east, a street where the modern Via di San Gregorio is now situated. A measurement taken at the end of the 4th century recorded that the perimeter of the region was 11,510

Roman feet The units of measurement of ancient Rome were generally consistent and well documented. Length The basic unit of Roman linear measurement was the ''pes'' (plural: ''pedes'') or Roman foot. Investigation of its relation to the English foot goes ...

(approximately 3.4 km), making it the second smallest of the Augustan regions. The hill itself is dominated by a series of imperial palaces, which were the residences of the emperors and their families whilst they were lodged in the city. The most prominent of these was the vast

Palace of Domitian The Palace of Domitian was built as Roman emperor Domitian's official residence in 81–87 AD and was used as such by subsequent emperors. Its remains sit atop and dominate Palatine Hill in Rome, alongside other palaces. The Palace is a massive ...

, with its three principal wings: the '' Domus Augustana'', the '' Domus Flavia'', and the Hippodrome of Domitian (in reality, a private sunken garden). Earlier palaces had been created by the emperors

(the '' Domus Augusti'') and

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 ...

(the ''Domus Tiberiana''), both of which were preserved by later emperors. Later, the '' Domus Severiana'' was added by 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 ...

, who also constructed the ''

Septizodium The Septizodium (also called ''Septizonium'', ''Septicodium'', or ''Septisolium'') was a building in ancient Rome. It was built in 203 AD by Emperor Septimius Severus. The origin of the name "Septizodium" is from ''Septisolium'', from the Latin ...

'' (or the Temple of the Seven Suns) adjacent to it. The hill also possessed several other temples. First was the

Temple of Apollo Palatinus The Temple of Apollo Palatinus ('Palatine Apollo'), sometimes called the Temple of Actian Apollo, was a temple of the god Apollo in Rome, constructed on the Palatine Hill on the initiative of Augustus (known as "Octavian" until 27 BCE) be ...

, built by Augustus, to which was attached a library (the ''Bibliotheca Apollinis''). The Temple of Apollo was situated next to the much older Temple of Magna Mater. Also here, according to the 5th century ''Notitia'', was the Temple of Jupiter Victor, which is assumed to have been situated near the entrance of Domitian's Palace. This region also contained a number of sites that dated back to Rome's mythical past. Chief amongst these was the ''

Casa Romuli The ''Casa Romuli'' ("Hut of Romulus"), also known as the ''tugurium Romuli'', was the reputed dwelling place of the legendary founder and first king of Rome, Romulus (traditional dates 771–717 BC). It was situated on the south-western corner ...

'' (or House 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 ...

, the legendary founder of Rome). Also here was the

Lupercal The Lupercal (from Latin ''wikt:lupa, lupa'' "female wolf") was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Temple of Cybele (Palatine), Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In t ...

, reputedly where the twin boys (

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...

) were suckled by a she-wolf and where the

Lupercalia Lupercalia, also known as Lupercal, was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments ...

festivities were held, as well as the

Roma quadrata ''Roma quadrata'' (Latin; ; , ''Tetrágōnos Rhṓmē'') was an area or structure within the original ''pomerium'' of the ancient city of Rome, probably the Palatine Hill with both its Palatium and Cermalus peaks and their slopes. It apparently da ...

. Finally, at its northwestern end, the region contained the still intact

Arch of Titus The Arch of Titus (; ) is a 1st-century AD honorific arch, located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in 81 AD by Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to comm ...

, the now ruined Baths of Elagabalus and the

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine () is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312 ...

, where it terminated. At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio contained 20 ''

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

e'' (shrines), 89 '' domūs'' (patrician houses), 48 ''

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. By the end of the imperial period, the city of Rome had nearly 300 ''horrea'' to s ...

'' (warehouses), 44 '' balneae'' (bath houses) and 89 ''loci'' (fountains).

Subdivisions

At the turn of the 5th century, the Regio was divided into 20 '' vici'' (districts) and 2,642 ''

insulae The Latin word (; : ) 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 occupied such a city block specifically in Rome and nearby ...

'' (blocks). It had two

curators A curator (from , 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 particular ins ...

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, lawgive ...

s.''Notitia'', REGIO X PALATIVM

Notes

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. {{Authority control Regions of Augustan Rome Subdivisions of Rome Topography of the ancient city of Rome