The Firewall of Augustus & Arco dei Pantani
Why is it significant?
Stand beside the enormous wall of grey stone blocks and put your hand on it. It rises around thirty metres above you, built without mortar, of a dark volcanic stone that does not burn. On the other side, the columns of a temple. On this side, where you are standing, the slums of ancient Rome.
Key Facts
| Place | The Firewall of Augustus & Arco dei Pantani |
|---|---|
| Address | Via Tor de' Conti, 00184 Roma RM, Italy |
| Geo Coordinates | 41.89440, 12.48770 |
| Part of Walk | Emperors, Saints and Alchemists: Monti & the Esquiline Hill |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand beside the enormous wall of grey stone blocks and put your hand on it. It rises around thirty metres above you, built without mortar, of a dark volcanic stone that does not burn. On the other side, the columns of a temple. On this side, where you are standing, the slums of ancient Rome.
The wall belongs to the Forum of Augustus, finished in 2 BC. Its centrepiece was the temple of Mars Ultor, Mars the Avenger, which the young Octavian had vowed to build during the battle of Philippi, when he hunted down the murderers of Julius Caesar. Three of its huge columns still stand. But the purpose of this wall was more practical. It was a firewall.
Behind you began the Suburra, the most crowded, noisy and dangerous neighbourhood in the city, a maze of wooden tenements several storeys high where fires broke out constantly. Poets complained that you could not sleep there for the carts and the shouting. And this is where Julius Caesar grew up: not on an aristocratic hill, but in a modest family house in the Suburra.
Look at the forum's plan, and you will notice it is not perfectly symmetrical. The Roman historian Suetonius tells us why: Augustus did not dare force out the owners of the neighbouring houses, so he built a smaller forum than he wanted. The most powerful man in the world... defeated by a few stubborn landlords.
The arch cut through the wall is the Arco dei Pantani, the arch of the swamps. After the fall of the empire, the drains clogged, water collected in the low ground, and the glorious forums became marshes, vegetable gardens and pasture. For centuries, the knights of Rhodes kept a house built right on top of these ruins, and you can still see it perched above the temple. Walk through the arch into the Suburra and up the gently curving street. Today it is called Monti, and it is the coolest neighbourhood in town.