Via Sacra
Rome, Italy | |
| Coordinates | 41°53′N 12°29′E / 41.89°N 12.49°E |
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The Via Sacra (
.The road was part of the traditional route of the
The road provided the setting for many deeds and misdeeds of Rome's history, the solemn religious festivals, the magnificent triumphs of victorious generals, and the daily throng assembling in the Basilicas to chat, throw dice, engage in business, or secure justice. Many prostitutes lined the street as well, looking for potential customers. From the reign of Augustus, the Via Sacra played a role in the
Course
While the western stretch of the Via Sacra which runs through the Forum follows the original ancient route of the road, the eastern stretch between the end of the forum and the Colosseum, which passes underneath the Arch of Titus, is a redirection of the road built after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64.[2] In the Republic and Early Empire, the route forked to the north near the House of the Vestals and passed through a saddle in the Velian Hill, now occupied largely by the Basilica of Maxentius and the modern Via dei Fori Imperiali. As part of his rebuilding program following the fire, Nero essentially straightened the road by redirecting it between the Velian and Palatine Hills, creating grand colonnades on either side for shop stalls and commerce.[3] At the east side was built under Hadrian and Antoninus Pius the temple of Venus and Roma.
Sources
- Filippo Coarelli (2014). Rome and Environs. University of California Press. pp. 81–82.
- L. Richardson, jr (October 1992). A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Sacra Via. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801843006.
References
- ^ Harry Thurston Peck. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ^ Coarelli. Rome and Environs. p. 82.
- ^ Coarelli. Rome and Environs. p. 82.
External links
- Lucentini, M. (31 December 2012). The Rome Guide: Step by Step through History's Greatest City. Interlink. ISBN 9781623710088.
Media related to Via Sacra at Wikimedia Commons
| Temples |
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Basilicas | |
| Arches | |
| Columns | |
| Streets | |
| Other | |
| Preceded by Via dei Fori Imperiali |
Landmarks of Rome Via Sacra |
Succeeded by Via Veneto |