Physical Structure of the Site of Rome. 9 



3. Varro, in the fifth book, "• De Lingua Latina,*" speaking 

 of the etymology of the Aveiitine hill, says : — " Ego maxime 

 puto ab advectu ; nam olim paludibus mons erat ab rehquis dis- 

 clusus ; itaque eo ex urbe qui advehebantur ratibus, quadran- 

 tem solvebant. * * * Velabrum dicitur a vehendo."" In another 

 place, speaking of the Capitol, he says : — " Ab his pal us fuit 

 in Minore Velabro, a quo, quod ibi vehebantur lintribus, Vela- 

 brum."" 



That such shallow lakes existed before there was a pro- 

 per outlet, is extremely probable, when we consider the low- 

 ness of the ground, that it is exactly at that point of the ri- 

 ver where the water in floods would be most likely to overflow 

 the banks, and that it forms the natural channel for the drainage 

 of the surface water, from a very great part of the Quirinal, 

 Viminal, Esquiline, and Ccelian hills. It is extremely probable, 

 too, that so great a work as the Cloaca JMaxima was not under- 

 taken for the purposes of a sewer to a city, but in order to drain 

 the land of great inundations. 



A spot so covered with vegetation and with buildings as the 

 site of Rome, is not very favourable for geological investigations ; 

 and another obstacle arises from the vast quantity of rubbish 

 derived from buildings, which have been destroyed one after the 

 other for so many ages. This has accumulated to so great a 

 degree in many places, that a paved street is stated by Mont- 

 faucon (Diar. Ital. p. 195) to have been discovered at a depth 

 of forty-two feet below the surface, in the valley between the 

 Quirinal and Viminal hills. The ground of the Forum, at the 

 base of the column of Phocas, is twenty-six feet below the level 

 of the present Campo Vaccino, and that column is built upon 

 ancient ruins, as are the Arches of Titus and Constantine. 



I shall now proceed to describe the structure of each hill se- 

 parately, beginning with the Capitoline. 



The Capitoline Hill. — This hill is of an oblong form, insu- 

 lated, running nearly north and south, about 500 yards long, 

 and 230 yards broad. It has two summits, separated by a de- 

 pression called the Intermontium. The southern summit, at 

 the western angle of the Tarpeian rock> is 128 feet above the 

 level of the Tiber : the northeni summit, at the floor of the 



