ANCORA SULLA NOVA VIA VECCHIE IPOTESI, NUOVE PROPOSTE

• Published in: Archeologia classica Vol. 69; pp. 113 - 166
• Main Authors: Cirone, Dora, De Cristofaro, Alessio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: Erma di Bretschneider 01-01-2018
• Subjects: ARTICOLI
• ISSN: 0391-8165; 2240-7839
• DOI: 10.1400/267454

The route of the Via Nova has long been debated by scholars of Roman topography, indeed since the late 1800s. Following the excavations on the northern slopes of the Palatine, Lanciani first proposed identification of the ancient road with the path that winds halfway up the hill. To date, the various hypotheses proposed suggest the road may have followed three possible routes, located on three altimetric sections of the hill. The documentary revelations emerging from Carandini's excavations and especially the recent findings along the north-western slopes of the Palatine by the Post Aedem Castoris project have prompted re-examination of this intricate issue, starting with in-depth examination of the literary sources and close analysis of the proposals advanced so far. With regard to the latter, particular attention is paid to investigation of that body of archaeological evidence that has been attributed to monuments closely linked to the Via Nova, relevant to the formative urban fabric of the ancient city: monuments such as the pomerium, the Romulean walls and their gates, the temple of Jupiter Stator, the shrine to Aio Locuzio, etc. In the light of a re-reading of the available data, we propose a solution to the problem of the Via Nova route, with a route alternative to those that have so far been proposed.