| Aurelian Walls | |
|---|---|
| Part ofRome | |
| Italy | |
 A section of Aurelian wall between the Porta Ardeatina andPorta San Sebastiano | |
 Map of ancient Rome with the Aurelian walls (red line) and its gates highlighted. The 4th-Century BCServian Walls (blue line) are also shown. Highlands and theseven hills of Rome are shown in beige, with names; lowlands are in white. | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Defensive wall |
| Owner | Italian Government |
| Open to the public | Open to public |
| Condition | Remaining sections: Either semi-ruinous or partly restored |
| Location | |
  Aurelian Walls | |
| Height | Up to 10 metres (33 ft) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 271–275 AD |
| Built by | Roman citizens |
| Materials | |
| Demolished | Some parts in theMedieval Period |
| Events | |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Praetorian Guard |
| Occupants | Romans |
TheAurelian Walls (Italian:Mura aureliane) are a line ofcity walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD inRome, Italy, during the reign of theRoman EmperorAurelian. They superseded the earlierServian Wall built during the 4th century BC.
The walls enclosed all theseven hills of Rome plus theCampus Martius and, on the right bank of theTiber, theTrastevere district. The river banks within the city limits appear to have been left unfortified, although they were fortified along the Campus Martius. The size of the entire enclosed area is 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres).[1] The wall cut through populated areas: in reality the city at the time embraced 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres).[citation needed]Pliny the Elder in the first century AD suggested that the densely populated areas,extrema tectorum ("the limits of the roofed areas") extended 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) from the Golden Milestone in the Forum (Natural History 3.67).[2]
The full circuit ran for 19 km (12 mi) surrounding an area of 13.7 km2 (5.3 sq mi). The walls were constructed in brick-faced concrete, 3.5 m (11 ft) thick and 8 m (26 ft) high, with a square tower every 100 Roman feet (29.6 m (97 ft)).
In the 4th century, remodelling doubled the height of the walls to 16 m (52 ft). By 500 AD, the circuit possessed 383 towers, 7,020crenellations, 18 main gates, 5postern gates, 116latrines, and 2,066 large external windows.[3]
By the third century AD, the boundaries of Rome had grown far beyond the area enclosed by the oldServian Wall, built during theRepublican period in the late 4th century BC. Rome had remained unfortified during the subsequent centuries of expansion and consolidation due to lack of hostile threats against the city. The citizens of Rome took great pride in knowing that Rome required no fortifications because of the stability brought by thePax Romana and the protection of theRoman army. However, the need for updated defences became acute during thecrisis of the Third Century, when various tribes moved through the Germanic frontier and the Roman army struggled to stop them. In 270, groups ofJuthungi andVandals invaded northernItaly, inflicting asevere defeat on the Romans at Placentia (modernPiacenza) before eventually being driven back. Further trouble broke out in Rome itself in the summer of 271, when the mint workersrose in rebellion. Several thousand people died in the fierce fighting that resulted.[4]
Aurelian's construction of the walls as an emergency measure was a reaction to the invasion of 270; the historianAurelius Victor states explicitly that the project aimed to alleviate the city's vulnerability.[5] It may also have been intended to send a political signal as a statement that Aurelian trusted that the people of Rome would remain loyal, as well as serving as a public declaration of the emperor's firm hold on power. The construction of the walls was by far the largest building project that had taken place in Rome for many decades, and their construction was a concrete statement of the continued strength of Rome.[4] The construction project was unusually left to the citizens themselves to complete as Aurelian could not afford to spare a single legionary for the project. The root of this unorthodox practice was the imminent threat of the foreign tribes coupled with the wavering strength of the military as a whole due to being subject to years of bloody civil war, famine and thePlague of Cyprian.
The walls were built in the short time of only five years, though Aurelian himself died before the completion of the project. Progress was accelerated, and money saved, by incorporating existing buildings into the structure. These included theAmphitheatrum Castrense, theCastra Praetoria, thePyramid of Cestius, and even a section of theAqua Claudiaaqueduct near thePorta Maggiore. As much as a sixth of the walls is estimated to have been composed of pre-existing structures.[4] An area behind the walls was cleared and sentry passages were built to enable it to be reinforced quickly in an emergency.
The actual effectiveness of the wall is disputable, given the relatively small size of the city's garrison. The entire combined strength of thePraetorian Guard,cohortes urbanae, andvigiles of Rome was only about 25,000 men – far too few to defend the circuit adequately. However, the military intention of the wall was not to withstand prolonged siege warfare; it was not common for the invading armies to besiege cities, as they were insufficiently equipped and provisioned for such a task. Instead, they carried out hit-and-run raids against ill-defended targets. The wall was a deterrent against such tactics.[6]
Parts of the wall were doubled in height byMaxentius in the period 306–312 AD, who also improved the watch-towers. In 401, underHonorius, the walls and the gates were improved. At this time, theTomb of Hadrian across the Tiber was incorporated as a fortress in the city defenses.[citation needed]
The Aurelian Walls halted theArab raid against Rome in 846 and limited the raiders' pillaging, sacking, and plundering of historic treasures to sites outside the walls, notably the basilicas ofOld St Peter's andSt Paul's-Outside-the-Walls. This vulnerability prompted the construction of theLeonine walls from 848 to 852 to encircleVatican Hill.
The Aurelian Walls continued as a significant military defense for the city of Rome until 20 September 1870, when theBersaglieri of theKingdom of Italy breached the wall near thePorta Pia andcaptured Rome. The walls also defined the boundary of the city of Rome up until the 19th century, with the built-up area being confined within the walled area. Today, the walls define "central Rome" for the purposes of taxi fare calculation. Trips between Rome's major airports and points within the walls are charged at a predetermined rate.[7]
The Aurelian Walls remain remarkably well-preserved today, largely the result of their constant use as Rome's primary fortification until the 19th century. TheMuseo delle Mura near thePorta San Sebastiano offers information on the walls' construction and how the defenses operated. The best-preserved sections of the walls are found from the Muro Torto (Villa Borghese) to Corso d'Italia to Castro Pretorio; fromPorta San Giovanni toPorta Ardeatina; from Porta Ostiense to the Tiber; and aroundPorta San Pancrazio.[3]
List of gates (porte), from the northernmost and clockwise:
Gates in Trastevere (from the southernmost and clockwise):
Media related toGates of Rome at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Rome | Landmarks of Rome Aurelian Walls | Succeeded by Porta Ardeatina |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
41°52′24″N12°29′56″E / 41.87333°N 12.49889°E /41.87333; 12.49889
