Theseven hills of Rome (Latin:Septem colles/montes Romae,Italian:Sette colli di Roma[ˈsɛtteˈkɔllidiˈroːma]) east of the riverTiber form the geographical heart ofRome, within thewalls of the city.
TheVatican Hill (LatinCollis Vaticanus) lying northwest of theTiber, thePincian Hill (Mons Pincius), lying to the north, theJaniculan Hill (LatinJaniculum), lying to the west, and theSacred Mount (LatinMons Sacer), lying to the northeast, are not counted among the traditional Seven Hills, being outside the boundaries of the most ancient part of Rome.
Separate also are the seven hills associated with theSeptimontium, a proto-urban festival celebrated by the residents of the seven communities associated with the hills or peaks of Rome. These were theOppius,Palatium,Velia,Fagutal, Cermalus,Caelius, andCispius.[2] These are sometimes confused with the traditional seven hills.
Tradition holds thatRomulus and Remus founded the original city on the Palatine Hill on 21 April 753 BC, and that the seven hills were first occupied by small settlements that were not grouped. The seven hills' denizens began to interact, which began to bond the groups. The city of Rome, thus, came into being as these separate settlements acted as a group, draining the marshy valleys between them and turning them into markets (fora in Latin). Later, in the early 4th century BC, theServian Walls were constructed to protect the seven hills.[3]
In modern Rome, five of the seven hills—the Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, and Viminal Hills—are now the sites of monuments, buildings, and parks. The Capitoline Hill is the location of Rome's city hall, and the Palatine Hill is part of the main archaeological area.
A smaller area was covered by the seven peaks associated with the festival of theSeptimontium: the Cispian Hill (Cispius Mons),Oppian Hill (Oppius Mons), and Fagutal Hill (Fagutalis Mons), three spurs of the Esquiline Hill, along with the Palatium and Cermalus, the peaks of the Palatine Hill, theVelian Hill, a ridge joining the Palatine and Oppian Hills, and the Caelian Hill.
In a 2019 interview, novelistLindsey Davis revealed her plan to set a series of books on the seven hills of Rome, now accomplished with the publication ofA Capitol Death, seventh in theFlavia Albia series which began withThe Ides of April, set on the Aventine Hill.[15]
^The King James Version Bible—the New International Version Bible uses the words "seven hills".
^Wall, R. W. (1991).New International Biblical Commentary: Revelation (207). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
^Bratcher, R. G., & Hatton, H. (1993).A Handbook on the Revelation to John. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (248). New York: United Bible Societies.
^Davis, C. A. (2000). Revelation. The College Press NIV commentary (322). Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub.
^Mounce, R. H. (1997). "The Book of Revelation."The New International Commentary on the New Testament (315). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
^Beckwith, Isbon T.The Apocalypse of John. New York: MacMillan, 1919; reprinted, Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001.
