This small amphitheatre, constructed of brick and concrete has been suggested to date from the reign of Trajan. It bears some resemblance to the constructions of his reign, but could be dated later. The name has been interpreted two ways as 1) of the Imperial Court or 2) of the military camp. It is too far from the Camp of the Pretorians to be connected with that, and so the Imperial connection is usually accepted. In 271 AD Aurelian constructed the new immense walls of the city, and these walls made use of the Amphitheatre. The upper stories were demolished and the lower story had the arches filled in to form part of the defences. Thus we can definitely date the amphitheatre later than 100 AD and earlier than 271. The generally accepted date for construction is the reign of Elagabalus since the construction methods match, it falls within the appropriate dates, and no smaped bricks have been found, which is appropriate for the reign. If, as current theory stands, the ruins in the gardens on the other side of the church belong to a villa constructed by Elagabulus, that places this as a private entertainment venue linked with that Imperial palace. Since the days of Constantine's creation of the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, the amphitheatre has served as a garden for the church. These days the interior is inaccessible, but the lowest story of the exterior, with some vestiges of the next floor are visible.
Access: Freely visible at all times by the walls on the Via Nola.
The Aquarium of Rome was opened in 1887, with a view to reviving a neighbourhood that had fallen into disrepair. In fact the aquarium did not last long, but in the landscaping of its garden with the fish tanks being excavated, remains were found of the Servian Wall, with later housing built up against them. They site behind glass in the gardens and can only be seen effectively by ringing the bell on the gate and asking to enter. For the less enthusiastic, one can climb onto the wall and view them from the fence. They are fragmentary and only interesting to the die-hard enthusiast.
Access: Piazza Manfredo Fanti. Viewable with permission or over fence.
This arch stands on the site of the Porta Esquilina in the Servian Walls. It was constructed in 262 AD by Marcus Aurelius Victor to honour the emperor Gallienus. Originally this was a triple arch, though the two smaller side arches are long gone. The remaining central arch, however, is a handsome construction, with an inscription along the top.
Access: Via di San Vito. Freely accessible at all times.
Found during construction works in 1916 on the Via Statilia, these tombs date back to the Republican age around 100 BC. With carvings and inscriptions, they stand hidden beneath a modern shelter next to the Aqua Claudia and beneath the trees. They are visible through railings only. Nearby the Aqua Claudia runs from the Porta Maggiore parallel with the Via Statilia and disappears not long after the tombs, resurfacing briefly behind some houses next to the church of San Giovanni in Laterano.
The land upon which the Church of San Giovanni in Laterano, and its entire complex, sits once belonged to one of the more important families of ancient Rome. The Laterani (after whom the entire area is named) were men of power, and high-ranking Imperial staff. One consul, Plautius Lateranus, was one of the proscribed by Nero due to fear of conspiracy. Passing through other hands, the villa finally came into the possession of Constantine, who donated the entire complex to the Bishop of Rome (see San Giovanni in Laterano below). Of the remains of the Lateran villa, virtually nothing can be seen. One large structure can be seen, though it is impossible to tell what it was. It may not be connected with the Lateran villa, though considering its location, the identification is at least reasonable.
Access: This single imposing fragment stands in private grounds to the rear of the church of San Giovanni in Laterano. It is visible only through gates.
This magnificent double arch was constructed by Claudius to carry the aqueducts of the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus over the Via Praenestina and Via Labicana. Though it has the title 'porta', this was never intended to be a gate, but a monumental aqueduct crossing. It was only when the walls of Aurelian were constructed, the Porta Maggiore was incorporated into them. Above the arches on the actual facing of the aqueduct channels are three inscriptions, detailing the original Claudian building and restoration under both Vespasian and Titus. Between the building of Aurelian's wall and the reworking by Honorius, the whole arch was enclosed within a small fortress with bastions. These were only removed in 1838 to reveal the original structure. The name Porta Maggiore (or Great Gate) has only been applied to the Porta Praenestina since the middle ages.
Just outside the Porta Maggiore, between the parallel Via Praenestina and Via Labicana, stands one of the more interesting tombs of Rome. The tomb of Eurysaces the baker, dating from the late Republic or early Principate. The tombs is in a curious form and is perhaps meant to represent part of the baking process (cylindrical grain measures or such.) The tombs was damaged when Honorious constructed a heavy tower upon it when remodelling the defences.
The villa of the Laterani that covered this area came into the possession of Constantine, who donated it to the Pope in 313 AD. The basilica of this palacial complex was converted into a church and became the Cathedral of Rome (which it still is.) Beneath the church are remains dating back from the republican period right through to the period just prior to Constantine, when the area served as a barracks for an Imperial cavalry unit, though these can only be viewed with prior permission. The church is otherwise interesting to the Roman historian for three reasons. The main door within the portico was taken from the Curia in the Roman Forum. The border is a late addition in order to resize the doors to fit the church, but the main bronze doors are original. At the left hand end of the portico is a statue of Constantine which was originally found in the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian. Thirdly, behind the cathedral is the small octagonal baptistry. This was originally constructed by Constantine and supplied by the Aqua Claudia. Little remains of the original Constantinian structure, most of the ground floor being a 5th century rebuild, and the upper storey belonging to the 17th century.
In the park in the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II stands a massive monument often overlooked by visitors as it is not advertised at all. Here the Aqua Iulia fed a huge fountain constructed in the reign of Alexander Severus, using decorative embellishments taken from an unknown building of Domitianic construction. The huge brick edifice, two stories in height, fed water from the aqueduct into a huge curved basin. It is one of the more impressive of the unknown monuments of the city and is form is complicated and interesting. The entry point of the aqueduct is still clearly visible (see second photo).
Access: Freely visible (though behind railings) in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
Standing beside the ancient Via Labicana, this impressive and often overlooked monument has throughout history been associated with a temple of Minerva Medica that is mentioned in ancient sources in this area. The ruin consists of a huge 10-sided hall with the remains of a domed roof that collapsed in 1828. Attached to the central room are three chambers that are later additions. The building would originally have been marble-faced. It is now assumed to be a huge monumental nymphaeum perhaps in the Horti Liciniani. The structure is currently undergoign excavation.
Access: Visible through railings at all times on the Via Giovanni Giolitti, between Termini station and the Porta Maggiore.
This building, standing in private gardens beside Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, seems to be connected with the complex that included the original building that became the church and also the Amphitheatre Castrense. It predates the Aurelian wall and is certainly likely to be contemporary with the amphitheatre. It was certainly an Imperial residence by the time of Constantine as his mother resided here. However, the structure may very well have been a palacial villa constructed by the damned emperor Elagabalus, and this theory is certainly viable. The fact of a private amphitheatre attached almost certainly sets it as an Imperial villa as an original construction.
Access: The remaining ruins are theoretically not accessible to the public, though they can be viewed through a gate just to the left of the church of Santa Croce and if the visitor takes a stroll down the side of the church, he can get a rear view of these upstanding remains and a sneaky glimpse of the private racecourse of the Emperor: the circus Variana.
