Samuel Ball Platner, Thomas Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome

SPES VETUS

an ancient shrine on the Esquiline which is mentioned twice in connection with the legendary victory of Horatius over the Etruscans in 477 B.C. (Liv. ii. 51. 2; Dionys. ix. 24). Nothing further is known of the temple (HJ 365 ; Rosch. iv. 1296; Becker, Top. 551), but it gave its name 'ad Spem veterem' to its immediate vicinity, the district just inside the later Porta Praenestina, where several aqueducts met (cf. Hist. Aug. Elag. 13: hortos Spei veteris; see HORTI VARIANI). It was the highest point on the east side of the city, and was therefore selected for the entry of almost all the aqueducts (LA passim; HJ 364, 365; LS iii. 157; PBS i. 150).

Ad Spem veterem is described by Frontinus (de aquis i. 5) as being in confinio HORTORUM TORQUATIANORUM ET [EPAPHRODITIA]NORUM (q.v.) (see AQUA APPIA); here branches of the aqua Iulia and the aqua Claudia diverged to the Caelian (ib. 19, 20; cf. 21; ii. 65, 76, 87). For a 'sutor a spem (sic) vetere' cf. CIL xv. 5929.