PORTA PRAENESTINA
the present Porta Maggiore, a double arch of the
AQUA CLAUDIA and
ANIO NOVUS (q.v.), built by Claudius over the
VIA PRAENESTINA (q.v.) and the
VIA LABICANA (q.v.), and afterwards
incorporated in the wall of Aurelian (DMH). These two roads separated
just before passing under the aqueduct, the Labicana branching off
to the right and the Praenestina to the left, and the two archways are
at a very slight angle with each other, inasmuch as the course of the roads
is at first almost parallel. The whole structure is of travertine, 32 metres
high and 24 wide, and the two principal arches are 14 metres high,
6.35 wide and 6.20 deep. In the central pier is a small archway, 5.10
metres high and 1.80 wide, now closed and almost entirely below the
present level of the ground. Above this, and at the same level in the
north and south piers, are other arched openings, with engaged Corinthian
columns and an entablature. The attic is divided longitudinally by string
courses into three sections, each of which has an inscription (
CIL
vi. 1256-1258), the upper one recording the original construction by
Claudius but probably revised by Trajan (M61. 1906, 305-318), and the
Other two, restorations by Vespasian and Titus .
1 Immediately outside
this gate, between the two roads, is the
SEPULCRUM EURYSACIS (q.v.),
belonging to the end of the republic. It stood about 3.50 metres below
the modern level.
Aurelian incorporated this double arch in his wall, and Honorius
2
changed it very considerably: he certainly built a curtain wall with two
openings (on the right-hand one was
CIL vi. 1189), thus forming a courtyard. With this building scheme seem to go the square towers at each
end on the outside; while the semicircular tower in the middle over the
tomb of Eurysaces may belong to Aurelian. The latest ancient road
level is 1.50 m. below the modern.
The right-hand opening was blocked at a later date (Ill. 38). In
1838 these fourth-century additions were removed and the arches of the
aqueduct exposed to view (Jord. i. I. 357; Reber 528-532;
PBS i. 500).
The gate appears in the sixth century (Procop.
BG i. 18), when we have
our first record of it, as the porta Praenestina. This name continued
in use during the Middle Ages, along with Sessoriana and Labicana,
but gradually gave way to Maior, which has survived in its modern
designation (T x. 380-383; DuP 92-93; D'Esp.
Fr. i. 8 ;
BC 1917, 195-207).
