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Servian wall
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The so-called Servian Wall near Stazione Termini, Rome (Italy). Photo Jona Lendering. The so-called Servian wall. Although the ancient sources state that this wall was built by king Servius Tullius in the sixth century, it is more plausible that it was in fact constructed after 375 VC. The stones, tufa from Veii, can not have been obtained before this city was captured. This pictures shows the largest surviving part of the wall; it is near Stazione Termini, which can be seen in the background. A satellite photo can be found here.
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Fragment of the Servian wall under the Central Station of Rome. Photo Jona Lendering. Fragment of the Servian wall below Stazione Termini. The building project was an enormous and expensive construction. According to the historian Livy, many people had to make debts. This aggravated an already existing conflict between the rich and poor, and resulted in political changes: the aristocratic political elite had to make the consulship accessible for plebeians.
Fragment of the Servian wall. Piazza Magnanapoli. Photo Jona Lendering. Fragment of the Servian wall at the Piazza Magnanapoli (satellite photo).
Fragment of the Servian wall near the Arch of Gallienus. Photo Jona Lendering. Fragment of the Servian wall near the Arch of Gallienus, which is, like the Arch of Dolabella and Porta Capena in fact a former gate of the Servian wall. During the civil wars, the wall was improved with catapult batteries, but after the age of Julius Caesar, it fell into disrepair. The old gates, however, remained important landmarks.
A cross-section of the Servian Wall on the Aventine, along the Via Sant' Anselmo, close to the Piazza Albania.

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