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Rome: Porta Maggiore


The Porta Maggiore, seen from the inside. Through the left gate, the tomb of Eurysaces is visible. Photo Jona Lendering. Porta Maggiore: two decorates arches of Roman aqueduct.

The Porta Maggiore carried the canals of the aqueducts known as Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus (which were built between 38 and 52 CE). Where they crossed the Via Labicana and Via Praenestina, the arches of the aquaducts were included in a monumental gate of travertine, close to the Tomb of Eurysaces is visible. At this gate, the ancient  left Rome.

Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine
The canal of the aqueducts on top of the Porta Maggiore. Photo Jona Lendering. The northern gate of the Porta Maggiore, seen from the outside. Photo Jona Lendering.
The canals of the aqueducts The ancient pavement
Model of the Porta Maggiore and the tomb of Eurysaces. Museo nazionale della civiltà romana, Roma (Italy). Photo Marco Prins. The inscriptions on the Porta Maggiore state that the emperor Claudius had finished the construction; that Vespasian had repaired it; and that Titus had done the same.

The model on the last photo is at the Museo nazionale della civiltà romana in Rome.

A satellite photo of the Porta Maggiore can be found here.
© Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org, 2003
Revision: 13 Dec. 2008
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