The Via ad Carinas

Long before the Basilica of Maxentius transformed the landscape, a road connected the Roman Forum with the neighborhood known as the Carinae. Today it is generally referred to as the Vicus ad Carinas, or “road to the Carinae.” Its exact course is still debated, since the ancient literary evidence does not correspond neatly with the archaeological remains. What is clear is that the route connected the Forum with the slopes of the Esquiline and remained in use through several major transformations of central Rome.

The Carinae occupied the western part of the Esquiline, in the area around what is now San Pietro in Vincoli. In antiquity it was a well-established residential district. The Temple of Tellus stood there and was an important landmark. Ancient sources describe a road leading toward the Carinae, and archaeological research has identified the Vicus ad Carinas as one of the routes connecting this neighborhood with the Forum.

The road was not one of Rome’s grand ceremonial avenues. Its importance came from its practical role in connecting different parts of the city. Archaeological evidence from the area includes successive road surfaces and commercial structures, showing that the route was repeatedly repaired and adapted as the surrounding urban landscape changed. Rather than remaining fixed, the street developed along with the buildings around it.

One of the most important changes came after the great fire of AD 64 and the subsequent redevelopment of the area under the Flavian emperors. The construction of the Temple of Peace, begun under Vespasian, significantly altered the streets and buildings around the Forum. The present form of the Vicus ad Carinas belongs largely to this later phase. Archaeological research indicates that the road continued to provide a connection between the Forum and the Carinae as the surrounding monumental complex was constructed.

In the early fourth century, the construction of the Basilica of Maxentius brought another major transformation. The new basilica occupied the area of the earlier structures, including the remains of the Horrea Piperataria. Yet the road itself was not simply erased. The builders incorporated the route into the new complex by creating a covered passage through the basilica, allowing movement to continue through an area that had been dramatically rebuilt.

This continued use is one of the most revealing features of the Vicus ad Carinas. The street survived not because the surrounding landscape remained unchanged, but because it was repeatedly adapted to new circumstances. The Forum, the Templum Pacis, the warehouses, and the Basilica of Maxentius each altered the area, while the route continued to serve as a connection between the Forum and the Carinae.

The history of the Vicus ad Carinas therefore offers a different way to understand ancient Rome. Its importance lies less in monumental architecture than in continuity. It was a working street, shaped by commerce, construction, and repeated repairs. Its surviving remains show how Roman urban infrastructure could persist even as the buildings around it were demolished, rebuilt, and transformed.

Bibliography

Claridge, Amanda. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Coarelli, Filippo. Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide. University of California Press, 2014.

Richardson, Lawrence. A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.

Ziòłkowski, Adam. “Of Streets and Crossroads: The Location of the Carinae.” Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 41 (1996): 121–151.