“Via Tusculana”

Unnamed but archaeologically well-attested ancient street under Via dei SS. Quattro Coronati in the *Colosseum Valley leading from the *Sacra Via to the *Caelian and *Porta Querquetulana. Panella locates a street and drain of Republican date leading from the later Meta Sudans toward Via dei SS. Quattro Coronati (cf. Schingo). Excavations in Via dei SS. Quattro Coronati, S of the Ludus Magnus, have revealed an ancient roadway c. 4-6 m beneath the modern street, at a depth consistent with Republican levels in this area (Colini and Cozza 114, 125 n.76, cf. stratigraphy of pl. 3 with 116 fig. 151). Its course may be determined from Lanciani (FUR pl. 30; cf. Colini and Cozza pl. 1). Lanciani also shows an ancient street following the modern Via Labicana on a long E–W axis. Excavations in the area of the Nuova Esattoria, E of the Ludus Magnus, have shown that the level of this street stands 3.5 m below the modern and dates from the Imperial period (Colini and Cozza 66, pl. 5a); Palombi dates it to the period after the fire of A.D. 64 (cf. Säflund). Indeed, housing remains of Republican-Augustan date were found directly under this street, c. 9 m below the Via Labicana; there is fragmentary evidence of a Republican street which followed roughly the same E–W axis, just to the S of the Via Labicana, but there were Republican-Augustan structures on this same axis just to the W (Colini and Cozza 69-71, cf. 54 fig. 74). This proves that the long E–W thoroughfare under the Via Labicana attested for the Imperial period did not have a Republican or Augustan precursor. Thus, the primary artery leading out of the Colosseum Valley in the Augustan period was the street under Via dei SS. Quattro Coronati. The ancient name of this major artery is not known. The modern coinage “Via Tusculana” is used widely (e.g., Scagnetti, Colini). The name “Via in Tabernola(?)” is used by Lanciani. The latter derives from an erroneous assumption by Rennaissance topographers that the Colosseum valley was known as Tabernola, based on Varro’s description of two shrines of the Argei on the *Oppian and Caelian that stood in tabernola, in this context perhaps best translated as ‘in an augural hut’ (Ling. 5.47, 50; cf. Papi). There was a continuation of this street outside the walls but its name is also not known.