1 Earliest Rome

13- P E R S P E C T I V E S
13.7 A traditionalist description of Rome
Description of the Whole World 55
A geographical survey of the Roman empire written in the middle of the fourth
century A.D. includes in its description of individual cities their ancestral cults.
As in other traditionalist writings of the time, Christians and their buildings
are excluded and Rome is still represented as a city defined by its traditional
religion.
See further: Vol. 1, 382; Rouge (1966) 299-306.
So Italy is abundant in everything and has the following supreme advantage: the greatest,
most distinguished imperial city, which demonstrates its merit in its name, that of Rome;
they say that it was founded by the young Romulus. It is adorned to the greatest possible
extent with buildings worthy of the gods: 1
every earlier emperor, as those of the present,
have wanted to found something there, and each of them has created some monument in
his own name. If you want [to call to mind] Antoninus, you will find innumerable
monuments; similarly there is also what is called the Forum of Trajan, which has a
remarkable and celebrated basilica. It also has a circus, well positioned and
decorated with many bronze statues. There are also in Rome itself seven virgins of free
birth and of senatorial family, who for the well-being of the city perform rites for the
gods in accordance with ancestral custom; they are called virgins of Vesta. 2
It also has the greatest senate composed of rich men: if you
wanted to examine them individually, you would find that all had been, or would be, or
could be governors, but that they do not want offices because they prefer to enjoy their
wealth in peace. They worship the gods too, especially Jupiter and Sol; apparently in
addition they perform rites for the Mother of the Gods, and they certainly have
haruspicesS
360
1. The sense is perhaps ambiguous - between buildings worthy of the deified emperors
who built them, or worthy of the gods in whose honour they were.
2. See 8.4. There were, in fact, only six Vestals
3. See 7.4.
13.8 Christianity as the real religion of Rome
A Latin poem by Prudentius written c. A.D. 382-95, perhaps in Spain before
the author visited Rome, presents the martyrdom of Lawrence as a turningpoint
in the conversion of Rome to Christianity. Lawrence, who was killed in
Rome in the persecution of A.D. 258, was a popular saint in the city: he appears
in the calendar of the Roman church (3.6); bishop Damasus (A.D. 366-84)
had just built a church to him (S. Lorenzo in Damaso); and on decorated gold
glass from Rome he is depicted beside or even between Peter and Paul (on
whom see 12.7f(iii-iv)). The poem exemplifies the dominant position of Rome