Walls and Gateways

Like any early city Rome was protected by city walls. The first phase of building took place under Servius Tullius in the 6th Century BC. This set of defences had to undergo extensive restoration following the sack of the city in 380BC by the Gauls, and indeed, the so-called Servian walls date from this period.

In the 3rd Century AD, following 700 years of relative security, the city of Rome was once again threatened. As the city was now many times larger than the area defended by the earlier wall, and many of those fortifications had now been built on. The emperor Aurelian ordered a new wall to be built around the city. It incorporated many existing structures including the tomb of Cestius. This massive undertaking was completed in just 4 years, and as the empire declined in power future emperors enlarged and improved the fortifications.

The top line of photos show a section of the wall near the Aventine Hill, the Protestant Cemetary, and the Monte Testaccio. Underneath is a section of the Aurelian wall that runs along the Castra Praetoria, the camp of the Praetorian Guard. The guard existed from their early beginnings as picked troops that acted as a a bodyguard for any Roman general to a more specialised role under Augustus as almost a private army until they were finally disbanded under Constantine following their support of his rival the emperor Maximian.

Here's quite a nice article about the city walls:

http://www.initaly.com/regions/classic/walls.htm

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