Porta Capena, City gate in Rome, Italy.
Porta Capena is an ancient city gate built into the Servian Wall, positioned between Rome's Caelian, Palatine, and Aventine hills. The structure consisted of a single arch constructed from blocks of tuff and travertine stone.
The gate was built around 310 BCE and supported the Aqua Appia aqueduct infrastructure. It marked the starting point of the Via Appia, a major road connecting Rome to the city of Capua and beyond.
A temple dedicated to Mars Gradivus stood near this gate, serving as a sacred space where Romans came to seek blessings for military endeavors. The location held religious significance as a point of departure for soldiers heading toward distant territories.
The ancient gate's location is marked at the present-day Piazza di Porta Capena, situated near the entrance to Via Valle delle Camene. You can explore the remains while walking through the old district that surrounds the square.
The lapis manalis, a sacred stone, was carried from this location into the city during droughts to invoke rainfall through ritual. This practice reveals how ancient Romans managed water and weather through religious ceremony.
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