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Fig. 27. Rostra, reconstruction.º
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In the year A.D. 66 the Parthian king, Tiridates, who had accepted the conditions of peace proposed to him by Nero's general, Domitius Corbulo, came to Rome to receive his crown anew at the hand of the Roman emperor. Nero prepared for him a magnificent reception which is said to have cost 800,000 sesterces (200,000 francs) a day; the ceremony of the coronation is described as follows: "Before dawn the centre of the Forum was filled with delegations of the Roman people, in white garments and with laurel wreaths in their hair; on the sides and at the entrances the soldiers, with gleaming weapons and standards, were drawn up; countless spectators occupied every available inch of ground, even the very roofs of the buildings. At the rising of the sun Nero appeared in the Forum, clad in the garb of triumph, accompanied by senators and praetorians. He took his place on the Rostra, in a •curule chair. p73 Then between the soldiers, who were drawn up along both sides, Tiridates with his suite was led to the Rostra, where he paid homage to the emperor. When the public saw this Oriental ruler bowing humbly before their emperor, they raised such shouts of enthusiasm that Tiridates was terrified believing this was the signal for his death. Nero however bade him be of good courage, received his address of homage, ordered a praetor, who understood the language, to translate it for the benefit of the people, and himself made a gracious reply. Then Tiridates mounted a staircase, which had been built in front of the Rostra, came to the emperor, kneeled before him, and received the crown from his hand: a scene which aroused once more the loud applause of the Romans".
Fig. 32. Augustus and Agrippa on the Rostra (Coin of Sulpicius Platorinus, about 18 B.C.).
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In the reign of Septimius Severus the Rostra was rebuilt with considerable changes, necessitated by the erection of the arch in honour of Severus. In order to make possible a direct approach to the speaker's platform from the side toward the arch, a triangular courtyard (see Hof fig. 33) was cut out of the northern half of the Rostra, and the curved west wall (hemicyclium) of this court was ornamented with slabs of red marble (Porta Santa) and pillars of marmo africano. Some of these slabs — which have been fastened to the wall again in modern times — still show the holes for the nails by which the bronze ornaments were attached. On the side toward the arch of Severus the wall was broken away and the court-yard seems to have been shut off merely by a simple gate.
In quite late times the façade of the Rostra was extended northwards by an addition built of poor brickwork, in which also the holesº for the fastening of ships' beaks are to be seen. An explanation of this is probably to be found in a long inscription, consisting of one single line, engraved of rectangular blocks of marble which on their upper side originally supported a balustrade. p77 The inscription states that about A.D. 470, in the reign of the emperors Leo and Anthemius, a prefect of the city [Ulpi]us (?) Lunius Valentinus restored the structure — probably after a naval victory over the Vandals; accordingly the building has been named 'Rostra Vandalica.'
See: Varro l. l. V, 155; Liv. IV, 17, 6. VIII, 14, 12; Diodor. XII, 26; Dionys. I, 87; Plinius VII, 212. XXXIV, 20, 25; Sueton. Aug. 100; Pomponius Dig. I, 2, 2; Cassius Dio XLIII, 49.
Jordan I, 2, 233 sg.; Richter, röm. Rednerbühne 8‑39, Jahrb. d. Instituts 1889, 1‑17, Beiträge zur röm. Topographie II (1903); Lanciani 280; Huelsen, R. M. 1899, 238. 1902, 13‑21; Vaglieri 152 foro; Petersen, Comitium Rostra Grab des Romulus (1904); Boni, Atti del Congresso storico 1903, vol. IV, p. 554‑563.
The various transformations of the Rostra can best be seen from above. One should go back accordingly past the Schola Xantha and the arch of Tiberius and up the Clivus Capitolinus. In this way one comes to the Temple of Saturn.
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Page updated: 23 Jan 05