Carinae

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title: "Carinae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["topography-of-the-ancient-city-of-rome"] description: "Area of ancient Rome" topic_path: "general/topography-of-the-ancient-city-of-rome" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carinae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Area of ancient Rome ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox ancient site"]

Field	Value
name	Carinae
image	Lanciani 1893–1901 Carinae.jpg
image_size	310 px
caption	A portion of map of Rome by Rodolfo Lanciani showing the location of Carinae (between 1893 and 1901).
mapframe
altitude_m
location	Rome, Italy
type	Urban neighborhood
epochs
cultures	Ancient Rome
website
::

| name = Carinae | native_name = | native_name_lang = | alternate_name = | image = Lanciani 1893–1901 Carinae.jpg | image_size = 310 px | alt = | caption = A portion of map of Rome by Rodolfo Lanciani showing the location of Carinae (between 1893 and 1901). | map = | map_type = | map_alt = | map_caption = | map_size = | mapframe = | altitude_m = | altitude_ref = | relief = | coordinates = | gbgridref = | map_dot_label = | location = Rome, Italy | region = | type = Urban neighborhood | part_of = | length = | width = | area = | volume = | diameter = | circumference = | height = | builder = | material = | built = | abandoned = | epochs = | cultures = Ancient Rome | dependency_of = | occupants = | event = | discovered = | excavations = | archaeologists = | condition = | ownership = | management = | public_access = | other_designation = | website = | architectural_styles = | architectural_details = | notes =

Carinae was an area of ancient Rome. It was one of its most exclusive neighborhoods, where many of the senatorial class lived.

Florus described the Carinae as the "most celebrated part of the city" (celeberrima pars urbis).

Description

The Carinae occupied the western end of the southern spur of the Esquiline hill in Rome. The district likely incorporated the earlier Fagutal, with the northern tip of the Oppian Hill on its western side; it extended between the Velian Hill and the Clivus Pullius. Its outlook was southwestern, across the swamps of the Palus Ceroliae toward the Aventine.

The slopes of the neighborhood near the Velia were crossed by the vicus Cyprius, where, according to a Roman tradition taken up by Livy, Tullia would have killed her father Servius Tullius, overwhelming him with her chariot pulled by horses. The same passage from Livy indicates the existence of a temple dedicated to Diana in the Carinae.

The Murus Terreus also crossed the Carinae.

The district housed the residences of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gnaeus Pompeius, whose house was later owned by Mark Antony and then became a possession of the imperial state property (Emperor Tiberius lived there for some time).

Etymologia

According to Servius, the name of the district comes from the fact that certain buildings rising close to the Temple of Tellus represented the keels (carinae in Latin) of ships.

Notes

References

1. "Subura – Rome's Original Suburb {{!".
2. 2.18.4
3. Thomas Henry Dyer. (1864). "Ancient Rome: With a map of ancient Rome and numerous illustrations". Walton and Maberly.
4. Filippo Coarelli. (10 May 2014). "Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide". University of California Press.
5. [[Livy]], ''[[Ab urbe condita (Livy). Ab Urbe condita libri]]'', I, 48.
6. [[Marcus Terentius Varro. Varro]], ''De lingua latina'' 5.48
7. ''ad Aen.'' 8.361

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