Capitoline Hill

41°53′36″N 12°28′59″E / 41.89333°N 12.48306°E / 41.89333; 12.48306

The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill (/ˈkæpɪtəlaɪn, kəˈpɪt-/ KAP-it-ə-lyne, kə-PIT-; Italian: Campidoglio [kampiˈdɔʎʎo]; Latin: Mons Capitolinus [ˈmõːs kapɪtoːˈliːnʊs]), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

The hill was earlier known as Mons Saturnius, dedicated to the god Saturn. The word Capitolium first referred to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus which was located on the hill; however, the meaning evolved to refer to the whole hill and even other temples of Jupiter on other hills. In an etymological myth, ancient sources connect the name to caput ("head", "summit") because of a tale that stated that when the foundations for the temple were being laid, a man's head was found. The Capitolium was regarded by the Romans as indestructible, and was adopted as a symbol of eternity.

The word Capitolium is a precursor to the English word capitol, and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. is widely assumed to be named after the Capitoline Hill.

At this hill, the Sabines, creeping to the Citadel, were let in by the Roman maiden Tarpeia. For this treachery, Tarpeia was the first to be punished by being flung from a steep cliff overlooking the Roman Forum. This cliff was later named the Tarpeian Rock after the Vestal Virgin, and became a frequent execution site. The Sabines, who immigrated to Rome following the Rape of the Sabine Women, settled on the Capitoline.

The Vulcanal (Shrine of Vulcan), an 8th-century BC sacred precinct, occupied much of the eastern lower slopes of the Capitoline, at the head of what later became the Roman Forum. The summit was the site of a temple for the Capitoline Triad, started by Rome's fifth king, Tarquinius Priscus (r. 616–579 BC), and completed by the seventh and last king, Tarquinius Superbus (535–496 BC). It was considered one of the largest and the most beautiful temples in the city, although little now remains. The city legend starts with the recovery of a human skull (the word for head in Latin is caput) when foundation trenches were being dug for the Temple of Jupiter at Tarquin's order. Recent excavations on the Capitoline uncovered an early cemetery under the Temple of Jupiter.

There are several important temples built on Capitoline Hill: the temple of Juno Moneta, the temple of Virtus, and the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus. The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus is the most important of the temples. It was built in 509 BC and was nearly as large as the Parthenon. The hill and the temple of Jupiter became the symbols of Rome, the capital of the world. The Temple of Saturn was built at the foot of Capitoline Hill in the western end of the Forum Romanum.

When the Senones Gauls, who settled in central-east Italy, raided Rome in 390 BC, after the battle of River Allia, the Capitoline Hill was the one section of Rome to evade capture by the barbarians, due to its being fortified by the Roman defenders. According to legend, Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was alerted to the Gallic attack by the sacred Roman geese of Juno.