Lacus Curtius

The Lacus Curtius relief from the Roman Forum: the legend of the rider who leapt into the chasm.

Lacus Curtius was a hollow in the middle of the Roman Forum, tied to the legend of Marcus Curtius, who leapt into the chasm to save Rome. Here on January 15, AD 69, the bearers overturned Galba’s litter and the emperor died at the hands of soldiers (Tacitus, Histories 1.41). Three months later the people piled up a mound of wreaths on this spot (Tacitus, Histories 2.55).

Sources

  • Image: Lalupa (photo), 2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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