Castra Praetoria
Encyclopedia
Castra Praetoria were the ancient barracks (castra
) of the Praetorian Guard
of Imperial Rome.
, the barracks were built in 23 AD by Lucius Aelius Sejanus
, the praetorian prefect serving under the emperor Tiberius
, in an effort to consolidate the several divisions of the guards.
The barracks were erected just outside the city of Rome
and surrounded by solid masonry walls, measuring a total of 440 x 380 meters (1443 x 1246 ft). Three of the four sides of the walls were later incorporated in the Aurelian Walls
, and parts of them are clearly visible today.
The adjacent city district Castro Pretorio
is named after the barracks.
The Castra Praetoria was the site of the murder of the Emperor Elagabalus
by the Praetorian Guard in 222 AD.
The Castra Praetoria was destroyed by Constantine I
, who also disbanded the Praetorian Guard upon his invasion of Italy while Maxentius
ruled as the Western Roman Emperor. Their last stand was at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, and after Constantine's victory he officially disbanded the Praetorian, sending them out to different corners of the empire.
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
) of the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
of Imperial Rome.
History
According to the Roman historian SuetoniusSuetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, the barracks were built in 23 AD by Lucius Aelius Sejanus
Sejanus
Lucius Aelius Seianus , commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius...
, the praetorian prefect serving under the emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, in an effort to consolidate the several divisions of the guards.
The barracks were erected just outside the city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and surrounded by solid masonry walls, measuring a total of 440 x 380 meters (1443 x 1246 ft). Three of the four sides of the walls were later incorporated in the Aurelian Walls
Aurelian Walls
The Aurelian Walls is a line of city walls built between 271 and 275 in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperors Aurelian and Probus....
, and parts of them are clearly visible today.
The adjacent city district Castro Pretorio
Castro Pretorio
Castro Pretorio is the XVIII rione of Rome. The logo is the golden banner of the Praetorian Guard on a red background. The rione takes its name by the ruins of the Castrum Praetorium, the barracks of the Praetorian Guard, included in the Aurelian Walls....
is named after the barracks.
The Castra Praetoria was the site of the murder of the Emperor Elagabalus
Elagabalus
Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. A member of the Severan Dynasty, he was Syrian on his mother's side, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. Early in his youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa...
by the Praetorian Guard in 222 AD.
The Castra Praetoria was destroyed by Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
, who also disbanded the Praetorian Guard upon his invasion of Italy while Maxentius
Maxentius
Maxentius was a Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. He was the son of former Emperor Maximian, and the son-in-law of Emperor Galerius.-Birth and early life:Maxentius' exact date of birth is unknown; it was probably around 278...
ruled as the Western Roman Emperor. Their last stand was at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, and after Constantine's victory he officially disbanded the Praetorian, sending them out to different corners of the empire.
External links
- Castra Praetoria in S.B.Platner and T.Ashby: Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, London 1929
- Mura dell'antico Castro Pretorio (includes etchings by Giuseppe VasiGiuseppe VasiGiuseppe Vasi was an Italian engraver and architect, best known for his vedute.He was born in Corleone, Sicily and later moved to Rome. From 1746 to 1761 he published a series of ten volumes including 240 engravings of vedute of Rome...
and recent photographs)