The
Porta Capena was a gate in the
Servian WallThe Servian Wall were defensive barriers constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was up to 10 meters in height in places, 3.6 meters wide at its base, 11 km long, and is believed to had 16 main gates, though many of these are mentioned only from...
near the
Caelian HillThe Caelian Hill is one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. Under reign of Tullus Hostilius, the entire population of Alba Longa was forcibly resettled on the Caelian Hill...
, in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, according to Roman tradition the sacred grove where
Numa PompiliusNuma Pompilius was the second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus.-Life and Reign:Plutarch tells that Numa was the youngest of Pomponius' four sons, born on the day of Rome's founding . He lived a severe life of discipline and banished all luxury from his home...
and the nymph
EgeriaEgeria was a water nymph in Roman mythology. She was most famously the second wife and counselor of the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius.Her name is used as an eponym for a woman advisor or counselor.-Function:...
used to meet. It was one of the main entries to the city of Rome, since it opened on the
Appian WayThe Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
. The origin of the name is unknown, although it may refer to the fact that the road leads to
CapuaCapua is a city in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. The city is often mistaken for Santa Maria Capua Vetere: the remains of the ancient Capua are effectively located in the latter commune's...
, an important city in
CampaniaCampania is a region of southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,595 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, south of Rome.
Juvenal tells us that the Porta Capena was frequented by beggars.
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The
Porta Capena was a gate in the
Servian WallThe Servian Wall were defensive barriers constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was up to 10 meters in height in places, 3.6 meters wide at its base, 11 km long, and is believed to had 16 main gates, though many of these are mentioned only from...
near the
Caelian HillThe Caelian Hill is one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. Under reign of Tullus Hostilius, the entire population of Alba Longa was forcibly resettled on the Caelian Hill...
, in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, according to Roman tradition the sacred grove where
Numa PompiliusNuma Pompilius was the second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus.-Life and Reign:Plutarch tells that Numa was the youngest of Pomponius' four sons, born on the day of Rome's founding . He lived a severe life of discipline and banished all luxury from his home...
and the nymph
EgeriaEgeria was a water nymph in Roman mythology. She was most famously the second wife and counselor of the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius.Her name is used as an eponym for a woman advisor or counselor.-Function:...
used to meet. It was one of the main entries to the city of Rome, since it opened on the
Appian WayThe Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
. The origin of the name is unknown, although it may refer to the fact that the road leads to
CapuaCapua is a city in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. The city is often mistaken for Santa Maria Capua Vetere: the remains of the ancient Capua are effectively located in the latter commune's...
, an important city in
CampaniaCampania is a region of southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,595 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, south of Rome.
Juvenal tells us that the Porta Capena was frequented by beggars. In particular, he says that it was a common place for Jewish beggars. Juvenal, 3.10-16.
Porta Capena square hosts the
FAOThe is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy...
headquarters and the
.