Smith, William, A new classical dictionary of Greek and Roman biography mythology and geography

(New York :  Harper & Brothers,  1884.)

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RICINA.
 

IIOM.a
 

was proclaimed emperor by Ricimer, who died,

however, only forty days after the sack of Rome.

  Rioina.  1. (Ricinensis), a town in Picenum,

colonized by the Emperor Severus.  Its mines

are on the River Potenza, near Macerata.—2.

Une of the Ebuda; Insulae, or the Hebrides.

  Rigodolum (now Reol), a town ofthe Treviri

in Gallia Belgica,  distant  three days'  march

from Mogontiacum.

  [Ripheoo, or, more correctly, Rhipeos ('P«r-

 >c)i8Tiojan  warrior, who joined the band of

<Eneas the night  that Troy was burned, and

fought with great bravery until he was at length

overpoweied by superior numbers: he is com¬

mended for ms piety and justice.]

  Robigos  or Robigo, is  described  by some

Latin writers  as a divinity worshipped for the

purpose  of averting blight or  too great heat

from the  young corn-fields.  The festival of the

Robigalia was celebrated on the twenty-fifth of

April, and was said to have been instituted by

Numa.  But considering the  uncertainty ofthe

ancients themselves as to whether the divinity

was  masculine or feminine,  and that  the Ro¬

mans did not pay divine  honors to any evil de¬

mon, it is probable that the divinity Robigus or

Robigo is only an  abstraction of the later Ro¬

mans from the festival of the Robigalia.

  Robus, a fortress in the territory ofthe Rau-

raei,  in Gallia  Belgica, which was built by Va¬

lentinian  near  Basilia, A.D. 374.

  Roma (Romanus : now Rome), the capital of

Italy and ofthe world, was situated on the left

bank of the River Tiber, on  the northwestern

confines of Latium, about sixteen  miles from

tfee sea.—A. History of the City.  Rome is

aaid to have been  a colony from Alba Longa,

and to have been  founded by  Romulus about

BC  753.   Fid. Romulus.  All traditions agree

■hat  the original city comprised only the Mons

Palatinus or Palatium, and some portion of the

ground immediately below it.  It was surround¬

ed by walls, which followed the line of the Po-

mosrium (vid. Did. of Antiq., s. v ), and was built

in a  square form,  whence it was called Roma

Quadrata.  This city  on the Palatine was  in¬

habited only  by Latins.  On the neighboring

hills  there also existed from the earliest times

settlements  of Sabines  and Etruscans  The

Sabine town, probably called Quirium,  and in¬

habited by Quirites, was  situated on the bills to

the north of the Palatine, that is, the Quirinalis

and Capitolinus, or Capitolium,  on the latter of

which hills was the Sabine Arx or  citadel.

These Latin  and Sabine towns afterward be¬

came united, according to tradition, in the reign

of Romulus, and the two  nations formed one

collective body, known under the name  of

" Populus Romanus (et) Quirites."  The Etrus¬

cans were settled on Mons Calius, and  extend¬

ed over Mons Cispius and Mons Oppius, which

are part of the Esquiline.  These Etruscans

were  at  an early period incorporated in the

Roman state, but  were  compelled to  abandon

their  seats on the hills, and to take  up their

abode in  the plains between the Cselius and the

Esquiline, whence the Vicus  Tuscus derived its

name.  Under the kings the city rapidly grew

in population and in size.  Ancus Maicius add¬

ed the Mons Aventinus to the city.   Tie same

king also built a fortress on the Janicvlns, a hill
 

 on the other side of the Tiber, as t r  itecti >r.

 against the Etruscans, and cor.nected it with

 the city by means ofthe Pons Sublicius   Rome

 was still further improved and enlarged 1 v Tar

 quinius Priscus and Servius Tullius   The for¬

 mer of these kings constructed the vast sewers

 (cloaca), by which the lower part of the city be-

 tween the Palatine and Capitol  was diained,

 and which  still  remain  without  a stone dis¬

 placed.  He also laid out the Circu3 Maximus

 and the Forum, and, according to some  tradi

 tions, commenced the erection ofthe Capitoline

 temple, which  was finished by Tarquinius Su¬

 perbus.  The completion of the city, however,

 was ascribed  to  Servius Tullius.  This  king

 added the Mons Viminalis and Mor.s Esquilinus,

 and surrounded the whole city with a line of

 fortifications, which comprised  all the seven

 hills  of Rome (Palatinus,  Capitolinus, Quiri

 nalis, Calius, Aventinus, Viminalis, Esquilinus)

 Hence Rome was called Urbs Septicollis.  These

 fortifications were about seven miles in circum¬

 ference.  A_t the same time, Servius extended

 the pomcerium so as  to make the  sacred in

 closure ofthe city identical with  its walls.  In

 B.C. 390  Rome was entirely destroyed by the

 Gauls, with the exception  of a few  houses on

 the Palatine.   On the departure of the barbari¬

 ans it  was rebuilt in great haste and confusion,

 without any attention to regularity, and  with

 narrow and crooked streets   Ater the con¬

 quest ofthe Carthaginians  and of the monarchs

 of Macedonia  and Syria, the city began to be

 adorned with many public  buildings and hand.

 some  private houses; and it was still further

 embellished by Augustus, who introduced great

 improvements into all parts of the city, and both

 erected many  public buildings himself, and in

 duced all the leading nobles of his court to fol¬

 low his example.  So greatly had the appear¬

 ance of the city improved  during his long and

 prosperous reign, that he used to boast that he

j had found the  city of brick, and had left it  of

 marble.  Still  the main features of the city re¬

 mained the same ; and the narrow streets and

 mean  houses formed a striking and disagreeable

 contrast to the splendid public buildings and

 magnificent palaces which had been recently

 erected.  The great fire at Rome in the reign of

 Nero (A.D. 64) destroyed two thirds ofthe city.

 Nero  availed himself of this opportunity to in

 dulge  his passion for building ; and the eity now

 assumed a more regular and stately appearance.

 The new streets  were  made both  wide and

 stiaight;  the height of the houses was restrict¬

 ed ; and a certain part of each was required to

 be built of Gabian or Alban stone, which was

 proof  against fire.  Rome had long since ex¬

 tended beyond the  walls of Servius Tullius;

 but down to the  third century of the Christian

 era the walls of this monarch continued to mark

 the limits of the city properly so called.  These

 walls, however, had long since been rendered

 quite  useless,  and the city wis  therefore left

 without any fortifications.  Accordingly, theEm-

 peror  Aurelian determined to surround Rome

 with new walls, which embraced the city of

 Servius Tullius and all the suburbs which had

 subsequently grown up around it, such as the

 M. Janiculus on the right  bank of the Tiber

 and the Collis Hortulm um or Mons Pincianus ot

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