Extract

Palatine, the chief of the *Seven hills of Rome, traditionally (Tac. Ann. 12. 24; Dion. Hal. 1. 87; Livy 1. 7, etc. ) the site of the oldest settlement there; in legend, the home of *Evander and *Romulus. Tradition assigns fortifications to the hill, and this seems to be confirmed by recent archaeological work. Early settlement is represented by archaic cisterns and the remains of Iron Age huts on both the N slope and SW corner of the hill; one example, identified as the ‘hut of Romulus’ was preserved in historic times. Temples on the hill included those dedicated to *Victoria (294 bce) and the Magna Mater (191; see cybele). Many aristocratic houses occupied the hill and the slopes which led down to the Forum, from the late 6th cent. bce onwards, as recent excavations have confirmed; famous owners included M. *Fulvius Flaccus, Q.