Porticus Vipsania

Ancient Roman map of the world

Shown within Italy

Alternative nameportico of Vipsania
porticus Pollae^[1]
porticus Europae^[2]LocationItalyRegionMetropolitan City of Rome Capital, LazioTypeportico

The Porticus Vipsania (Latin for the "Vipsanian Portico"), also known as the Portico of Agrippa (Porticus Agrippae), was a portico near the Via Flaminia in the Campus Agrippae of ancient Rome, famed for its map of the world. It was designed by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and constructed by his sister Vipsania Polla after Agrippa died.^[3]^[4] The map was named either directly after Vipsania Polla or the gens Vipsania, which Polla and her brother Agrippa belonged to.^[5]^[6]

History

Augustus had a world map engraved on marble, following the descriptions given in Agrippa's geographical work, the Commentarii.^[7] Agrippa began construction of the map before his death in 12 BC, after which his sister Vipsania Polla oversaw the project.^[8] It was not yet completed by 7 BC when Augustus opened the Campus Agrippae to the public. Polla had likely died before this^[9] as Augustus was the one who finished the project at a later date.^[10] It was the relatives of a person who were responsible for completing tasks begun by a person, once his sister died Augustus who was Agrippa's father-in-law likely felt responsible for it. It was considered inappropriate to interfere with another family's work so Augustus included a description of the portico that explained the process of its making.^[5] Although the Porticus Vipsania has not survived, a description of it is given in Natural History by Pliny the Elder, and it is also known through the Peutinger Map.

Location

Plan of the central Campus Martius
Baths of Nero Stadium of Domitian Pantheon Basilica of Neptune Baths of Agrippa Stagnum ? Odeon of Domitian Warehouses? Warehouses? Warehouses? Saepta Julia Diribitorium Porticus Divorum Aqua Virgo Arch of Claudius Porticus Vipsania Barracks of the Vigiles Temple of Isis and Serapis Temple of Minerva Chalcidica Altar of Mars Via Flaminia Via Flaminia Temple of Hadrian Temple of Matidia Theater of Pompey Temples of Largo Argentina Porticus Minucia Column of Marcus Aurelius T. of M.Aurelius and Faustina (?) Arch of M.Aurelius (?) Column of Antoninus Pius Ustrinum Antoninorum Ustrinum M. Aurelii Via Recta Portico of Pompey Arcus Novus Porticus Meleagri Porticus of the Argonauts Piazza della Rotonda Villa Publica

Plan of the central Campus Martius

Baths
of Nero

Stadium of
Domitian

Pantheon

Basilica
of Neptune

Baths
of Agrippa

Stagnum ?

Odeon of
Domitian

Warehouses?

Saepta

Julia

Diribitorium

Porticus
Divorum

Aqua
Virgo

Arch of
Claudius

Porticus
Vipsania

Barracks of
the Vigiles

Temple of
Isis and
Serapis

Temple of
Minerva
Chalcidica

Altar
of Mars

Via
Flaminia

Temple of
Hadrian

Temple of
Matidia

Theater of
Pompey

Temples of
Largo Argentina

Porticus
Minucia

Column of
Marcus Aurelius

T. of M.Aurelius
and Faustina (?)

Arch of
M.Aurelius (?)

Column
of Antoninus Pius

Ustrinum
Antoninorum

Ustrinum
M. Aurelii

Via Recta

Portico of
Pompey

Arcus
Novus

Porticus
Meleagri

Porticus of the
Argonauts

Piazza
della
Rotonda

Villa
Publica

References

^ Martial's Epigrams Book Two. Translated by Williams, Craig A. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 70. ISBN 9780195348200. OCLC 59713644. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
^ Duff, James Duff, ed. (1932). D. Ivnii Ivvenalis Satvrae XIV. Fourteen satires of Juvenal. University of Michigan: The University Press. p. 223. OCLC 164922. Satvrae XIV. Fourteen satires at the Internet Archive
^ "www.quondam.com/e28/2897.htm". www.quondam.com.
^ Rodriguez, Connie (1992). "The Porticus Vipsania and Contemporary Poetry". Latomus. 51 (1): 79–93. JSTOR 41536195.
^ ^a ^b Bianchetti, Serena; Cataudella, Michele; Gehrke, Hans-Joachim (2015). Brill's Companion to Ancient Geography: The Inhabited World in Greek and Roman Tradition. Brill's Companions in Classical Studies. BRILL. p. 219. ISBN 9789004284715.
^ Reinhold, Meyer (1933). Marcus Agrippa. Studia historica. Vol. 16. University of Michigan: Humphrey Press. p. 136.
^ "Lacus Curtius Porticus Vipsania (Platner & Ashby, 1929)". penelope.uchicago.edu.
^ Swan, Peter Michael (2004). The Augustan Succession: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History Books 55-56 (9 B.C.-A.D. 14). Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780195347142.
^ Bianchetti, Serena; Cataudella, Michele; Gehrke, Hans-Joachim (2015). Brill's Companion to Ancient Geography: The Inhabited World in Greek and Roman Tradition. Brill's Companions in Classical Studies. BRILL. p. 221. ISBN 9789004284715.
^ Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Vol. 63. University of Chicago: Royal Irish Academy. 1963. p. 151.