Decumanus

In Romanurban planning,adecumanuswas an east–west-oriented road in aRomancity orcastrum(military camp).^[1]The maindecumanusof a particular city was thedecumanus maximus,or most often simply "thedecumanus".^[2]In the rectangular street grid of the typical Romancity plan,thedecumanuswas crossed by the perpendicularcardo,a north–south street.

In a military camp, thedecumanusconnected the Porta Praetoria (closest to the enemy) to thePorta Decumana(away from the enemy).^[3]^[4]

In the center – calledgroma– of a city orcastrum,thedecumanus maximuscrossed the perpendicularcardomaximus,the primary north–south road. Theforumwas normally located close to this intersection of thedecumanus maximusand thecardo maximus.

Etymology

Decumanusordecimanuswas theLatinword for 'tenth'. This name is said to come from the fact that thevia decumanaordecimana(the "tenth" ) separated the TenthCohortfrom the Ninth in the legionary encampment, in the same way as thevia quintanaseparated the Fifth Cohort from the Sixth.

Examples

Barcino, Barcelona

In the ancient Roman city ofBarcino(present dayBarcelona,Spain), thedecumanus maximusstarted at the late-Roman gate (which still stands) in front of the currentPlaça Novasquare.^[5]

Within the city ofSplit,in present-dayCroatia,is the UNESCO Roman monument,Diocletian's Palace.This city, built by the EmperorDiocletian,exhibits the characteristic Roman orthogonal street system with thedecumanus maximusconnecting the west Iron Gate to the east Silver Gate.^[6]

Gadara, Jordan

In RomanGadara,present-dayUmm Qais,inJordan,thedecumanusruns east–west for approximately one kilometre with its ancientflagstonesextant.^[7]

Damascus, Syria

Another fine example is theStraight StreetorVia RectainDamascus,which is 1,500 metres long, connecting the eastern and western gates.

Beirut, Lebanon

InBeirut'scentral business district,Rue Weygand,which runs east–west, still follows the ancientRomandecumanus.^[8]

In Florence, thedecumanusis preserved as the streets Via Strozzi, Via Speziali, and Via del Corso in the city's old centre. Although these streets have different names, they form a continuous line with a split between the Via Strozzi and Via Speziali by the Palazzo Strozzi. In Roman times, these three streets formed thedecumanusof Florentina, the name of the Romancolonia.The Via Roma and the Via Calimala are formed from the ancientcardo,and what was once the forum in ancient Florence is now the Piazza della Repubblica.

InNaples,there still exist three maindecumaniwhich are, from north to south:^[9]

Superiore:consisting of Via Sapienza, Via Pisanelli, and Via Anticaglia;
Maggiore:Via dei Tribunali;
Inferiore:Via Spaccanapoli, consisting of Via Benedetto Croce and Via San Biagio dei Librai.

Gallery

Plan ofSilchester,England
Plan of RomanCologne
AncientNaples,decumaniin red
Sign indicating thedecumanus maximusinOstia Antica
Ostia Antica, near Rome

References

^John E. Stambaugh (1 May 1988).The Ancient Roman City.JHU Press. pp. 283–.ISBN 978-0-8018-3692-3.
^The City Walls of Pompeii: Perceptions and Expressions of a Monumental Boundary by Ivo van der Graaff, M.A. Dissertation. Graduate School of The University of Texas, p. 90
^Christoph F. Konrad (2004).Augusto Augurio: Rerum Humanarum Et Divinarum Commentationes in Honorem Jerzy Linderski.Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 126–.ISBN 978-3-515-08578-6.
^Alan Kaiser (14 October 2011).Roman Urban Street Networks: Streets and the Organization of Space in Four Cities.Taylor & Francis. pp. 160–.ISBN 978-1-136-76006-8.
^William E. Mierse (6 November 1999).Temples and Towns in Roman Iberia: The Social and Architectural Dynamics of Sanctuary Designs, from the Third Century B.C. to the Third Century A.D.University of California Press. p. 79.ISBN 978-0-520-91733-0.
^C.Michael Hogan, "Diocletian's Palace", The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham, Oct. 6, 2007
^Ivan Mannheim,Jordan Handbook: The Travel Guide,2000. Footprint Travel Guides, 404 pages,ISBN 1-900949-69-5
^Mannheim, Ivan,Syria & Lebanon Handbook: the Travel Guide,page
^Fondazione GB Vico Archived2014-03-11 at theWayback Machine,entry on Decumani.

External Resources

Exhaustive list of Roman decumanus maximus

[Stambaugh19883-1] John E. Stambaugh (1 May 1988).The Ancient Roman City.JHU Press. pp. 283–.ISBN 978-0-8018-3692-3.

[2] The City Walls of Pompeii: Perceptions and Expressions of a Monumental Boundary by Ivo van der Graaff, M.A. Dissertation. Graduate School of The University of Texas, p. 90

[Konrad2004-3] Christoph F. Konrad (2004).Augusto Augurio: Rerum Humanarum Et Divinarum Commentationes in Honorem Jerzy Linderski.Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 126–.ISBN 978-3-515-08578-6.

[Kaiser2011-4] Alan Kaiser (14 October 2011).Roman Urban Street Networks: Streets and the Organization of Space in Four Cities.Taylor & Francis. pp. 160–.ISBN 978-1-136-76006-8.

[Mierse1999-5] William E. Mierse (6 November 1999).Temples and Towns in Roman Iberia: The Social and Architectural Dynamics of Sanctuary Designs, from the Third Century B.C. to the Third Century A.D.University of California Press. p. 79.ISBN 978-0-520-91733-0.

[6] C.Michael Hogan, "Diocletian's Palace", The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham, Oct. 6, 2007

[7] Ivan Mannheim,Jordan Handbook: The Travel Guide,2000. Footprint Travel Guides, 404 pages,ISBN 1-900949-69-5

[8] Mannheim, Ivan,Syria & Lebanon Handbook: the Travel Guide,page

[9] Fondazione GB Vico Archived2014-03-11 at theWayback Machine,entry on Decumani.

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