Atrium Libertatis

vol. XIII p.103-104

Libertatis atrium

A building in Rome near the forum. Only Cic. Att. IV 16, 14 helps to determine its location, according to which Caesar had planned to extend the forum up to the Atrium Libertatis. With regards to this, <60> Mommsen (Herm. XXIII 631) takes note of the fact that Cassiodorus often directly connects the Atrium Libertatis with the curia, and once (var. VIII 10) he even makes use of the term atria libertatis. Ennod. op. 49, 132 also calls the senate sacrarium libertatis. This implies that the atria libertatis and the curia were identical - or, to be more exact, that there was a temple and a large hall to Libertas at or in the curia. This matches the fact that, in the church of S. Adriano (= curia, vol. IV p.1824), there was the inscription CIL VI 1794, <page break 103/104> according to which one of Theoderich’s officials made improvements to the Atrium Libertatis; close by, in the S. Martina (= secretarium senatus) CIL VI 470 senatus populusque Romanus Libertati, perhaps the temple’s dedicatory inscription. This location is also supported by the information in Anonym. Einsidl. to CIL VI 372 ‘in Capitolio’: Libertati ab imp. Nervae restitute SPQR. <10> CIL VI 10 025 should also be mentioned. It doesn’t seem to be impossible for the Atrium Libertatis to have always been at the curia, and this would also be compatible with Cicero’s writings. Serv. Aen. I 726 uses the Atrium Libertatis as evidence for the fact that people called magnas aedes et capacissimas atria (cf. Thes. ling. lat. II 1102, 75).

According to Ovid. fast. IV 623, the temple was dedicated on 13th April. In Liv. XXXIV 44, 5 and XLIII 16, 13, we have evidence that in the years 194 and 169, the Atrium Libertatis was an office for the censors; for the year 194 he says: Atrium Libertatis et villa publica ab iisdem refecta ampliataque; this would tie in with the fire mentioned by Cato (frg. 1, Fest. 241). We also hear that hostages were held there (Liv. XXV 7, 12, 212 BCE) and laws were kept there (Fest. 241. Gran. Lic. 10, 2); in the year 168, freedmen were enlisted into one of the city tribes there (Liv. XLV 15, 5). <30> In the year 52, slaves were tortured inside (Cic. Mil. 59). After 39 CE, Asinius Pollio, spending the plunder from Dalmatia, set up the library there (vol. II p.1600, vol. III p.417).

The story of Galba’s death has lead to some false placements of the Atrium Libertatis (on the Aventine or Campus Martius). At the time, according to Tac. Hist. I 31, the order was given ut Germanicos milites e Libertatis atrio accerserent. <40> However, according to Sueton. Galb. 20, these were itinere devio per ignorantiam locorum retardati. Also, the fragment of Forma urbis (III 25f.) which contains the northern apse of the Basilica Ulpia with the inscription Libertatis has lead people astray; this must refer to a different sanctuary. Wissowa thinks that this was where the Atrium Libertatis originally was. <50>

cf. Jordan Topogr. Roms I 2, 460. O. Richter Topogr. 108f. Hülsen Möm. Mitt. 1889, 240. Bull. com. 1889, 362. Wissowa Myth. Lex. II 2032. See also p.102.

[Kroll.]