Mount Algidus (Latin: Algidus Mons , "Chilly Mountain") is the eastern rim of the dormant Alban Volcano in the Alban Hills, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Rome, Italy. The ridge is traversed by a narrow crevasse called the Cava d'Aglio . It was the site of the ancient Roman Battle of Mount Algidus.
The Via Latina, a road that was strategically advantageous in the military history of Rome, leads to the mountain pass beside Mount Algidus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus claimed that a town was founded on the mountain,[1] but this has not been verified by modern scholarship. Although an extensive fortification lines the Maschio d'Ariano , the hill to the south of the Via Latina, this particular structure is entirely medieval and therefore did not exist during the time period described by Dionysius.[2] However, some historical topographers have mistakenly included it on maps meant to illustrate Italy during the Western Roman Empire.
References
edit- ↑ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, x. 21 & xi. 3.
- ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 653.