Capitoline Hill
one of the seven hills of Rome, Italy
The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( KAP-it-ə-lyne, kə-PIT-; Italian: Campidoglio [kampiˈdɔʎʎo]; Latin: Mons Capitolinus [ˈmõːs kapɪtoːˈliːnʊs]), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
The hill was earlier known as Mons Saturnius, dedicated to the god Saturn. The word Capitolium first referred to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus which was located on the hill; however, the meaning evolved to refer to the whole hill and even other temples of Jupiter on other hills. In an etymological myth, ancient sources connect the name to caput ("head", "summit") because of a tale that stated that when the foundations for the temple were being laid, a man's head was found. The Capitolium was regarded by the Romans as indestructible, and was adopted as a symbol of eternity.
The word Capitolium is a precursor to the English word capitol, and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. is widely assumed to be named after the Capitoline Hill.
Ancient history
At this hill, the Sabines, creeping to the Citadel, were let in by the Roman maiden Tarpeia. For this treachery, Tarpeia was the first to be punished by being flung from a steep cliff overlooking the Roman Forum. This cliff was later named the Tarpeian Rock after the Vestal Virgin, and became a frequent execution site. The Sabines, who immigrated to Rome following the Rape of the Sabine Women, settled on the Capitoline.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q34925. VIAF identifies the subject as 315527675. The Library of Congress control number is sh92006507. Authority coordinates are 41.893, 12.483. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Capitoline Hill” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.