The Capitol or Citadel of ancient Rome stood on the Capitoline hill, the
smallest of the seven hills of Rome, called the _Saturnine_ and
_Tarpeian rock_. It was begun B.C. 614, by Tarquinius Priscus, but was
not completed till after the expulsion of the kings. After being thrice
destroyed by fire and civil commotion, it was rebuilt by Domitian, who
instituted there the Capitoline games. Dionysius says the temple, with
the exterior palaces, was 200 feet long, and 185 broad. The whole
building consisted of three temples, which were dedicated to Jupiter,
Juno, and Minerva, and separated from one another by walls. In the wide
portico, triumphal banquets were given to the people. The statue of
Jupiter, in the Capitol, represented the god sitting on a throne of
ivory and gold, and consisted in the earliest times of clay painted red;
under Trajan, it was formed of gold. The roof of the temple was made of
bronze; it was gilded by Q. Catulus. The doors were of the same metal.
Splendor and expense were profusely lavished upon the whole edifice. The
gilding alone cost 12,000 talents (about $12,000,000), for which reason
the Romans called it the _Golden Capitol_. On the pediment stood a
chariot drawn by four horses, at first of clay, and afterwards of brass
gilded. The temple itself contained an immense quantity of the most
magnificent presents. The most important state papers, and particularly
the Sibylline books were preserved in it. A few pillars and some ruins
are all that now remain of the magnificent temple of Jupiter
Capitolinus. Its site is mostly occupied by the church of the
Franciscans, and partly by the modern capitol called the _Campidoglio_,
which was erected after the design of Michael Angelo, consisting of
three buildings. From the summit of the middle one, the spectator has a
splendid view of one of the most remarkable regions in the world--the
Campagna, up to the mountains. For a description of the Colosseum, see
vol ii, page 29, of this work.