Subura — The Hot District of Ancient Rome
Nestled between the Quirinal, Cispius, Viminal, and Esquiline hills in the city of Rome lies the Subura district. It is thought that the name derives from the Etruscan word “spura” (city). In ancient times, this area stretched from the headquarters of the Prefect of Rome to the Esquiline Gate. Once home to the Suburan gate, as Rome absorbed its suburbs, Subura became filled with tenement buildings. Unlike the elite residences of the patricians who preferred the hilltops, the low-lying Subura provided shelter for all sorts of riff-raff.
The ancient Roman poet Martial, who lived in the 1st century AD, called Subura “noisy.” Another poet, Juvenal, referred to it as “seething.” Life was bustling on these streets, where the markets were a hub of activity. Here, anything could be sold at a fair price, from the cheapest food to luxury goods, including exotic items, many of which were made in local workshops. In one of his satires about a woman trying to appear youthful, Martial wrote that her hair (i.e., wig), teeth, and eyebrows were bought in Subura. This was akin to the Roman equivalent of the expression “in Odessa on Malaya Arnautskaya.”
