The Carcer Tullianum
You’re looking at the Mamertine Prison—Italian, *Carcere Mamertino*—better known in antiquity as the *Tullianum*. This underground carcer sat in the Comitium area of ancient Rome, on the northeastern slope of the Capitoline Hill, facing the Curia and the imperial forums tied to emperors Nerva, Vespasian, and Augustus. The place’s origins are wrapped in tradition: it’s traditionally said to have been constructed around 640–616 BC, with Ancus Marcius linked to its founding, though the name “Tullianum” itself is uncertain—some connect it to Tullus Hostilius or Servius Tullius, while another theory traces it to an archaic Latin word for a jet of water, hinting at a cistern-like function. Before it became a dungeon for prisoners, it’s described as beginning as a cistern for a spring in the floor of a lower level, with people lowered into the oubliette through an opening. …
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