Hm. The Lacus Curtius is the hole you're thinking of. Livy has two reasons for the name -- first, that it's named for Mettius Curtius, a Sabine cavalryman who gets trapped in a swampy area in the Forum when the Sabines attack the Romans after the whole "Rape of the Sabine Women" incident. The second is nearer to what you have:
In this year [c. 360 BCE], owing either to an earthquake or the action of some other force, the middle of the Forum fell in to an immense depth, presenting the appearance of an enormous cavern. Though all worked their hardest at throwing earth in, they were unable to fill up the gulf, until at the bidding of the gods inquiry was made as to what that was in which the strength of Rome lay. For this, the seers declared, must be sacrificed on that spot if men wished the Roman republic to be eternal. The story goes on that Marcus Curtius, a youth distinguished in war, indignantly asked those who were in doubt what answer to give, whether anything that Rome possessed was more precious than the arms and velour of her sons. As those around stood silent, he looked up to the Capitol and to the temples of the immortal gods which looked down on the Forum, and stretching out his hands first towards heaven and then to the yawning chasm beneath, devoted himself to the gods below. Then mounting his horse, which had been caparisoned as magnificently as possible, he leaped in full armour into the cavern. Gifts and offerings of fruits of the earth were flung in after him by crowds of men and women. (Livy, 7.5)
For me, the story is tainted by knowing that Rome's cav was mostly foreign-born, people who were doing their twenty years to get the title (and privledges) of citizen.
Not in this period: in this period, the cavalry was composed of the sons of the wealthier Roman families and especially the sons of senators. That's why the highest wealth class in Rome was the "Equites" -- it just means "Horsemen." (The only difference between senators and equites in the Republic is that senators have political careers, and equites don't.)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-02-14 05:12 pm (UTC)In this year [c. 360 BCE], owing either to an earthquake or the action of some other force, the middle of the Forum fell in to an immense depth, presenting the appearance of an enormous cavern. Though all worked their hardest at throwing earth in, they were unable to fill up the gulf, until at the bidding of the gods inquiry was made as to what that was in which the strength of Rome lay. For this, the seers declared, must be sacrificed on that spot if men wished the Roman republic to be eternal. The story goes on that Marcus Curtius, a youth distinguished in war, indignantly asked those who were in doubt what answer to give, whether anything that Rome possessed was more precious than the arms and velour of her sons. As those around stood silent, he looked up to the Capitol and to the temples of the immortal gods which looked down on the Forum, and stretching out his hands first towards heaven and then to the yawning chasm beneath, devoted himself to the gods below. Then mounting his horse, which had been caparisoned as magnificently as possible, he leaped in full armour into the cavern. Gifts and offerings of fruits of the earth were flung in after him by crowds of men and women.
(Livy, 7.5)
For me, the story is tainted by knowing that Rome's cav was mostly foreign-born, people who were doing their twenty years to get the title (and privledges) of citizen.
Not in this period: in this period, the cavalry was composed of the sons of the wealthier Roman families and especially the sons of senators. That's why the highest wealth class in Rome was the "Equites" -- it just means "Horsemen." (The only difference between senators and equites in the Republic is that senators have political careers, and equites don't.)
::takes off geek hat and runs away::