5, 2; Plutarch, Q.Rom.

69), as "Seven-hill-city," probably because the festival of the Septimontium, which was celebrated with great zeal even under the Empire, began to be regarded as a festival for the city generally; but there was hardly any definite agreement reached as to which of the heights embraced by the Servian ring-wall belonged to the "seven." The enumeration of the Seven Mounts familiar to us, viz.

Palatine, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Viminal, Quirinal, Capitoline, is not given by any ancient author.

It is put together from the traditional narrative of the gradual rise of the city (Jordan, Topographie, ii.

206 seq.), and the Janiculum is passed over in it, simply because otherwise the number would come out as eight.