The Velian was reckoned as one of the seven hills on which the
Septimontium was celebrated. The name appears more frequently in the singular, but also in the plural. The hill is described by
Dionysius of Halicarnassus as
ὑψηλὸν ἐπιεικῶς καὶ περίτομον (high and steep). A primitive grave found in 1908 near the Arch of Titus lay at about 28 metres above sea-level, whereas virgin soil was found in the lowest part of the valley occupied by the
Roman Forum at 3.6m, and in connection with the excavation of the
Sepulcretum, at 10.63 metres. The original height of the ridge may have been somewhat diminished by the construction of the
Domus Aurea. The meaning and derivation of the Velia is as uncertain now as it was in antiquity. It is regularly mentioned in extant literature in connection with the
Aedes Deorum Penatium (Temple of the
Penates) and the
Domus Valeriorum (House of the Valerii). == See also ==