The Servian Enceinte: Should the Debate Continue?

Abstract

The article addresses the long-standing scholarly debate over the existence of a continuous ring of Roman defensive fortifications (the so-called 'Servian Wall') during the Late Archaic period (6th century BC). The author challenges the skeptical theories of contemporary researchers (mainly Seth Bernard), who question the continuity of these walls and claim that Rome possessed only scattered fortifications on individual hilltops at that time. Relying on archaeological evidence, textual sources, and analogies with neighboring Etruscan cities, Ziółkowski argues that Rome must have been completely surrounded by a unified wall, and considers the debate itself to be definitively closed.