Porticus Vipsania
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PORTICVS VIPSANIA | |
  Shown within Italy | |
| Alternative name | portico of Vipsania porticus Pollae[1] porticus Europae[2] |
|---|---|
| Location | Italy |
| Region | Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio |
| Type | portico |
The Porticus Vipsania (Latin for the "Vipsanian Portico"), also known as the Portico of Agrippa (Porticus Agrippae), was a portico near the Via Flaminia in the Campus Agrippae of ancient Rome, famed for its map of the world (actually an example of a Roman itinerarium).[3] It was designed by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and constructed by his sister Vipsania Polla after Agrippa died.[4][5] The map was named either directly after Vipsania Polla or the gens Vipsania, which Polla and her brother Agrippa belonged to.[6][7]
Augustus had a world map engraved on marble, following the descriptions given in Agrippa's geographical work, the Commentarii.[8] Agrippa began construction of the map before he died in 12 BC, after which his sister Vipsania Polla oversaw the project.[9] It was not yet completed by 7 BC when Augustus opened the Campus Agrippae to the public. Polla had likely died before this[10] as Augustus was the one who finished the project at a later date.[11] It was the relatives of a person who were responsible for completing tasks begun by a person. Once his sister died, Augustus who was Agrippa's father-in-law likely felt responsible for it. It was considered inappropriate to interfere with another family's work so Augustus included a description of the portico that explained the process of its making.[6] Although the Porticus Vipsania has not survived, a description of it is given in Natural History by Pliny the Elder, and it is also known through the Peutinger Map.
