Argiletum
rgiletum was the paved road on the far northwesterly end of the Basilica Aemilia. The road led from the original Roman Forum to the busy quarter of Subura. It was the place where you could find the booksellers and copyists. However, it was a road of ill fame. Large was the number of passengers there, robbed by skilful pickpockets. In his Aeneid Virgil explains the name Argiletum. "Argi letum" means "the violent death of Argus". The mythical king Euander, king of Pallanteum, would have received Argus, a stranger to him, very hospitably. However, Euander found out that Argus wanted to kill him to take over his empire. This insidious plan was not quite to Euander's liking so he killed Argus when he had arrived at his palace.
Because of the hospitality that bound him to Argus the king gave him a grave at a site that ever since reminds of the death of Argus.
Another explanation is the following: "Argile" means clay, in other words, "Argiletum" would mean something like "place where clay is found or processed into ceramics". (http://intranet.grundel.nl/thinkquest/argiletum.html)
The web site that the text above comes from describes the entire Roman Forum. The site was created by students after a visit to Rome. It is well worth a look. Here is a link to the home page: http://intranet.grundel.nl/thinkquest/
Here is a map showing the location of the Argiletum:
In the center, you can see the word "Subura," and on the left end of the red line, you can see the FORUM. You can also see the Esquiline Hill labeled on the far right.
Suburra (usually spelled Subura in antiquity) is an area of the city of Rome, Italy. In ancient Roman times, it was a crowded lower-class area that was also notorious as a red-light district. It lies in the dip between the southern end of the Viminal and the western end of the Esquiline hills. Most of its inhabitants lived in insulae, tall apartment buildings with tabernae on the ground floor.
Julius Caesar grew up in a family home (domus) in the Subura district, as the Subura had grown up around the property many years before his birth. (From Wikipedia)
