Aventine Hill
One of the seven hills of Rome, associated with the fire-breathing monster Cacus and Heracles' cattle.
The Story of Aventine Hill
When Heracles was driving the cattle of Geryon back from the far west, he rested near the Tiber River. The monstrous Cacus — son of Hephaestus and a fire-breathing giant — crept out and stole some of the herd, dragging them backwards into his cave on the Aventine Hill so their tracks would mislead Heracles. When the stolen cattle lowed and Heracles discovered the deception, he tore the top off the hill itself to get at Cacus and strangled the monster. In gratitude, local farmers established an altar to Heracles at what became the Ara Maxima in Rome.
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{Cacus (monster)}
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Fun Fact
The Romans believed Heracles' altar on the Aventine — the Ara Maxima — was the oldest altar in Rome, predating the city's foundation by generations.
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