The Vatican Hill is not one of the seven hills of ancient Rome. In antiquity this area was known for its bad wine and was considered boggy and unhealthful to the Romans. This situation was remedied when Agrippina (d. 33 CE) drained the valley and erected terraces for gardens on the hillside. It was here that her son, the emperor Gaius (Caligula), constructed a circus for the entertainment of the populace. The emperor Nero in 59 CE took over the circus with its adjacent gardens. This Circus of Nero is the site of the persecution of early Christians reported by Tacitus.
Since it was outside the walls of the ancient city, the area was used extensively for burials. Victims of the circus games, as well as other Romans, were buried on the Vatican hillside. Underneath the current St. Peter's Basilica, an ancient necropolis has been excavated, and an early Christian shine to the tomb of St. Peter has been uncovered.
