▁the ▁Circ us ▁of ▁N ero ▁on ▁land ▁now ▁covered ▁by ▁the ▁southern ▁wall ▁of ▁St . ▁Peter ' s ▁Bas il ica . ▁The ▁location ▁is ▁closely ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁Via ▁A ure lia ▁and ▁the ▁Via ▁Tri umph alis . ▁ ▁History ▁▁ ▁There ▁is ▁some ▁belief ▁amongst ▁ar che olog ists ▁that ▁the ▁Via ▁Corn elia ▁did ▁not ▁exist ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁name ▁is ▁a ▁m util ation ▁of ▁the ▁name , ▁Via ▁A ure lia . ▁This ▁conject ure ▁st ems ▁from ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁Via ▁Corn elia ▁is ▁only ▁mentioned ▁in ▁the ▁it iner aries ▁and ▁witness es ▁of ▁the ▁sevent h ▁and ▁e ighth ▁centuries ; ▁for ▁in ▁those ▁centuries ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁Rome ▁decre ased ▁from ▁approximately ▁one ▁and ▁a ▁half ▁million ▁to ▁si xty ▁thousand ▁and , ▁the ▁people ▁were ▁imp over ished ▁and ▁could ▁hardly ▁speak ▁Latin ▁well . ▁These ▁citizens ▁also ▁would ▁have ▁had ▁no ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁top ography ▁of ▁the ▁Imperial ▁period . ▁Con tr ary ▁to ▁these ▁likely ▁unf ounded ▁not ations , ▁well - authentic ated ▁documents ▁from ▁the ▁fourth ▁century ▁state ▁that ▁Saint ▁Peter ▁was ▁buried ▁along ▁the ▁Via ▁Tri umph alis . ▁ ▁An ▁exc av ation ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 4 ▁at ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁P is id ian ▁Ant io ch ▁discovered ▁an ▁ins cribed ▁stone ▁d ating ▁from ▁approximately ▁ 9 3 ▁AD ▁that ▁offers ▁strong ▁evidence ▁that ▁the ▁Via ▁Corn elia ▁had ▁existed ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁Const antine .