Palace of Domitian
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The Palace of Domitian was built as Roman emperor
Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...
's official residence in 81–92 AD and was used as such by subsequent emperors. Its remains sit atop and dominate the
Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...
in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, alongside other palaces. The Palace is a massive structure separated today into three areas, in part following the way business matters and private life were separated so they could be conducted in parallel. The modern names used for these parts are: * the
Domus Flavia The Flavian Palace, normally known as the Domus Flavia, is part of the vast Palace of Domitian on the Palatine Hill in Rome. It was completed in 92 AD by Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus,''The Cambridge Ancient History''. Vol. XI. Cambridge: C ...
* the
Domus Augustana The Domus Augustana is the modern name given to the central residential part of the vast Roman Palace of Domitian (92 AD) on the Palatine Hill. In antiquity the name may have applied to the whole of the palace. Its name is not directly related t ...
* the garden or "stadium". It has not been fully exposed as parts lie under more recent buildings. The palace was one of Domitian's many architectural projects, renovation of the
Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and lar ...
, renovation of the
Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
, and three temples deifying his family members: the
temple of Vespasian and Titus The Temple of Vespasian and Titus ( la, Templum divi Vespasiani,Platner, Samuel B., and Ashby, Thomas. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. London: Oxford UP, 1929; p. 556. it, Tempio di Vespasiano) is located in Rome at the western e ...
, the '' Porticus Diuorum'', and the Temple of the gens Flavia.


History

It was designed by the architect Rabirius. The palace was built on top of earlier buildings, notably
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
's
Domus Transitoria The Domus Transitoria was Roman emperor Nero's (r. 54 – 68) first palace damaged or destroyed by the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, and then extended by his Domus Aurea (or Golden House). History The palace was intended to connect all of the imp ...
and the
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
House of the Griffins, significant remains of which have been discovered. Under
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa (Roman province), Africa. As a young man he advanced thro ...
a large extension was added along the southwestern slope of the hill overlooking the Circus Maximus, but otherwise the bulk of the Palace as constructed under Domitian remained remarkably intact for the remainder of the Empire. The Palace functioned as the official residence of the Roman Emperors until the
fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Ancient Rome, Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rul ...
in the 5th century AD.


Domus Flavia

The Domus Flavia is the public wing of the Palace.


Domus Augustana

Domus Augustana was believed to be the private wing of the palace.


The Garden or "stadium"

The so-called "Hippodrome" or "Stadium" of Domitian (160 x 48 m) extends over the entire eastern side of the Domus Augustana. It has the appearance of a Roman
Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
but is too small to accommodate
chariots A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000  ...
. It was in reality a huge and elaborate sunken garden and most of the statuary in the nearby Palatine museum comes from the Stadium. Domitian liked this form of garden as shown by the one he also built at his country villa in the Alban Hills. It may have been used as a private riding school which must have been present in the private villas of the time, according to Pliny the Younger; in the
Acts of the Martyrs Acts of the Martyrs (Latin ''Acta Martyrum'') are accounts of the suffering and death of a Christian martyr or group of martyrs. These accounts were collected and used in church liturgies from early times, as attested by Augustine of Hippo, Saint ...
, a ''Hippodromus Palatii'' is mentioned concerning
Saint Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Dioclet ...
, which must certainly have been this. On the eastern side is a large semi-circular
exedra An exedra (plural: exedras or exedrae) is a semicircular architectural recess or platform, sometimes crowned by a semi-dome, and either set into a building's façade or free-standing. The original Greek sense (''ἐξέδρα'', a seat out of d ...
on three levels which was decorated with sculptures and fountains and commanded views of the garden below, with a belvedere on the top of its concrete dome. Around the perimeter ran a two-storey portico carried on slender columns veneered in expensive coloured marble, the lower level of which was a sheltered promenade and with an elaborate stuccoed roof vault.Rome, An Oxford Archaeological Guide
A. Claridge, 1998


History

The stadium was the last section of the palace to be built after the first two parts were completed in 92 AD. It replaced older buildings dating from the
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
to
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
. Brick stamps show that
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
reinforced the structure of the porticos and that in the
Severan The Severan dynasty was a Roman imperial dynasty that ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235, during the Roman imperial period. The dynasty was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus (), who rose to power after the Year of the Five Empero ...
era the exedra was reduced to a quarter circle externally when the adjacent Severan Baths were built. The small oval enclosure in the southern end dates to the time of Theodoric (early 6th c.) when it was perhaps used as a private amphitheatre (certainly not as a training ground for gladiators, as this type of show was abolished since the time of Honorius). The complex was discovered and excavated in the 18th century which was soon followed by looting which irreparably compromised the state of the building. File:Personificazione della primavera, 300-315 dc ca, dallo stadio del palatino.jpg, "Spring" File:Aphrodite Hera Borghese Palatino Inv51.jpg, Aphrodite (type "Hera Borghese") File:Ninfa seduta su roccia, 69-96 dc ca. da modelli tardo ellenistici del II-I secolo dc., dallo stadio del palatino.jpg, Nymph 69–96 AD File:Staua di musa di tipo dresda-zagabria, 90 dc ca, da orig. del 310 ac ca, dallo stadio del palatino.jpg, Muse 90 AD (type Dresden-Zagreb) File:Torso leaning satyr Louvre Ma664.jpg, Torso of the type of the Leaning satyr. Marble, Roman copy from the reign of Domitian (81–96 AD)


See also

*
List of ancient monuments in Rome This is a list of ancient monuments from Republican and Imperial periods in the city of Rome, Italy. Amphitheaters * Amphitheater of Caligula * Amphitheatrum Castrense * Amphitheater of Nero * Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus * Colosseum Bath ...


References


Other sources

* Fred S. Kleiner. ''A History of Roman Art''. Wadsworth Publishing. 1st Edition. 2007. Chapter 13 Page 187. * Filippo Coarelli, Rome and surroundings, an archaeological guide, University of California Press, London, 2007


External links

* High-resolution 360° Panoramas and Images o
Palace of Domitian , Art Atlas
{{Monuments of Rome Palatine Hill Ancient palaces in Rome Domitian