Domus Aurea

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Location

Sublocation

Region III Isis et Serapis
Oppian Hill
Palantine Hill, Mons Palatinus
Velian Hill, Mons Velia
Caelian Hill, Caelius Mons
Esquiline Hill, Esquilinus Mons

Garden

Garden of the Domus Aurea \

Domus Aurea Pleiades: 410440793

Keywords

Garden Description

Famous for its innovative architecture, the Domus Aurea contained equally impressive gardens. After the fire of 64 CE, Nero erected this monumental residence, replacing the damaged Domus Transitoria. While the exact boundaries of the property are unknown, it is generally thought to have extended from the palaces of the Palatine, across the Velian and Oppian Hills to the Horti Maecenatis and the Horti Lamiani on the Esquiline, down into the valley and up to the Temple to the Divine Claudius on the Caelian Hill (Fig. 1). Gardens and an artificial lake (stagnum) were constructed in this valley, where the Colosseum now stands. Based on the ancient sources, scholars interpreted these gardens as naturalistic, but recent excavations have challenged this view (Suet. Ner. 31.1-2; Tacitus Ann. 15.42.1).

The wing of the palace on the Oppian Hill was composed of sophisticated architecture and decoration typical of elite Horti and suburban villas. The wing was oriented north-south and had commanding southern views over the valley and lake toward the Caelian. The complex probably contained two peristyles, which could have been planted, and two exedrae flanking the octagonal room may have contained gardens. Recently discovered retaining walls confirm that the palace was constructed on terraces, which are likely to have held gardens. Photographs from the 1870s excavations show large numbers of ollae perforatae (planting pots) being removed, suggesting a highly constructed landscape.

The stagnum was located in the valley between the Palatine, Oppian, Esquiline and Caelian Hills. According to the ancient authors, around the stagnum Nero erected buildings which looked like cities, as well as terraces of cultivated land, intermixed with woods of wild animals, and pastures of domesticated animals (Suet. Ner. 31.1-2; Tac. Ann. 15.42.1). Therefore, scholars envisioned the stagnum as a naturalistic lake set into a rustic, unstructured landscape dotted with groups of architecture. Excavations in the late twentieth century indicate that the stagnum was rectilinear and enclosed by a vast portico. The hydraulic system for this lake was utilized in the Flavian Amphitheater that replaced it. This would suggest the landscape was more structured (terraced and planned) and the effect might have been akin to the paintings of villa landscapes that survive from Pompeii and the Bay of Naples. Excavations have also shown that the colossal statue of Nero was enclosed by a pi-shaped (or triple) porticus, lending further support for an interpretation of constructed, planned gardens.

The Domus Tiberiana on the Palatine was incorporated into the Domus Aurea. Resting on cryptoporticoes and vaulted substructures, the palace was surrounded by colonnades which opened onto a hanging garden (nemora pensile), accessible from the Forum by a grand staircase on the north and another to the east.

The unfinished Temple to the Divine Claudius became a monumental nymphaeum. The eastern wall of the temple platform was transformed into ornamental niched facades with abundant fountain jets fed by a new branch of the Aqua Claudia. The brick remains of this nymphaeum are visible today along the Via Claudia. The water features drained into the stagnum.

Figures

Figure 1. Plan of the Domus Aurea and surrounding areas (LTUR, Vol. 2, p. 397).

Dates

post-64 CE

Excavation Date

unspecified

Bibliography

L. Ball, The Domus Aurea and the Roman Architectural Revolution, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2003. (worldcat)
E. Chaplin, Nero, 2003. (worldcat)
E. Segal and I. Sciotino, Domus Aurea, Milano, Electa, 1999. (worldcat)
E.M. Steinby (ed.), Lexicon topographicum urbis Romae, s.v. "Domus Aurea" (various authors), Rome, 1993. (worldcat)
E.M. Steinby (ed.), Lexicon topographicum urbis Romae, s.v. "Domus Tiberiana" (C. Krause), Rome, 1993, pp. 189-197. (worldcat)
J.B. Ward Perkins, Roman Imperial Architecture, Penguin books, 1981, pp. 59-60. (worldcat)

Places

Porticus Liviae

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Location

Sublocation

Region III Isis et Serapis
Oppian Hill
Esquiline Hill Esquilinus Mons \

Garden

Garden of the Porticus Liviae

Keywords

Garden Description

Located on the Oppian hill between the Clivus Suburanus and the later Baths of Trajan (Thermae Traiani) in the Subura, the Porticus Liviae is represented on three fragments of the Severan Marble Plan (FUR). The public porticus was constructed on the site of the grand Domus of Publius Vedius Pollio, who bequeathed his property to Augustus upon his death.

Augustus constructed the Porticus in the name of his wife, Livia. With her son Tiberius, Livia dedicated the complex to Concordia in January 7 BCE. (Ovid Fast. 6.637-48; Suet. Aug. 29; Cassius Dio 54.23.6,55.8.2 | Trans.). The complex was accessed via two flights of stairs from the Clivus Suburanus.

The Porticus (ca. 120 x 75 m.) was enclosed by an outer wall and a roofed double colonnade. There are large rectangular and circular exedrae set behind the individual porticoes. In the center of the Porticus was a large rectangular central feature, and four small features were located at the corners of the colonnades. Scholars debate whether the large central feature was a fountain or, more likely, a shrine to Concordia, dedicated to marital concord and harmony, a major theme of Augustan propaganda. Ovid mentions a shrine to Concordia (Ovid Fast. 6.637-48). The function of the four smaller features located at the corners of the colonnades is also uncertain; perhaps, they were fountains or small niches for the display of statues.

The Porticus featured a central garden. Pliny writes of a single, productive vine stock that covered the walkway with shade (Pliny, HN 14.11), creating a pergola-like effect. The vines were also productive, reportedly producing twelve amphorae of wine per year. A collection of paintings was also displayed in the Porticus (Ovid, Ars Am. 171-72; Strabo 5.3.8). As in other porticoes, Romans would stroll, meet their lovers, or make appointments to meet each other here (Plin. Ep. 1.5.9).

Excavations in 1984 identified pre- and post-Augustan phases, but provided no information about possible gardens. The excavations suggest that the Porticus remained in use until the fifth century CE, but that by the mid-sixth century the Porticus was being used for burials.

Figures

Fig. 2: Reconstruction section of the trellised walkway and two-story colonnade of the Porticus Liviae. © Rhiannon Paré after Holly Spoth-Torres.

Dates

7 CE

Excavation Date

1984- C. Panella

Bibliography

A. Carandini and P. Carafa (eds.), The Atlas of Ancient Rome: Biography and Portraits of the City, 2 vols., Princeton and Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2017. Trans. (worldcat) | Italian (worldcat)
A. Claridge, Rome, 2nd Ed., Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 339-340. (worldcat)
D. Favro, The Urban Image of Augustan Rome, pp. 132-133, 171, 174. (worldcat)
E.M. Steinby (ed.), Lexicon topographicum urbis Romae IV, Roma, Edizioni Quasar, 1999, "Porticus Liviae" (C. Panella), pp. 127-129; "Subura" (K. Welch), pp. 379-383. (worldcat)

Places

Roma Pleiades: 423025

Gardens of the Roman Empire

Domus Aurea

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Keywords

Garden Description

Figures

Dates

Excavation Date

Bibliography

Places

Porticus Liviae

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Keywords

Garden Description

Figures

Dates

Excavation Date

Bibliography

Places