Gardens of the Roman Empire

Domus Flavia, Upper Peristyle and Nymphaea

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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Garden

Upper Peristyle and Nymphaea of the Domus Flavia, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

UPPER PERISTYLE AND NYMPHAEA

The grandiose Palace that the architect Rabirius built for Domitian when garden art was at its apex made an enormous impression on his contemporaries, as one gathers from the praises heaped upon it by the writers of the time- in particular Statius and Martial. The latter refers to the trees and gardens of this palace, reporting that Domitian owned "entire woods of laurels, plane-trees and pines" (Mart. XII, 50 | Trans.. Further confirmation of gardens comes from numerous inscriptions that document the existence of a vilicus (CIL VI, 8650) and diaetarchus (CIL VI, 8643-8645) within the Flavian palace.

In the Domus Flavia, the public part of the building, a principal garden was located in the large peristyle. Decorated in the center by an octagonal fountain in the form of a labyrinth, an old motif that finds precedents in the gardens of Alexandria, this Flavian garden was surrounded by porticoes and flanked by a series of rooms from which one enjoyed the view of fountains and flowerbeds through wide windows (Fig. 2).

This large, sunny peristyle is likely "the place called Sicilia" near the Coenatio Iovis, probably the triclinium of the Palace, just to the south where Pertinax was assassinated in 193 CE. (Hist. Aug., Pertin. 11 | Trans.). Furthermore, it is known that the coenationes (eating rooms) of large imperial villas were placed close to gardens and fountains (Plut., Luc., 41.6-7). The Ambrosiae dapes and the Palatinae mensae, during which refined drinks and nectar were drunk (Stat., Silv. IV.2.18 ff; Mart. VIII.39.5-6 | Trans.), must have taken place here, where the guests could enjoy the view of the broad gardens in the nearby peristyle with its riches of statues and the sounds of water from fountains. Two elliptical fountains, placed symmetrically to the sides of the triclinium, were visible through large windows. One is still partially preserved, consisting of a rectangular basin covered in marble, within which rose the elliptical fountain decorated with niches, from which spurted numerous jets (Fig. 3).

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Gardens of the Republican Domus (A)
Garden of the House of Augustus (B)
Garden of the Domus Tiberiana (C)
Garden of the Neronian Palace (D)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)
Garden of the Severan Complex (I)

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: View of the Domus Flavia peristyle. Photograph of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma.

Fig. 3: Western nymphaeum after restoration (Photo SAR).

Dates

1st c- 5th c CE

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

The Severan Complex

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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Garden

Garden of the Severan Complex, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

The most visible remains from this period are a massive series of substructure arcades along the slope of the Palatine overlooking the Circus Maximus. It had been considered that this area was a thermae, a bath complex, from the time of Septimius Severus, but recent excavations and studies have shown at least part to have been occupied by the Domitianic building phase. Until the time of Maxentius, who built baths, this private wing of the palace was intended for otium and open-air promenades and was embellished with vast areas of gardens, pools and fountains.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Gardens of the Republican Domus (A)
Garden of the House of Augustus (B)
Garden of the Domus Tiberiana (C)
Garden of the Neronian Palace (D)
Garden of the Domus Flavia (E)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Dates

1st century CE to 4th century CE

Bibliography

M.A. Tomei, Nota sui giardini antichi del Palatino, Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome (MEFRA), 104, 1992, 2, pp. 917-951. (worldcat)
M.A. Tomei, Il Giardino dei Cesari, Catalogo Mostra, Roma 2001. (worldcat)
A. Hoffmann & U. Wulf, "Bade oder Villenluxus? Zur Neuinterpretation del 'Domus Severiana,'" in Hoffman, Wulf & Angermeyer, Die Kaiserpaläste auf dem Palatin in Rom, Mainz am Rhein, 2004: 153-185. (worldcat)

Places

Temple of the Severan family Pleiades: 584305092

The Palatine 'Stadium'

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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Location

Sublocation

Palatine Hill \

Mons Palatinus Pleiades: 971691208

Garden

Stadium Garden of the Flavian Palace, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

An important garden area in the Flavian Palace was the so-called "Stadium", actually a hippodromus, as late authors in fact called it. This term, which is often used with regard to major villas, usually indicates an elongated rectangular space marked by a wide annular avenue, lesser avenues, and flowerbeds. These structures (the Palatine is one of the most representative examples) derive from the gymnasia of the Greek world (Vitr. V.11) and were characterized by a portico-avenue intended for promenading and the viewing of a succession of panoramas.

The Palatine Hippodrome, which has the form of an elongated courtyard with a rounded end (m. 160 x 48), is surrounded by a portico of a later date supported by pillars and columns (Fig. 2). In the middle there was a large avenue (gestatio) for promenades on foot, in litters or in carriages, according to a custom documented by both Martial (Ep. I.12; I.82 | Trans.) and Juvenal (Satires 3.VIII.178).

We know that these gestationes were furnished as art galleries with many statues and other decorations. Among the numerous sculptures that once adorned this garden were discovered a head of Apollo, a veiled head of the Sosandra type, a Hygieia Hope, the statue of the Hera Borghese type (Fig. 3) and two seated nymphs.

An exedra, from which one enjoyed a splendid view of the garden, opened onto the eastern side of the Hippodrome. On the short side of the north, the garden was dominated by a square room with niches, which is interpreted as a grandiose nymphaeum decorated with multiple fountains fed by a series of large cisterns (plumbing components).

At the ends of the Hippodrome the remains of two semicircular fountains are partially preserved. In the middle there must have been an open garden space, confirmed by water conduits and the lack of paving (Fig. 4). It is possible that the viridarium mentioned as existing within the imperial palaces, to which Heliogabalus had a mountain of snow transported (Hist. Aug., Heliog. 23.8 | Trans.), was located here.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: The "Stadium." (Photo SAR).

Fig. 3: The so-called Hera Borghese. (Photo SAR).

Fig. 4: Hypothetical reconstruction of the "Stadium"

Credit: (after C. Huelsen, Forum und Palatin, Munch 1926, plate 58).

Dates

81-92 CE

Excavation Date

unspecified

Bibliography

M.A. Tomei, Nota sui giardini antichi del Palatino, Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome (MEFRA), 104, 1992, 2, pp. 917-951. (worldcat)
M.A. Tomei, Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001: 73-75 (with additional bibliography). (worldcat)
A. Hoffmann & U. Wulf, "Bade oder Villenluxus? Zur Neuinterpretation del 'Domus Severiana,'" in Hoffman, Wulf & Angermeyer, Die Kaiserpaläste auf dem Palatin in Rom, Mainz am Rhein, 2004: 153-185. (worldcat)

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

Domus Tiberiana

Mon, 03 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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Location

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Garden

Garden of the Domus Tiberiana, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

The remains of this domus, on the western part of the Palatine, are now under the Renaissance Farnese gardens. The Domus Tiberiana is first mentioned after the death of Nero: Plutarch and Tacitus refer to it in the context of the turbulent events of 69 CE ( Plut. Galba, 24.4; Tac. Hist. 1.27; Suet. Vit. 15.3 | Trans.; Suet. Otho 6.2). It was an imperial residence for later emperors, including Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus (Hist. Aug. Pius 10.4 | Trans.; Hist. Aug. Marc. 6.3 | Trans.; Hist. Aug. Ver.2.4, 6.3-4 | Trans.; Cass. Dio 72.35.4 | Trans.), although Nero and Domitian appear to have made the most changes to the original design.

For Francesco I, Duke of Parma, F. Bianchini made the first recorded systematic excavations, from 1720 to 1729. Later excavations were carried out in the late nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century, with the most recent completed in the 1980s. Because of the Farnese gardens, however, the ancient substructures of the domus have not been fully explored.

The plan of the original domus is unknown, so that the earliest possible archaeologically recorded garden is during the time of Caligula, who extended the domus beyond the Clivus Victoriae to the Forum Romanum, making the Atrium Vestae and the Temple of Castor the main entrance to the Palatine. Behind the Temple of Castor, these additions included a peristyle and a pool (9 x 26 m.), suggesting the presence of a garden (Richardson, 137; Platner-Ashby; 191). Suetonius, relating the death of Caligula, refers to a diaeta, probably a pavilion within a garden, to which a solarium, perhaps a terrace covered by an awning, was connected.

Two inscriptions of the 1st century CE mention two imperial slaves ex Hermaeo (CIL VI, 8663; 9949) in the Domus Tiberiana and the name "Hermaeum" given to this diaeta suggest the use of herms as sculptures, perhaps along avenues and lawns, as known in other gardens (Fig. 3). Gardens are also assumed from inscriptions mentioning garden workers: a praepositus velariorum, that is the person who was responsible for the awnings of the solaria (CIL VI, 8649), a topiarius who tended the garden plants into fantastic shapes, (CIL VI, 8649) and a vilicus domus Tiberianae who oversaw the managing of the estate (CIL VI, 8655).

During the Swiss excavations of the 1980s, Clemens Krause identified 29 sectors in the Domus Tiberiana; 1-9 sectors were the nucleus of the complex and assumed for the "piano nobile" of the Domus Tiberiana, a well-constructed arrangement of dwelling units and gardens (Krause, 193).

Such reconstruction was later changed on the basis of the results of surveys, beginning in the first years of the present century, carried out on large sectors of the Horti Farnesiani and then extended to the underlying cryptoportici, which had very serious static problems. In fact the excavations brought to light, on what was in ancient times the "piano nobile" of the Domus Tiberiana, a large green peristyle; at the center was a large basins (vessels), with an internal profile made of alternating rectangular and semicircular niches and equipped with plays of water (Fig. 4). Only the northern part of the basin was preserved; this preserved section was covered by marble slabs, as shown by the extant marks. The basin, later restructured by the Flavii when the Domus Tiberiana was incorporated into the Palace of Domitian, is dated to the Julio-Claudian era, and is certainly related to a lead pipe carrying water to it, which bears the inscription TI CLAVDI CAES AVG, referring to the emperor Claudius ( CIL XV, 7269 a-b).

During the second building phase (II, 2) of the Domus Aurea, it was incorporated into the Domus Tiberiana (Krause, 193). A large platform (400 x 450 Roman feet), which included the addition of a perimeter wall as well as a system of waterproofing and drainage in sector 9, was added. A small cryptoporticus under a peristyle (100 x 150 Roman feet) was located in the center. On this platform Nero constructed buildings (Carandini, 13), and it appears that hanging gardens (nemora pensile), probably enclosed by a quadriporticus, surrounded it. At the southeast corner of the platform, according to Krause (Lexicon, 193), was an oval "vivaio;" a place for raising fish in an area that here remained open to the sky.

During the Flavian era, the garden was covered by new constructions in sectors 1, 3, 4 and 9 (Krause, 1990, 124). It was at this time gardens in sectors 7, 10, 11, and perhaps 12 were modified (Krause, 1990, 124).

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Gardens of the Republican Domus (A)
Garden of the House of Augustus (B)
Garden of the Neronian Palace (D)
Garden of the Domus Flavia (E)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)
Garden of the Severan Complex (I)

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: Aerial views of the Domus Tiberiana on the Palatine. Palatine Museum (Photo SAR).

Fig. 3: Herms from the Palatine. Palatine Museum (Photo SAR).

Fig. 4: Oval pool in the southeast corner of the gardens (Photo Moscioni 246A).

Dates

1st century- 3rd century CE

Excavation Date

1720-1729: F. Bianchini
1860s: P. Rosa
1900-1901: G. Boni
1983-1988: C. Krause under the Swiss Institute of Rome 1990-: M. Tomei and M.G. Filetici under the Sopraintendenza Archeologica di Roma.

Bibliography

A. Carandini, "Il Giardino Romano nell'età Tardo Repubblicana e Giulio-Claudia" Roma Antica 2: Gli Orti Farnesiani sul Palatino. Rome: École Française de Rome (1990): 9-15. (worldcat)
C. Krause, "Domus Tiberiana," Lexicon, Vol. 2., ed. Steinby, 189-197. (worldcat)
C. Krause, Domus Tiberiana I: Gli Scavi. Bollettino di Archeologia 25-27 (Rome 1994). (worldcat)
C. Krause, "Topografica antica nell'area dell Domus Tiberiana," Roma Antica 2: Gli Orti Farnesiani sul Palatino. Rome: École Française de Rome (1990): 121-142. (worldcat)
A. Platner-Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, London: Oxford University Press, 1929: 191-194.(worldcat)
L. Richardson, "Domus Tiberiana," A New Topographical Dictionary of Rome. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992, 136-137. (worldcat)
M.A. Tomei, M.G. Filetici (eds.), Domus Tiberiana: Scavi e Restauri 1990-2011. Milano: Electa, 2011, partic. pp. 59-70; 222-229; 303-305. (worldcat)

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

Neronian Palace

Mon, 03 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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Location

Sublocation

Palatine
Palatine Hill Mons Palatinus
Esquiline Hill Esquilinus Mons

Garden

Garden of the Neronian Palace, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

In the Neronian period the architecture and the size of gardens changed substantially, as did the building criteria and urban organization of the city. With Nero, the Romans feared for the first time that Rome could become a single, grandiose residence. Suetonius informs that Nero, "having built for himself a house that extended from the Palatine to the Esquiline, first called it 'transitoria'; then, when it was destroyed by fire, he had it rebuilt and called it 'aurea'" (Suet. Nero, 31). Even more than Augustus's residence, the expansive architecture of the Neronian palace, the Domus Transitoria seems to derive from the Ptolemaic royal palace (basileia) of Egyptian Alexandria, which is known to have occupied vast tracts of that city.

One may suppose that Nero chose the language of refinement and sumptuousness of Hellenistic sovereigns, expressed perfectly by gardens, by combining the splendor and richness of vegetation with the magnificence of architecture, in order to lend a royal component to his imperial power. The Neronian buildings on the Palatine have not been studied in their entirety, but excavations are showing ever more precisely their extent. Physical evidence of these constructions are important because the description of the Domus Aurea and its gardens given by Suetonius (Suet. Nero, 31) must refer in part to Nero's buildings and arrangements on the Palatine.

Structures known erroneously as "Livia's Baths," still partially preserved under the peristyle of the Domus Flavia, are attributed to the Domus Transitoria. They are imposing and luxurious constructions consisting of a porticoed hall with magnificent floors in colored and inlaid marbles, to a large extent belonging to open areas and connected with gardens. Nearby, excavations have discovered waterproofing systems of low suspensurae that are typical of gardens. What must originally have been an open area with an elaborate fountain on one side, adorned with niches imitating the architectural forms of a theater backdrop (scaenae), belongs to Neronian constructions. Opposite the fountain was a pavilion surrounded by polychrome marble columns and pillars and marble basins, perhaps for plantings (Fig. 6). These elements, together with other "stepped" structures for the descent of water, which boldly break up the walls, and wall paintings, which show connections with widespread themes in gardens, have given rise to the hypothesis that this construction could be a diaeta built in a terraced open zone. The presence nearby of a large cistern of Neronian date confirms the great need for water in this area at that time.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Gardens of the Republican Domus (A)
Garden of the House of Augustus (B)
Garden of the Domus Tiberiana (C)
Garden of the Domus Flavia (E)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)
Garden of the Severan Complex (I)

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: Nymphaeum of the Domus Transitoria.

Credit: Hypothetical reconstruction by C. Evans (1936).

Dates

1st century CE

Excavation Date

1900-1901: G. Boni
1990-: M. Tomei and M.G. Filetici under the Sopraintendenza Archeologica di Roma.

Bibliography

H. Manderscheid, "Was nach den 'ruchlosen Räubereien' übriglieb-zu Gestalt und Funktion der sogenannten Bagni di Livia in der Domus Transitoria," in A. Hoffmann, U. Wulf (eds.), Die Kaiserpaläste auf dem Palatin in Rom. Das Zentrum der römischen Welt und seine Bauten, Mainz: Zabern, 2006, p. 75-85. (worldcat)
M.A. Tomei, "Nerone sul Palatino", in M.A. Tomei, R. Rea (eds.), Nerone: Catalogo della mostra, Milano: Electa, 2011, p. 118-135. (worldcat)

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

Domus Augustana

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

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Location

Sublocation

Garden

Garden of the Domus Augustana, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

LOWER PERISTYLE

The lower peristyles of the Domus Augustana, the private area of the Flavian Palace, was sumptuously decorated with a large fountain in the shape of four peltae (semi-circular shields that were common motifs for gardens of the early imperial period), comparable to the arrangements at Conimbriga (Fig. 3). Water, which is given great space within the architecture, was included in a garden adorned with dense planting beds of shrubs and flowers, alternating with decorative elements and important sculptures. Such scenic plantings around water within an architectural setting are comparable to the later Maritime Theater at Hadrian's Villa, which was perhaps inspired by this Flavian peristyle garden. Because of clearly articulated planting beds it is possible to reconstruct the shape of this garden as composed of alternating planting beds, basins and plants around a central fountain. The peristyle garden and fountain as well as several nearby nymphaea must have made this part of the palace, especially cool and welcoming on hot summer days.

UPPER PERISTYLE

In the upper peristyle garden in the middle of a large rectangular pool with a highly articulated edge stood a small temple on a podium (Fig. 4), which could be reached by means of a little bridge supported on arches (Fig. 5). Contiguous to this peristyle was a series of rooms with non-rectilinear plans, among which were a porticoed diaeta and water gardens. These elements lent the upper peristyle the characteristics of an idyllic-sacral space, where the plantings occupy the areas between the temple and the surrounding structures, which had open forms such as loggias, terraces, exedrae, and splendid statues and works of art (fountains, basins, herms etc.) in precious marbles.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden area of the Lower Peristyle (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden area of the Upper Peristyle (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 9: Domus Augustana. Lower peristyle. (Photo SAR).

Fig. 10: Domus Augustana. Upper peristyle. (Photo SAR).

Fig. 11 Upper peristyle of the Domus Augustana: Hypothetical reconstruction.

Credit: (G. de Angelis D'Ossat, 1932).

Dates

92 CE

Excavation Date

unspecified

Bibliography

A. Schmölder-Veit, "Aqueducts for the Urbis Clarissimus Locus: The Palatine's Water Supply from Republican to Imperial Times," in K. Wentworth Rinne, ed., Aquae Urbis Romae: The Waters of the City of Rome, 7 (Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, University of Virginia, 2011): 1-27. (worldcat) ("Aqueducts") (worldcat) ("Waters")
N. Sojc (Hrsg), Domus Augustana. Neue Forschungen zum " Versenkten Peristyl" auf dem Palatin; Investigating the " Sunken Peristyle" on the Palatine Hill, Leiden 2012 (worldcat)
A. Platner-Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, London: Oxford, 1929: 158-166.(worldcat)

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

Gardens of the Temple of Elagabalus

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

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Location

Sublocation

Garden

Garden of the Temple of Elagabalus, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

The building of a religious complex, identified by scholars as the Elagabalium (Heliogablium), later dedicated to Jupiter (Iupiter Ultor), was the final transformation in antiquity of the northwestern terrace (Fig. 1). This enormous west-facing peripteral temple was enclosed by three porticoes on the west (with a monumental entrance), north and south, and by a closed gallery at the east. Its plan, proportions, and part of the ornament have been reconstructed based on field observations and on the study of the remains of the architectural decoration. Construction may have started as early as the great fire of 191/192 CE, but the buildings took shape only later in two successive periods; the first ending around 210/218 CE, the second at least by the years 218/220 CE. By the end of the construction works, the terrace had been adjusted to the north and east, while, on the southern side, a wall was constructed to separate it from the Imperial Palace (Figs. 2-3). However, a door was placed in this wall, providing a direct link between the monument and the Domus Augustana.

Two garden areas were identified within the precinct, to the south of the temple; one measuring 17 x 20.5 meters, the other of the same width, but with a length of at least 24 meters (Fig. 1). The two areas were separated by a wide paved path running north-south that led to a secondary doorway at the south, giving access to the imperial palace complex (Figs. 2, 4). Thus the larger garden (not fully excavated) may have extended uninterrupted for a length of some 42 meters. These two gardens are separated by an allée of white marble slabs, laid on the axis of the door linking the Heliogabalium to the Imperial Palace. Two additional gardens of the same kind can be envisioned on the north side of the temple based on the results of recent excavations.

The two gardens brought to light show the same pattern: three planting beds oriented along the east-west axis are separated by two paths paved with clay (Fig. 4). The middle planting beds are slightly wider than the others, and the vegetation covers a broader area. Part of this vegetation is arranged along the central axis of each planting bed, attested by the placement of halved amphorae used as flowerpots set into pits (Figs. 5-6). The purpose of these pots was to maintain humidity at the roots (particularly important for an artificial terrace), and perhaps to limit the growth of the plants. Large amphorae alternate, along this central alignment, with smaller amphorae in the southern and northern flowerbeds. The pattern is slightly different in the flowerbed laid in the inner part of the garden: along the median axis the large amphorae stand alone, while the small ones are found tightly aligned all along the outer border. The narrower beds held large amphorae alternating with smaller ones. The wider, middle beds had large amphorae defining the median axis, and smaller amphorae, tightly aligned, along the border.

All of the pots (dating from the middle of the second to the early 3rd century) appear to have been buried at the same time, suggesting they represent the original garden design for this early third century complex. No plant remains have been identified, however dwarf cypress or plane trees could have been planted in the larger pots and the small amphorae along the border of the middle beds may have been for box hedges (Fig. 6).

The amphorae are of two main kinds, both of African origin. The small ones were used to ship wine from Tripolitania; samples found in Ostia have been dated from the early 3rd century. Among the medium size amphorae, the most frequent originate from Tunisia, and were used to ship oil as of the middle of the 2nd century, while few of them originated from Italy or Spain (Fig. 5).

The excavation suggests that these pots were buried during the installation of the garden, in the early years of the 3rd century, and were never moved nor replaced afterwards. Their presence within the garden bed maintained humidity at the bottom of the plants, thus slowing down the absorption of water from rainwater and irrigation (the absorption process being particularly swift on the Vigna Barberini site, owing to the presence of the deep debris layers that formed the construction fills of the terrace).

Constrained by the amphorae, the plant growth would have been reduced. This could have been the process deliberately used to limit the growth of some plants, according to a fashion of the Roman times described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia (XII, 6), in which he alludes to dwarf cypress and plane trees. Possibly, these two species might have been among the trees and shrubs featured along the axes of our wider planting beds. Along the external edge, the small amphorae laid side by side might have hosted plants of box to create a low hedge.

Inside the Heliogabalium, the planting design extended beyond the frame of the planting beds, with plants set into the marble-paved areas. Two solutions were adopted to set plants into the pavement. In front of the southern portico, the plants are placed in circular holes carved into the marble slabs and the underlying layers of soil. Those planting holes are laid along two alignments, about 3 meters from one another (Fig. 6). Their diameter is approximately 0.50 meter at the top, and so is their overall depth. Black earth [dark soil] was found filling them all, mixed with metallic scraps used to enrich it.

On the allée situated along the axis of the door linking the terrace with the Domus Augustana, on the north-south axis of the monument, similar planting holds are installed in the pavement, reaching into underground canals filled with earth at the time of the Severan construction (Fig. 6). A network of such canals thus extends beneath the floor, with a north-south axial branch cut by three transversal, shorter branches. At the end of the latter, an opening allowed irrigation, while excessive water was drained through a connection to the sewer of the nearby portico (Figs. 6-7). The canals have been filled with fine soil, alternating with layers of materials meant to facilitate drainage (marble shards and stones). They were then topped by bipedales (a type of Roman brick), covered by a layer of mortar and then by the marble slabs. The planting holes, carved after the floor was laid, are set in a regular pattern, recalling that of the other plantings found in front of the southern portico and in the garden planting beds. The plants must have conveyed the impression that they were springing from the inert marble, as nothing hinted of the existence of those life-giving canals, except the small openings located at the extreme end of the transversal branches.

Next to the plants were various fountains and other decorative and religious elements, such as statues, altars and perhaps even standards, which, according to eastern custom, would have depicted divinities associated with the god to whom the sanctuary was dedicated.

Though we cannot be certain about the plant species chosen, we can nevertheless safely state that there would not have been plants with uncontrolled foliage. We must therefore imagine a rather manicured garden whose scale enhanced the monumental character of the buildings without ever eclipsing them.

OTHER PHASES OF THE VIGNA BARBERINI SITE:

Vigna Barberini
Garden of the Peristyle of the Julio-Claudian Domus
Garden of the Flavian Imperial Palace

Figures

Fig. 1: Reconstruction of the late monumental complex (©. P. Veltri, EFR).

Fig. 2: Reconstruction of the late monumental complex (©. P. Veltri, EFR)..

Fig. 3: View of the southern wall, which separated the Heliogabalium from the Domus Augustana (© Ch. Durand, AMU-CNRS, CCJ).

Fig. 4: Reconstruction of the temple garden (© J.-M. Gassend, AMU-CNRS, IRAA & P. Veltri, EFR).

Fig. 5: Halved amphorae used as flowerpots in the Severan gardens (© Ch. Durand, AMU-CNRS, CCJ).

Fig. 6: Reconstruction of part of the temple garden (© J.-M. Gassend, AMU-CNRS, IRAA & P. Veltri, EFR).

Fig. 7: Reconstruction of a tree and planting bed in the temple garden (© J.-M. Gassend, AMU-CNRS, IRAA).

Dates

c. 190- 240 CE

Bibliography

F. Chausson, "Le site de la Vigna Barberini de 191 à 455" in La Vigna Barberini I. Histoire d'un site. Étude des sources et de la topographie, Rome, 1997, pp. 31-85. (worldcat)
M. Royo, "Constructions antérieures au grand temple «sévérien»" in La Vigna Barberini I, op. cit., pp. 21-26 (Adonea). (worldcat)
H. Broise and Y. Thébert, "Élagabal et le complexe religieux de la Vigna Barberini, " Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome, 111 (1999), pp. 729-747. (worldcat)
Y. Thébert, "Il santuario di Elagabalus: un giardino sacro" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 83-94. (worldcat)
G. Rizzo, "Le anfore utilizzate come vasi da fiori nei giardini del tempio" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, p. 98. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, La Vigna Barberini II- Domus, palais impérial et temples: stratigraphie du secteur nord-est du Palatin, Rome, 2007 (RomaAntica, 6). (worldcat)

Places

Palatinus Mons Pleiades: 971691208

House of Augustus

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

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Garden of the House of Augustus, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

This important house, the Domus Augusti, which incorporated part of the earlier Domus of Quintus Hortensius (Vell. Pat. II.81 | Trans.), must have contained important gardens. Yet excavations carried out in the 1960s, although identifying remains as the house of the first [princeps]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps), Augustus, provided few elements connected with the presence of gardens (Fig 1.).

In addition to the peristyles, which likely were planted, a terrace called "Syracusae," where according to Suetonius (Aug. 72.1-3 | Trans.) Octavian liked to retire, must have been a pavilion connected with an open green area. Similarly, a nymphaeum, lined with pebbles and shells, in a room that gives onto the western peristyle must have been part of a garden arrangement: it has similarities with mosaic fountains associated with gardens in houses at Pompeii (Fig. 2).

Furthermore, the Temple of Apollo, dedicated in 28 BCE (Cass. Dio. LIII.1.3 | Trans.) and physically connected with the House of Augustus, was surrounded by trees (Solin I, 8).

A significant element confirming the diffusion and refinement of the art of gardens under Augustus is the quantity of wall paintings showing landscape and vegetal motifs, including ones within the Augustan complex on the Palatine: for example, pine bundles were fitted like garlands between the pillars of a portico in "Room of the Pine Festoons;" and garlands of leaves, flowers and buds in various colors were hung between vertical bands in the "Room with Black Walls."

In the House of Livia, supposed to be an apartment within Augustus's dwelling, wall paintings in the right ala show rows of columns, between which are festoons laden with leaves, fruit tied by ribbons, and various hanging objects associated with and used in the countryside (Fig. 3). In the same room, the elegant frieze in monochrome yellow with lively open-air scenes against a background of countryside and buildings is a lovely example of landscape painting. In the paintings of the so-called Triclinium, painted landscape elements are seen amidst thick trees, meadows, lakes, and animals.

Finally, both the inventor of the ars topiaria, the art of shaping plants into varied forms by trimming their foliage, C. Matius, whom Pliny defines as "divi Augusti amicus" (HN 12.6), and the inventor of garden painting, Studius (or Ludius) (Pliny HN 35.116-117; Vitr. VII.5.2), were active during the Augustan period, thereby strengthening a connection between the emperor and garden spaces.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Gardens of the Republican Domus (A)
Garden of the Domus Tiberiana (C)
Garden of the Neronian Palace (D)
Garden of the Domus Flavia (E)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)
Garden of the Severan Complex (I)

Figures

Fig. 1: Plan of the Palatine with the indication of the garden areas (Drawing Coop. Modus. Reworking E. Boschi. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, henceforth abbreviated as SAR).

Fig. 2: Nymphaeum inside the House of Augustus (Photo SAR).

Fig. 3: House of Livia. Right ala with detail of the "yellow frieze". (Photo SAR).

Dates

1st century BCE

Excavation Date

1865-1870: P. Rosa 1937: A. Bartoli 1956: G. Carettoni

Bibliography

M.A. Tomei, Augusto sul Palatino: Gli Scavi di Gianfilippo Carettoni. Appunti inediti (1955-1984), Milano, 2014. (worldcat)!

The Adonea of the Flavian Palace, Palatine

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

Province

ITALIA

Location

Sublocation

Garden

The Adonea of the Flavian Palace, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

Philostratus (Life of Apollonius of Tyana, 7.32) writes of the Adonea, a garden sacred to Adonis, in the Flavian Palace on the Palatine where Apollonius and Domitian met. It is also where the emperor had made a sacrifice to Minerva in the hall of Adonis that was overflowing with flowers in vases. It was proposed in the nineteenth century that this Adonea was in the area of the Vigna Barberini and that a fragment of the Severan Forma Urbis (FUR) partially depicts it. Recent excavations do not support such a location for the Adonea, and the marble fragment could represent the Severan Adonea that was in Trastevere. Flowers in vases, such as were part of the cult activities to Adonis, do not necessarily indicate a planted garden, although the marble fragment, with its symmetrical lines and rows of dots, likely render schematically formal garden plantings.

Dates

Unspecified

Excavation Date

unspecified

Bibliography

Places

Palatine Hill Pleiades: 971691208

The Garden of the Julio-Claudian Domus

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

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Garden of the Peristyle of the Julio-Claudian Domus, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

At the end of the Republican era and the beginning of the Empire, residential dwellings occupied, at least in part, the northeastern corner of the Palatine. Two distinct excavation areas have revealed the partial remains of one or more domus in the southern part of the terrace, some 6.5 meters below the present ground level. The two excavated sections have not been joined because of a wide road of Severan date that divides them. It is not possible, therefore, to ascertain whether the pre-Domitianic remains, on either side of this road, belong to a single domus. It is clear, however, the remains all share several features: obliqueness with respect to the later platform, building materials and techniques, and a luxurious quality.

The most coherent remains belong to the northwest corner of a peristyle oriented WSW-ENE. Enough is preserved to show that this was a rectangular peristyle with six columns along the west, and more along the north side, which is not fully uncovered. Remaining are the foundations of the colonnade, two column bases, and several important sections of the peripheral walls (Fig. 1). In addition, several marble paving slabs were found in place. Impressions of others, the result of the removal of slabs in antiquity in preparation for a layer of simple pozzolana, reveal the original pattern. The slabs were cut into squares and rectangles, based on a Roman foot or half-foot, from three different marbles: Chemtou (Giallo Antico), "Africano" and "Palombino (coming, respectively, from northwest Tunisia, the surroundings of Smyrna, and an unknown location). Set at a 45º angle with respect to the peristyle galleries, this pavement was limited on one side by the colonnade, and on the other by the back gallery walls, built with large blocks of tufa and limestone. Between the columns were white marble paving slabs with grooves, perhaps indicating they supported light barriers.

The garden area enclosed by the colonnade contained two basins, below the level of the peristyle, along the long sides (Fig. 2). While their lengths are not preserved, they are 2 meters wide and 1.50 meters deep. The edges were faced in white marble, but the basins had a covering of thick plaster, painted with two layers of light blue (caeruleum and Alexandrian frit). The short end of the south basin has two small steps painted blue, but these were later covered in marble. Although the excavations uncovered only a small section of the garden, a flowerbed, framed by triangular bricks, and fragments of flowerpots were brought to light.

An Augustan date is appropriate for some architectural and decorative elements, such as the peristyle column bases without plinths, fragments of architectural terracottas, and frescoes found in situ or gathered from the layer of earth rubble that buried the domus. Other elements, however, such as a floor mosaic or fragments from an ornamental wall mosaic could possibly date from slightly earlier periods. It seems likely that the Augustan dwelling (or dwellings) incorporated an earlier structure dating to perhaps the middle of the third quarter of the first century BCE. Because most of the decorative elements reflect the style of the Augustan villa and the contemporary Temple of Apollo on the Palatine, it is likely this domus was linked to the imperial court, or at least drew inspiration from the new artistic trends made fashionable by the first princeps.

The domus of the Vigna Barberini was included in Nero's Domus Aurea, and featured the coenatio rotunda, a revolving dining room built atop a tower that provided diners with a view across the landscape of Rome. The domus did not last beyond Nero's principate, as attested by a cache of coins dating no later than 65 CE found in the destruction layer. Such destruction could have been the result of landslides caused by two earthquakes that struck Rome in June 68 (Suet. Nero, 48; Galba, 18). Once ruined, the domus was spoiled of most of its elements, the majority of which were dismantled and re-used.

OTHER PHASES OF THE VIGNA BARBERINI SITE:

Vigna Barberini
Garden of the Flavian Imperial Palace
Garden of the Temple of Elagabalus

Figures

Figure 1. Peristyle column marble base of the Julio-Claudian domus. Photograph from Villedieu et al, 2001, Figure 14.

Dates

1st century BCE- 1st century CE

Bibliography

J.-P Morel and F. Villedieu, "Le site de la Vigna Barberini à l'époque néronienne", Actes du VIe congrès international Neronia VI, Rome à l'époque néronienne (Roma 19-23 Mai 1999). (worldcat)
J.-P Morel, "Una ricca domus con giardino in età giulio-claudia" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 33-43. (worldcat)

Places

Palatinus Mons Pleiades: 971691208

The Late Republican Domus

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

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Gardens of the Republican Domus, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

In the Republican period, by the 1st century BCE, the Palatine Hill had small but numerous gardens associated with the well-appointed houses (domus) situated upon it. Among these numerous residences were those of L. Lucius Crassus, famous for its six majestic nettle-trees (Celtis australis) (Plin. HN, 17. 1-6), and the domus of M. Tullius Cicero, which offered the author "all the pleasures that gardens can give" (ad Quint. III.1). Cicero's house even included a Greek-style palaestra with a laconicum (Cic. ad Att. II.4), as well as an avenue (ambulatio) for promenades (CIL VI, 29774-29775). By the beginning of the Augustan period, gardens had become almost as much a necessity for Romans as houses themselves; therefore, one must suppose that no domus of any importance lacked a peripheral garden or one planted within a peristyle.

RELATED PHASES ON THE PALATINE:

Garden of the House of Augustus (B)
Garden of the Domus Tiberiana (C)
Garden of the Neronian Palace (D)
Garden of the Domus Flavia (E)
Garden of the Domus Augustana (F,G)
Garden of the Palatine Stadium (H)
Garden of the Severan Complex (I)

Dates

2nd- 1st century BCE

Bibliography

M.A. Tomei, Augusto sul Palatino: Gli Scavi di Gianfilippo Carettoni. Appunti inediti (1955-1984), Milano, 2014. (worldcat)

Places

Garden of the Flavian Imperial Palace

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

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Garden of the Flavian Imperial Palace, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

During the period of Domitian (81-96 CE), a large artificial platform with massive substructures at the north, east and west was completed at the site of the Vigna Barberini. On this platform stood a large structure with a curvilinear plan at the south, and with colonnaded aisles on the east and west (the north is not excavated) that enclosed a vast garden (Figs. 1-2). Over one-third of this garden area has been partly explored, another third was irrevocably destroyed when the later Temple of Elagabalus (Elagabalium) was built, and the final third, at the north, remains to be excavated.

Only a few elements of the ancient garden were found in place. In particular, a large rectangular basin (measuring 8.70 meters by 5.30 meters), ornamented with alternating rectangular and semi-circular niches faced in marble, was on axis with the center of the curved façade. Shortly after construction, settling of the soil used to create the artificial terrace caused a rapid degradation of the whole northern section of the garden. During Hadrian's reign, refurbishment and re-construction was undertaken, the results of which lasted up to the end of the second century CE. This second phase is better recorded than the first, but it is possible that care was taken to preserve at least some trees of the Flavian period.

The garden was enclosed by a portico, presumably an ambulatio - a common feature of Roman gardens (Figs. 3-4). Running parallel to the east and west colonnades was a wide, clay-paved allée bordered by medium-sized trees, possibly laurels. The existence of these plants and their original position are attested by pits left when the plants were dug out at the time of the destruction of the northern section of the palace. Running parallel with these allées, the central axis of the garden terminates at the wide bay in the center of the curved façade at the south. Approaching the central garden axis, which terminates at the wide bay in the center of the curved southern façade, the hedge follows the curve then ends, on each side, at a small fountain. These two fountains flank the central axis and frame the experience of visitors entering or exiting through the main doors. Only their bases were preserved, consisting of a marble slab constituting a shallow basin to receive the water flowing from the fountain (Fig. 5). What remains of this fountain is a circular print measuring 0.69 meters in diameter. At the center of the slab is a hole for a lead pipe that fed the fountain. The water flowed down onto the base and out through an opening bored into the marble edge. From there, it flowed into a canal connected to the main water collecting system.

Terminating the central walk near the fountains is an arrangement of other ornamental features (Fig. 4). A small masonry element is found at the center, with only the base preserved; possibly that of an altar. It is flanked by two masonry blocks covered with white marble, marking the limits of the central allée. Six further, similar elements have been uncovered slightly farther north, where the central walk crosses transversal ones (Fig. 4). These masonry blocks, whose lower part alone is preserved, differ from one another by their shape and plan level, which is at times square and at times rectangular, suggesting that they served to support garden statues, rather than a pergola.

The central area, framed by peripheral paths and bordered by the laurel (?) hedge is subdivided by a network of paths, already briefly mentioned when describing the ornamental features that are mainly positioned at the start of the median, north-south allée. A parallel allée has been identified during the excavations, and a third can be therefore assumed to lie to the east of the median allée. The excavations have allowed identifying two further allées laid orthogonally to the former (Fig. 4). We do not know whether this kind of layout extended to the entire area of the garden, but it is the hypothesis we propose to adopt. The clay-paved allées, many times re-paved over time, define flowerbeds where Jean-Paul Morel uncovered several large amphorae used as flowerpots. Purpose-made ollae perforatae, or planting pots, are also present in this 2nd century garden (Fig. 6). Some were positioned at the corners of the masonry bases located at the start of the central allée (see above). Should we revive an area planted with tall trees, they would presumably be in the section of the garden not explored so far.

The imprints from lead pipes identified during the excavations, as well as the study of the sewer network, lead to the restitution (?) of a third fountain, presumably of greater importance, positioned on the central axis (possibly on the spot of the future Temple of Elagabalus or further north). On the same axis, the excavation has brought to light the remains of a building widely cut off (or truncated) by the construction of the Severan Temple, then by early excavations. The few wall fragments that have escaped the destructions do not allow us to reconstruct their plan. These walls, rather thin, suggest a light architecture – presumably a garden kiosk –richly adorned, as evidenced by two column bases with carved leaves and shells.

The water conveyed by the drain associated with the fountains flowed into a large sewer set up at the foot of the portico's colonnade, around the garden. At its top, a 1.80 meter wide canal, reveted in marble and bordered by a plinth, gathered the rainwater flowing from the roof (Fig. 7). It may also have been used to cool the air on hot days and for purely decorative purposes to create a reflecting pool in which the portico and the vegetation were mirrored. This could presumably be achieved by closing the manholes: it is in fact the limited number of manholes that suggest the above hypothesis.

All through the 2nd century, a series of refurbishments took place that aimed to slow down the degradation of the Flavian buildings, which were threatened by the instability of the level fills of the terrace. Despite such efforts, this complex of buildings was destroyed as a consequence of the fire that raged in the heart of Rome in 191/192 CE, and the construction of a new monumental complex was undertaken.

OTHER PHASES OF THE VIGNA BARBERINI SITE:

Vigna Barberini
Garden of the Peristyle of the Julio-Claudian Domus
Garden of the Temple of Elagabalus

Figures

Fig. 1: Reconstruction of the Flavian Palace with, in the forefront, the main body of the complex excavated at the Vigna Barberini. (© N. André, AMU-CNRS, IRAA).

Fig. 2: Map and hypothetical reconstruction of the structures and garden excavated on the site of the Vigna Barberini (© N. André, AMU-CNRS, IRAA).

Fig. 5: Marble base of a fountain with circular imprint of basin.

Fig. 7: Detail of the marble canal along the outer edge of the portico.

Dates

1st century - 2nd century CE

Bibliography

M. Royo, Domus Imperatoriae, Topographie, formation et imaginaire des palais impériaux du Palatin, Rome, 1999. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu and N. André, Propositions pour une reconstitution de l'édifice flavien et de l'ensemble monumental tardif de la Vigna Barberini (Rome, Palatin), Actes du Colloque: Rome An 2000 (Caen, 2003). (worldcat)
J.-L Desnier, "Una borsa persa durante i lavori di terrazzamento" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 57-58. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, "Il corpo settentrionale e i giardini del palazzo imperiale flavio" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 59-71. (worldcat)
J.-P Morel, "Il giardino adrianeo" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 73-75. (worldcat)
S. Leo, "Vasi da fiori" in F. Villedieu, ed., Il giardino dei Cesari, Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001, pp. 75-76. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, La Vigna Barberini II- Domus, palais impérial et temples: stratigraphie du secteur nord-est du Palatin, Rome, 2007 (RomaAntica, 6). (worldcat)

Places

Palatinus Mons Pleiades: 971691208

Vigna Barberini

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

Province

Location

Sublocation

Garden

Vigna Barberini Site Overview, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

The artificial terrace that now carries the Barberini family name is located on the northeastern corner of the Palatine, beyond the visible remains of the Flavian Imperial palace (Fig. 1). Excavations carried out during the 1930s by A. Bartoli, and in the 1950s by G.F. Carettoni concentrated primarily on the central area of this site. These campaigns revealed the foundations of a large temple, which Bartoli identified, consistent with the earlier ideas of P. Bigot, as the remains of the late second-century Temple of Elagabalus.

Investigations by the Soprintendenza Archeologica in collaboration with École française de Rome since 1985 have revealed further episodes of the history of the area. Approximately one third of the site has been explored, although the most ancient levels have been reached only sporadically (Fig. 2).

The excavations that reached levels prior to the rise of the Empire revealed a peristyle of a large domus once decorated with plants and basins. Probably destroyed during the 60s of the first century CE, this luxurious dwelling was then buried under thick layers of soil used to create an artificial terrace that was a grand garden of the Palace of Domitian. About a century later, during the last years of the second century, this section of the imperial palace was demolished to make room for a monumental complex centered around a temple, the Elagabalium, dedicated by the emperor Heliogabalus to the eastern god, Elagabalus, which was later rededicated by Severus Alexander to Jupiter Ultor.

PHASES OF THE VIGNA BARBERINI SITE:

Garden of the Peristyle of the Julio-Claudian Domus
Garden of the Flavian Imperial Palace
Garden of the Temple of Elagabalus

Figures

Dates

1st century BCE- 2nd century CE

Excavation Dates

1930s: A. Bartoli
1950s: G.F. Carretoni
1985-: Soprintendenza Archeologica in collaboration with École française de Rome

Bibliography

P. Bigot, "Le temple de Jupiter Ultor et la Vigna Barberini," Bullettino della Commissione archeologica Comunale di Roma, 1911, pp. 80-85. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, J.-P Morel, P. Pergola, H. Broise, Y. Thébert, P. Gros, E. Hubert, et alii, "Rome: le Palatin (Vigna Barberini)," Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome 98 (1986) pp. 387-396; 99 (1987) pp. 481-498; 100 (1988) pp. 505-525; 101 (1989) pp. 489-498; 102 (1990) pp. 443-471; 103 (1991) pp. 313-338; 104 (1992) pp. 465-493; 105 (1993) pp. 419-439; 106 (1994) pp. 431-450; 107 (1995) pp. 459-493; 108 (1996) pp. 423-451; 109 (1997) pp. 417-440; 110 (1998) pp. 473-492; 111 (1999) pp. 449-481; 112 (2000) pp. 413-432. (worldcat)
M. Royo, F. Chausson, E. Hubert, et alii, La Vigna Barberini I. Histoire d'un site. Étude des sources et de la topographie, Rome, 1997. (worldcat)
M.A. Tomei, "La ex Vigna Barberini e le aree limitrofe: documentazione dall'archivio della Soprintendenza archeologica" La Vigna Barberini I, op. cit, pp. 191-210. (worldcat)
C. Virlouvet, F. Villedieu, et alii, "Fouilles de l'École française de Rome sur le site de la Vigna Barberini (Palatin)," Bollettino di Archeologia 23-24 (1993), pp. 131-164. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, "La Vigna Barberini (Palatino): nuove acquisizioni," Archeologia Laziale XII, Quaderni di Archeologia Etrusco-italica, 1995, pp. 33-39. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, "Constructions impériales mises au jour à l'angle N-E du Palatin. Résultats des fouilles de l'École française de Rome sur le site de la Vigna Barberini," Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions & Belles-Lettres, 1995, pp. 719-736.(worldcat)
J.-P. Morel, "Stratigraphie et histoire sur le Palatin : la zone centrale de la Vigna Barberini," Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions & Belles-Lettres, 1996, pp. 173-205. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu, P. Veltri, "Les soutènements nord-ouest et nord de la terrasse de la Vigna Barberini (Rome, Palatin): constructions et remaniements de l'époque flavienne à l'époque sévérienne," Mélanges de l'École Française de Rome, 111 (1999), pp. 749-778. (worldcat)
F. Villedieu , et alii, Il giardino dei Cesari. Exhibition catalogue (Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Oct. 2001- Jan. 2002), Rome, 2001. (worldcat)

Places

Palatinus Mons Pleiades: 971691208

Gardens of the Temple of the Divine Claudius

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

ITALIA

Location

Sublocation

Caelian Hill \

Caelius Mons Pleiades: 695491849

Garden

Garden of the Temple of Divine Claudius, Palatine

Keywords

Garden Description

The Temple of the Divine Claudius, located on the northern slope of the Caelian Hill, was constructed in multiple phases. The temple is known from the Severan Marble Plan (FUR) (Fig. 1) and from archaeological remains. Agrippina initiated the building of the temple but was murdered before its completion. After the fire of 64 CE, Nero altered the temple to include it in the Domus Aurea (Seutonius Vesp. 9; Frontinus Aq. 2.76). Vespasian completed the temple in 69 CE.

The temple is located on top of a platform (180 x 210 m.) and is situated just off-center to the east. During Nero's reign, the platform upon which the temple stood was converted into a nymphaeum as part of the Domus Aurea, which the Aqua Claudia supplied. Nero redirected the Aqua Claudia to feed the stagnum of the Domus Aurea. The rectangular and semi-circular niches on the eastern side are best preserved and are visible from the Via Claudia. The space between this façade and the platform wall proper is presumably a passage for water. Vespasian restored the temple and Claudius' divinity in 69 CE and considerably altered the original structure. [Fragment 5c of FUR], now existing only as a Renaissance drawing, depicts the temple as a prostyle, pentastyle temple. However, most scholars agree that the temple was probably hexastyle.

Because these remains are located under the present-day Monastery of the Passionist Fathers, no recent excavation has been possible. A. M. Colini's excavations reveal that the four faces of the platform differ significantly. Under the stairs of the north side was a cistern, presumably remnants of Nero's nymphaeum, the water supply for the temple complex. The south face, as yet unexcavated, should reveal evidence of the Aqua Claudia.

The temple is set within eight L-shaped [planting beds](http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300430426 and fourteen rectangular planting beds (Fig. 2). Some scholars considered these forms to be the substructures of the temple complex, while it is also possible that these structures are water features. However, the majority of scholars believe that these structures are planted rows of trees or shrubs in a nemus, similar to the plantings found during the new excavations of the Templum Pacis. The role of Vespasian as sponsor also lends credence to such an interpretation. Vespasian is credited with building a quadriporticus to surround the entire platform and Martial mentions a porticus (Martial Sp. 2.9-10), but there is no evidence for the porticus on the Marble Plan.

Dates

1st century CE

Excavation Date

unspecified

Bibliography

M. Blake, Roman Construction in Italy from Tiberius through the Flavians. Washington, 1959, pp. 31-3, 52-3, 90-1. (worldcat)
LTUR, s.v. Claudius, Divus, Templum by C. Buzzetti; (worldcat)
A.M. Colini, MemPontAcc 7 (1994): 137-62. (worldcat)
R.H. Darwall-Smith, Emperors and Architecture: A Study of Flavian Rome. Bruxelles, 1996, pp. 48-55, pl. 4-5. (worldcat)
R. Lloyd, "Three Monumental Gardens on the Marble Plan" American Journal of Archaeology (1986): 91-100. (worldcat)
K. Gleason and L. Cockerham, "Rus in Urbe: Two Parks of Ancient Rome" CELA Proceedings, 1992, pp. 103-12.(worldcat)