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Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia) on the Palatine
This was the centre of power in the Roman Empire during imperial times. The great palace, inaugurated in 92 AD, had two entrances, one to the state rooms (the Domus Flavia) and one to the private apartments (the Domus Augustana).
Reconstruction Video of Flavian Palace:
Reconstruction Sketch of Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia) Source J.C GOLVIN
The official part of the building was laid out around a large porticoed court with various reception rooms ranged round it. In particular a splendid state room, called the Aula Regia, decorated with niches set between columns, served as the audience chamber. Here the throne was placed in the middle of an apse (a semicircular wall forming a recess). At the side of the throne room there was a basilica, its interior divided in three by two rows of columns, and a building (the lurarium) where the images of members of the royal family were placed after their deaths.
Ninfeo eliptico. Flavian Palace at Palatin in Rome, Italy
One of the nymphaeums of the Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia.)
On the opposite side of the courtyard stood the great triclinium or banqueting hall flanked by two smaller rooms at the centre of which were two oval fountains (nymphaeums). The playing of the waters could be admired by the banqueters through the great windows between the triclinium and the side chambers. Hadrian installed a heating system in the banqueting hall so that it could be used in winter. The marble pavement still visible was part of restoration work under Maxentius.
The ruins of the inner courtyard of the Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia, I c. AD). The octagonal fountain.
Tourists visiting the ruins of the Flavian Palace at the Palatine in Rome. The Domus Flavia was the palace of the emperors of the ancient Rome after Domitian
Domitian’s palace aroused the admiration of his contemporaries by its splendour and the immense size of the lofty chambers, probably decorated with marble and richly furnished. The grandeur of the architecture and the natural setting of the palace created the impression that it was truly the dwelling of a dominus et deus, a god ruling over the earth.
The Emperor Domitian so feared his own death that he had the interior of his palace, the Domus Flavia, lined with slabs of reflective mica to reveal potential assassins creeping up behind him. In the end it was to no avail—he was stabbed to death in the portico.
Flavian Palace to Colosseum:
Flavian Palace set in the Palatine Hill, 0,95 km from (12 min walk) from Colosseum.
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]]>The complex built by Tiberius on the Palatine covered much of the west side of the hill between the Temple of the Great Mother and the hillside towards the forum, perhaps the site of the emperor’s paternal home. The buildings are little known, as the area was covered in the sixteenth century by the Garden of the Farnese family, in part still existing, and so excavations have only explored their edges.
Reconstruction Sketch of Domus Tiberiana – Source: J.C GOLVIN
View of Domus Tiberiana from the Roman Forum – Rome, Italy. Few of its ruins have been excavated, being overlaid with the beautiful Orti Farnesiani (the Farnese Gardens). These were set out for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in the 16th century by the great Renaissance architect, Vignola. Caligula in turn extended Tiberius’s Domus west towards the Forum, away from the 130m (425ft) Criptoportico (Cryptoporticus) on its east, a half-buried corridor built by Nero which linked the various imperial palaces. Legend has it that this was where Caligula was stabbed to death.
We know that the residence of Tiberius was enlarged by Caligula and restored by Domitian, Hadrian and Septimius Severus. It long remained in use as the residence of the designated heir to the empire, while the reigning emperor occupied the nearby Domus Augustana. For example Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus both moved here after their adoption by the Emperor Antoninus Pius.
Nero became emperor aged 17 and during the first years of his reign he lived here. But for Nero, it was not enough; after the fire in A.D. 64, he decided to build a new residence in the space created after the central Roman neighborhoods were totally gutted: the Domus Aurea.
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]]>Even today, the magnificence of the monumental but harmonious design is impressive. Like the Flavian Palace, it was erected in the reign of Domitian (in 85 A.D.), and initially served as the imperial residential palace; later, until the Byzantine period, it was also the residence and workplace of the highest officials. It was a magnificent establishment adorned with the richest marbles and filled with fountains (especially the oval fountain which was designed to be seen from the palace’s dining hall), statues, sunken gardens, temples, and decorated apartments.
Ruins of the Roman Domus Augustiana on Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy.
Garden of Domus Augustana in the Palatine Hill, Rome – Italy
Brick doorways at Domus Augustana in the Palatine Hill
The private wing of the Palace of Domitian was built on two levels to contain the slope of the Palatine Hill. Its curving facade with the main entrance facing the Circus Maximus.
On entering from this side, one passed through the outer chambers and came to an inner court surrounded by columns (called a peristyle). This was largely occupied by a monumental fountain decorated with a pattern formed by four peltae, shields shaped like half-moons legendarily used by the Amazons.
Lower peristyle with fountain of Augusti Palace (Domus Augustana, the end of I cent. AD), the personal chambers of the Emperor
Domus Augustana – Reconstruction Sketch – Source: Vision Roma
Round this courtyard were ranged symmetrically the rooms of the house of Domitian, set on two floors and with vaulted ceilings. A staircase led to the upper floor, the official residence, where a second peristyle was decorated with a large pool with a little island in the middle, on which stood a temple, perhaps to Minerva. The emperor probably only occupied the rooms on the upper floor, recognizable by their complex layout and small size.
Domus Augustana is the first major site upon entering Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy. It served as the primary residence of Caesar Augustus during his reign.
Domus Augustiana, Rome, Italy.
Gardens of the Domus Augustiana on the Palatine
Beside the palaces, Domitian built the Hippodrome of Domitian, some of the Palatine’s most extensive ruins—whether as a sunken garden or as a stadium for his personal entertainment is unknown. It may have been here that the attempted martyrdom of St. Sebastian took place.
Colosseum to Domus Augustana:
Domus Augustana is set in the Palatine Hill, 0,45 km from (6 min walk) from Colosseum.
SOURCES:
- Concrete Vaulted Construction in Imperial Rome
- Palaces from Augustus to the Age of Absolutism
- Archaologische Und Bauhistorische Dokumentationsarbeiten Auf Dem Palatin in ROM
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Hippodrome of Domitian on the Palatine Hill, 80 – 92 years.
stunning view of Hippodrome of Domitian on the Palatine Hill or Hippodrome located on Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy
At one end an imposing stand enabled the emperor to watch the races in the Circus Maximus from his own palace. A little more than a century after the construction of the Domus Augustana, Emperor Septimius Severus ordered his baths to be built next to the Stadium as part of a vast program of architectural improvement of the slopes of the Palatine.
The ruins of the Hippodrome of Domitian on the Palatine Hill on the Palatine Hill in summer, Italy.
Hippodrome of Domitian on the Palatine Hill -Rome, Italy
Hippodrome of Domitian on the Palatine Hill
They were set above massive vaults and their facade formed a monumental fountain called the Septizodium. The great arches of the baths are still clearly visible from the valley of the Circus Maximus.
Distance to the Colosseum
Hippodrome of Domitian set in the center of Rome, 110 m from (1 min walk) from Colosseum.
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]]>from €12.00 EUR
Duration: 40 Min.
Seller: Tiqets
Original form of the Circus Maximus is still recognizable today, the huge tuff and travertine remains from the time of Julius Caesar surviving. It was surrounded by steps carried on several rows of arches which could seat over 200,000 people.
Drawing of Circus Maximus, 1649, Atlas van Loon
Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill in Rome
According to tradition, the first wooden stadium used for races, set in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine, was built by Tarquinius Priscus. Without doubt, however, the present building is the result of centuries of extensions and rebuilding. First the timber structures were repla-ced by stone steps, then in the late 4th century BC the carceres, the starting bays for the horses, were built at the short north end.
Model of Ancient Rome Circus Maximus, Domus Augustana and the Palatine.
Reconstruction Sketch of Circus Maximus – Photo Credit & Sketch. J.C GOLVIN. One of the occasional fancies of Imperial extravagance was to carpet the floor of the arena with precious powders — red lead, mica or malachite.
In 174 BC the seven “eggs” were placed on the spine to mark to number of circuits of the course. In 33 BC Agrippa added seven bronze dolphins. Augustus’s principal addition was the obelisk of the Pharoah Ramses II (thirteenth century BC), brought from Heliopolis and erected on the spine. Much later, in 357 AD, Constantius II added a second obelisk, that of Thothmes III (fifteenth century BC) from Thebes. In 1587 both of the shattered obelisks were unearthed by Pope Sixtus V. The first was later placed in Piazza del Popolo and the second in Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.
Drawing of Circus Maximus, Rome,1582.
Mosaic of Circus Maximus in palaestra – Villa Romana del Casale
The circus remained in use throughout late antiquity. At the end of the imperial age there were sixty racing days, each of which had, since Nero’s time, lasted until sundown. The last races were held there in 549 AD by Totila (reigned 541-552) , king of the Ostrogoths. After this, largely because of the dereliction of Rome in the early Middle Ages, it gradually began to be covered in soil, which today conceals most of the building.
Races at Circus Maximus
The race-track in the circus was divided down the middle by a masonry spine with a pillar (meta) at each end to mark the turns. The chariots, drawn by two or four horses, were extremely light and it took great skill on the part of the charioteers to keep them from overturning (though disastrous falls were one of the attractions for spectators).
Two-horse chariot in the circus, Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo, Rome.
The skill of the charioteer lay in taking the turns as close as possible so as to gain ground. The rules allowed all sorts of foul play to obstruct opponents and send them crashing into the walls. Horses and chariots were divided into teams, distinguished by different colours, and each had its supporters: the various colours eventually formed factions and had a notable influence on political life.
Races in the circus, carving. Musei Vaticani, Rome
“The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer” by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1883.
The charioteers were idolised and if particularly skilful would accumulate immense fortunes. One Diodes, of Portuguese origin, raced for the Reds for twenty-four years in the second century AD: he won 3000 times with a two-horse chariot and 1462 times with a four-horse team. When he retired he had accumulated the fabulous sum of 35 million sesterces. Around the circuses, like football stadiums today, there stood myriads of taverns, kiosks, and booths, and while the spectators on the terraces watched up to a hundred races a day, thieves, prostitutes, peddlers and hucksters of all sorts mixed with the crowd.
Circus Maximus Photo Gallery:
Tours Including Circus Maximus Visit:
Distance to the Colosseum
Circus Maximus set in the center of Roman Forum, 0,7 km from (9 min walk) from Colosseum.
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