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Gardens Of Maecenas
The Gardens of Maecenas, or ''Horti Maecenatis'', constituted the luxurious ancient Roman estate of Gaius Maecenas, an Augustus, Augustan-era imperial advisor and patron of the arts. The property was among the first in Italy to emulate the style of Persian gardens. The walled villa, buildings, and gardens were located on the Esquiline Hill, atop the agger (ancient Rome), agger of the Servian Wall and its adjoining necropolis, as well as near the Horti Lamiani. History Lucullus started the fashion of building luxurious garden-palaces in the 1st century BC with the construction of his Gardens of Lucullus, gardens on the Pincian Hill, soon followed by Sallust's Gardens of Sallust, gardens between the Quirinal, Viminal and Campus Martius, which were the largest and richest in the Roman world. In the 3rd century AD the total number of gardens (''horti'') occupied about a tenth of Rome and formed a green belt around the centre. The ''horti'' were a place of pleasure, almost a small pal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaius Maecenas
Gaius Cilnius Maecenas ( 13 April 68 BC – 8 BC) was a friend and political advisor to Octavian (who later reigned as emperor Augustus). He was also an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil. In many languages, his name is an eponym for "patron of arts". During the reign of Augustus, Maecenas served as a quasi-culture minister to the Roman emperor but in spite of his wealth and power he chose not to enter the Roman Senate, Senate, remaining of Equites, equestrian rank. Life Expressions in Propertius seem to imply that Maecenas had taken some part in the campaigns of Battle of Mutina, Mutina, Battle of Philippi, Philippi, and Battle of Perugia, Perugia. He prided himself on his ancient Etruscan civilization, Etruscan lineage, and claimed descent from the princely house of the Cilnia (gens), Cilnii, who excited the jealousy of their townsmen by their preponderant wealth and influence at Arretium in the 4th century BC. Horace mak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Servian Walls
The Servian Wall (; ) is an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide at its base, long, and is believed to have had 16 main gates, of which only one or two have survived, and enclosed a total area of . In the 3rd century AD it was superseded by the construction of the larger Aurelian Walls as the city of Rome grew beyond the boundary of the Servian Wall. History The wall is named after the sixth Roman King, Servius Tullius. The literary tradition stating that there was some type of defensive wall or earthen works that encircled the city of Rome dating to the 6th century BC has been found to be false. The main extent of the Servian Wall was built in the early 4th century BC, during what is known as the Roman Republic. Construction The Servian Wall was originally built from large blocks of Cappellaccio tuff (a volcanic rock made from ash and rock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty comprised the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. This line of emperors ruled the Roman Empire, from its formation (under Augustus, in 27 BC) until the last of the line, Emperor Nero, committed suicide (in AD 68). The name ''Julio-Claudian'' is a historiographical term, deriving from the two families composing the imperial dynasty: the Julii Caesares and Claudii Nerones. Nomenclature '' Julius'' and ''Claudius'' were two Roman family names; in classical Latin, they came second. Roman family names were inherited from father to son, but a Roman aristocrat could—either during his life or in his will—adopt an heir if he lacked a natural son. In accordance with Roman naming conventions, the adopted son would replace his original family name with the name of his adopted family. A famous example of this custom is Julius Caesar's adoption of his great-nephew, Gaius Octavius. Primogeniture is notably absent in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Domus Transitoria
The Domus Transitoria (House of Passage) 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 "domus" estate was intended to connect the Palatine palace with all of the imperial estates that had been acquired in various ways, including the Gardens of Maecenas, Horti Lamiani, Horti Lolliani, etc. According to Suetonius (Nero 31.1): "He built a palace extending all the way from the Palatine to the Esquiline, which at first he called the Domus Transitoria, but when it was burned down shortly after its completion and rebuilt, the Golden House". It was probably built from AD 60. Layout Oppian Hill One of the main buildings is thought to be on the western side of the Oppian Hill under the Baths of Trajan.Filippo Coarelli, Rome, Bari and Rome, Laterza, 2012 The brick walls of the palace were originally covered with marble at the bottom, while the upper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill (; Classical Latin: ''Palatium''; Neo-Latin: ''Collis/Mons Palatinus''; ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire". The site is now mainly a large open-air museum whilst the Palatine Museum houses many finds from the excavations here and from other ancient Italian sites. Imperial palaces were built there, starting with Augustus. Before imperial times the hill was mostly occupied by the houses of the rich. The hill originally had two summits separated by a depression: the higher summit was called ''Palatium''; the lower ''Germalus'' (or ''Cermalus''). Using the Forma Urbis Romae, Forma Urbis its perimeter enclosed ; while the Regionary Catalogues of the 4th century enclose . Etymology According to Livy (59 BC – AD 17) the Palatine hill got its name from the Arcadia (ancient region), Arcadian settlers from Pallantium, named fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his death in AD 68. Nero was born at Antium in AD 37, the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (father of Nero), Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger (great-granddaughter of the emperor Augustus). Nero was three when his father died. By the time Nero turned eleven, his mother married Emperor Claudius, who then Adoption in ancient Rome, adopted Nero as his heir. Upon Claudius' death in AD 54, Nero ascended to the throne with the backing of the Praetorian Guard and the Senate. In the early years of his reign, Nero was advised and guided by his mother Agrippina, his tutor Seneca the Younger, and his praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, but sought to rule independently and rid himself of restraining influences. The power ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiberius
Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Claudius Nero (father of Tiberius Caesar), Tiberius Claudius Nero and his wife, Livia Drusilla. In 38 BC, Tiberius's mother divorced his father and married Augustus. Following the untimely deaths of Augustus's two grandsons and adopted heirs, Gaius Caesar, Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Tiberius was designated Augustus's successor. Prior to this, Tiberius had proved himself an able diplomat and one of the most successful Roman generals: his conquests of Pannonia, Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia, Raetia, and (temporarily) parts of Germania laid the foundations for Roman Empire, the empire's northern frontier. Early in his career, Tiberius was happily married to Vipsania, daughter of Augustus's friend, distinguished general and intended heir, Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli (Latin: Tibur) and then, with the Via Valeria, on to Pescara (Latin: Aternum). Historical road It was probably built by the Roman censor Marcus Valerius Maximus in 307 BCPiraino C. 2004: "The via Valeria and the centuriation", in Lapenna s. (ed.), The Aequi between Abruzzo and Lazio, Chieti, 115-118. at the time of the conquest of the Aequi territory and later lengthened, probably in about 154 BC, by Marcus Valerius Messalla to the territories of the Marsi and the Aequi in the Abruzzo, as Via Valeria. Its total length was approximately 200 km from Rome to Aternum (the modern Pescara). It exited Rome through the Aurelian Walls at the Porta Tiburtina, and through the Servian Wall at the Porta Esquilina. Historians assert that the Via Tiburtina must have come into existence as a trail during the establishment of the Latin League. It is difficult to determine the part of the cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porta Esquilina
The Porta Esquilina (or Esquiline Gate) was a gate in the Servian Wall,Platner, S.B. and Ashby, T. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. London: Humphrey Milford Oxford University, Press. 1929 of which the Arch of Gallienus is extant today. Tradition dates it back to the 6th century BC, when the Servian Wall was said to have been built by the Roman king Servius Tullius. However modern scholarship and evidence from archaeology indicate a date in the fourth century BC.Holloway, R. Ross. ''The Archaeology of Early Rome and Latium''. London and New York: Routledge Press. 1994 The archway of the gate was rededicated in 262 as the Arch of Gallienus. Location The Porta Esquilina allowed passage between Rome and the Esquiline Hill at the city’s east before Rome expanded with the later Aurelian Wall. The Esquiline Hill served as Rome’s graveyard during the Republic and later as an area for the ''horti'' and the emperor’s most beautiful gardens such as the Gardens of Maece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Rome)
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, also known as Piazza Vittorio, is a piazza in Rome, Italy, in the Esquilino rione. It is served by the Vittorio Emanuele Metro station. Description Surrounded by palazzi with large porticoes in the 19th-century style, the piazza was built by Gaetano Koch shortly after the unification of Italy. Umbertine in style, it is the largest piazza in Rome (316 x 174 metres). In the centre of the piazza is a garden with the remains of a fountain built by Alexander Severus (so called ''Trophy of Marius''), and the ''Porta Alchemica'' (''Alchemist's Portal'' or also called Magic Gate or ''Porta Magica''), the entrance to Villa Palombara, former residence of the alchemist Marquis Palombara. Cultural references In Vittorio De Sica's film'' Bicycle Thieves'', in Piazza Vittorio the protagonist Antonio Ricci and his young son Bruno seek desperately to recover his stolen bicycle, but realise the futility of their task as the vast square is filled with countless b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Esquiline Necropolis
The Esquiline Necropolis (Italian – ''Necropoli dell'Esquilino'') was a prehistoric necropolis on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, in use until the end of the 1st century AD. It came into use when the Forum necropolis fell into disuse in the mid-8th century BC (other than for child burials, which continued there until the end of the 7th century BC), and testifies to Rome's expansion towards the Velian Hill. Its burials have richer grave goods and are better supplied with weapons, typical of a new aristocratic warrior-class, as already existed in other areas along the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tyrrhenian seaboard such as Etruria and Campania. As regards the protohistoric period, the burials are of the advanced "second phase" and, more typically, the "third phase", characterized by more compressed-form (rather than globular-form) pots, with more elongated handles towards the top and more "costolature" than moulded or carved decoration. Bibliography * Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli e Mario To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his '' Odes'' as the only Latin lyrics worth reading: "He can be lofty sometimes, yet he is also full of charm and grace, versatile in his figures, and felicitously daring in his choice of words."Quintilian 10.1.96. The only other lyrical poet Quintilian thought comparable with Horace was the now obscure poet/metrical theorist, Caesius Bassus (R. Tarrant, ''Ancient Receptions of Horace'', 280) Horace also crafted elegant hexameter verses ('' Satires'' and '' Epistles'') and caustic iambic poetry ('' Epodes''). The hexameters are amusing yet serious works, friendly in tone, leading the ancient satirist Persius to comment: "as his friend laughs, Horace slyly puts his finger on his every fault; once let ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
