Domus Augustana on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Domus Augustana is the modern name given to the central residential part of the vast Roman Palace of Domitian (92 AD) on the
The central section of the palace (labelled "Domus Augustana" in the diagram) consists of at least four main parts: the "2nd Peristyle" to the northeast, the central "3rd Peristyle", the courtyard complex and the exedra on the southwest. The Domus Augustana is built on two levels, the upper northern one consisting of the two peristyles to the north on the same level and closely linked to the Domus Flavia and therefore probably having public functions. The southern section was built a little later and some details suggest that it was not
File:Palatino - panoramio (22).jpg, Buildings along NE side of "courtyard" garden
File:Domus augustana - temple de minerve.jpg, "3rd Peristyle" garden looking south
File:Domus Augustana.JPG, "Courtyard" garden of the Domus Augustana looking west
File:Palatine Hill Rome.jpg, 2nd Peristyle garden looking south
Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...
. In antiquity the name may have applied to the whole of the palace.
Its name is not directly related to the emperor Augustus (r. 27 BC – AD 14) and should not be confused with the nearby Domus Augusti, but probably refers to the later Roman meaning of ''Augustus'' as "emperor".
Layout
The central section of the palace (labelled "Domus Augustana" in the diagram) consists of at least four main parts: the "2nd Peristyle" to the northeast, the central "3rd Peristyle", the courtyard complex and the exedra on the southwest. The Domus Augustana is built on two levels, the upper northern one consisting of the two peristyles to the north on the same level and closely linked to the Domus Flavia and therefore probably having public functions. The southern section was built a little later and some details suggest that it was not Rabirius
The gens Rabiria was a minor plebeian family at Ancient Rome. Although of senatorial rank, few members of this gens appear in history, and the only one known to have held any of the higher offices of the Roman state was Gaius Rabirius Postumus, wh ...
who directed the work.
The 2nd Peristyle garden is partly exposed but little is known of its architecture.
The 3rd Peristyle was filled almost completely with a huge pool as wide as that of the Domus Flavia and included a seascape perhaps of Greek mythology on an island connected to the side via a bridge with several arches, and with sculptures in the water. Other sources suggest a temple was built on the island, namely a temple of Minerva.Archaeological Guide to Rome, Adriano La Regina, 2005, Electa, p 65 The elaborate rooms surrounding the peristyle alternated between open and closed spaces, suited to public use and perhaps several social groups. On its southwest side the walls stand to a considerable height (after partial reconstruction in the 1930s) with several rooms around a semicircular hall.
The courtyard complex was reserved for the private quarters of the emperor and was built around another peristyle garden surrounded by a colonnade on two levels, the upper containing complex sets of rooms and the lower, 10 m below ground level, consisting of a pool with an unusual design of islands consisting of four ''peltas'', typical moon-shaped shields of the Amazons
In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...
, all surfaces being originally faced with marble.
On the southwest side of this complex is the great exedra, a long curving arcaded gallery linking two wings, overlooking the Circus Maximus to the southwest allowing the emperor to watch the races. It may have had an ornamental façade, perhaps added by Trajan when the seats of the circus were carried up thus far(Gnomon, 1927, p. 593 Verlag C.H.Beck). From this curved terrace a large arched opening, visible in drawings of the sixteenth century (Heemskerck II; Wyngaerde) led into the courtyard complex.
Gallery
See also
*List of ancient monuments in Rome
This is a list of ancient monuments from Republican and Imperial periods in the city of Rome, Italy.
Amphitheaters
* Amphitheater of Caligula
* Amphitheatrum Castrense
* Amphitheater of Nero
* Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus
* Colosseum
Bath ...
References
Other sources
* * A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby):Oxford University Press, 1929External links
* {{Monuments of Rome Palatine Hill Ancient palaces in Rome