The Domus Transitoria (House of Passage) was Roman emperor

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 ...

's (r. 54 – 68) first palace damaged or destroyed by the

Great Fire of Rome The Great Fire of Rome () began on 19 July 64 AD. The fire started in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, Circus Maximus. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before the damage could be assessed, the fire reignit ...

in 64 AD, and then extended by his

Domus Aurea The Domus Aurea (Latin, "Golden House") was a vast landscaped complex built by the Roman Empire, Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the Great Fire of Rome, great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part ...

(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 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 ...

Horti Lamiani The Horti Lamiani (Lamian Gardens) was a luxurious complex consisting of an ancient Roman villa with large gardens and outdoor rooms. It was located on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, in the area around the present Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Rome) ...

, Horti Lolliani, etc. According to

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

(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 The Oppian Hill (Latin, ''Oppius Mons''; ) is the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven hills of Rome, Italy. It is separated from the Cispius on the north by the valley of the Suburra, and from the Caelian Hill on the sout ...

under the

Baths of Trajan The Baths of Trajan () were a massive ''thermae'', a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome and dedicated under Trajan during the '' kalendae'' of July 109, shortly after the Aqua Traiana was dedicated. History Commissioned by Emp ...

.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 parts were frescoed. A portico fronted the domus along the south side. Almost all of the columns, floors and marble walls were removed when

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

built his baths (in 104 AD). The house was built around a big

peristyle In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...

with

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

s on three sides, while the fourth on the north consisted of a cryptoporticus which supported the rear embankment. At the centre, occupied now by a series of long barrel vaults to support the overlying Trajanic baths are the remains of a fountain; on the eastern part is a large

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

that opens to the courtyard.

Nymphaeum of Polyphemus

An elaborate nympheum was unfortunately divided in two by a later wall of Trajan. Surrounded by a portico of four columns it was equipped with a cascading fountain on the bottom, whose water was conveyed into a central basin. On the walls of the

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

was a mosaic of which a few traces remain within a frame of shells. The lower part of the walls were originally covered in marble. The decoration of the vault, high, is preserved only in part where four corner medallions and a central octagon were inserted, the latter partly preserved representing the

Polyphemus Polyphemus (; , ; ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and legends", "many-voiced" or "very famous". Polyphemus first ap ...

scene.

Temple of Venus and Roma

Five metres below

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

Temple of Venus and Roma The Temple of Venus and Roma (Latin: ''Aedes Veneris et Romae'') is thought to have been the largest Roman temple, temple in Ancient Rome. Located on the Velian Hill, between the eastern edge of the Forum Romanum and the Colosseum, it was dedicat ...

a sumptuous rotunda belonging to the palace was discovered in 1828, cut through by foundations of the

. The elaborate domed room which interconnected two barrel-vaulted corridors was spectacular architecturally and had marble-lined pools and paving in multicoloured '' opus sectile'', all still largely intact beneath the temple.

Palatine Hill

The main part of the palace was probably on the

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 ...

and a large and brilliantly decorated set of rooms has been located in the central part of the

under the Palace of Domitian. This site was excavated in 1721 when considerable damage was done during the excavations. The lower floors contained sunken gardens, two pavilions, a nymphaeum, and an art gallery. Beyond these rooms is a very large

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground ( pit latrine), or ...

. In one of these rooms is a rich marble floor found under the oval fountain room of Domitian's Cenatio Iovis, and a rich nymphaeum with marble columns and bronze capitals. Today one corner of the nymphaeum has been rebuilt. The cryptoporticus of Nero that connected the palace with the nearby Domus Tiberiana was also part of the complex. It is 130 m long with mosaic floors and elaborate stucco ceiling decoration with vegetal elements and cupids. It lies beneath the ''Horti Farnesiani'' along one side of the Domus Tiberiana. Marble and other parts salvaged from the ruins later became part of the

, Nero's main residence. Painted ceilings with mythological scenes from the Domus Transitoria, the earliest examples of fourth-style painting, perhaps by the painter Fabullus, are displayed in the Palatine Museum. In 2019 it was announced that this part of the palace will be accessible to the public for the first time in almost 70 years.

Gallery

File:Palatine DSCF6828 12.jpg File:Frammenti di tarsie marmoree dal triclinio della domus transitoria di nerone, 54-64 dc ca. 03.jpg, ''opus sectile'' from the triclinium (Antiquarium) File:Frammenti di tarsie marmoree dal triclinio della domus transitoria di nerone, 54-64 dc ca., teste 01.jpg, ''opus sectile'' from the triclinium (Antiquarium) File:Frammenti di tarsie marmoree dal triclinio della domus transitoria di nerone, 54-64 dc ca. 01.jpg, ''opus sectile'' from the triclinium (Antiquarium) File:Pannello con opus sectile parietale, età neroniana, dalla domus tiberiana.jpg, ''opus sectile'' from the triclinium (Antiquarium) File:Frammenti di tarsie marmoree dal triclinio della domus transitoria di nerone, 54-64 dc ca., teste 03.jpg, ''opus sectile'' from the triclinium (Antiquarium) File:Frammenti di tarsie marmoree dal triclinio della domus transitoria di nerone, 54-64 dc ca., danzatrici 05.jpg, Dancer in marble from the triclinium

References

External links

* {{Monuments of Rome Ancient palaces in Rome Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Palatine Hill Rome R. X Campitelli Burned buildings and structures in Italy Nero