Covering Rome’s Palatine, Caelian, and Esquiline Hills, it was the place to behold. Even the lower estimates, 100 acres (0.40 km2), suggest that the Domus Aurea was majestic, outshining the more famous Hadrian’s Villa. In fact, Nero’s “Golden House” was one of the largest and most opulent palaces ever built in Rome, covering an area of more than 300 acres (1.2 km2). The Domus Aurea was not a palace, but a palatial complex. While Nero did not start the fire, he undoubtedly profited from it, claiming large parts of the devastated city to realize his dream project.Įmperor Nero Constructed a Vast Palatial Complex Visual reconstruction of the Domus Aurea, built after the Fire of Rome in 64 CE, by Josep R. The emperor’s zeal, however, was seen by some as the evidence of his guilt, of his involvement in the Great Fire of Rome. To construct a majestic palace that would reflect his wealth, power and prestige. Emperor Nero, who ruled the Roman Empire at that time, saw this as an opportunity to embark on an ambitious building project. In 64 CE, the Great Fire of Rome destroyed a significant part of the city, including the aristocratic residences on Palatine Hill. The Domus Aurea, Nero’s “Golden Palace” was built immediately after one of the greatest calamities that struck ancient Rome. The Domus Aurea Was Built Immediately After the Great Fire of Rome The Fire of Rome, Robert Hubert, 1771, Musée d’art moderne André Malraux, Le Havre Today, visitors can still see some of the Palace’s remains, including the stunning frescoes that once adorned its walls. Following Nero’s suicide, the Domus Area was destroyed by the Flavian emperors, and many of its parts were incorporated into other buildings, most notably the Colosseum. The Palace’s fate mirrored that of its builder. It did not help that Nero embarked on the ambitious project following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, and that he used a large area of the devastated area to build the “Golden House”. Unsurprisingly, Nero’s extravagant palace was used by his enemies as the ultimate evidence of the emperor’s megalomania. A marvel of Roman engineering, the Domus Aurea was designed to showcase emperor Nero’s wealth, power and prestige. The Palace’s many rooms were covered in gold and decorated with precious stones and gems. Renowned for its opulence and splendor, the Domus Aurea covered a vast area, including gardens, pavilions, fountains, pools, and even an artificial lake. ISBN 0-966. Available at Amazon.The Domus Aurea, or the “Golden House,” was a large and extravagant palatial complex built by Emperor Nero in Rome in the mid-first century CE. The Great Buildings Collection on CD-ROM. Photo of remains of walls in front of the facade of the main palace with the southern exedra of the Baths of Trajan, plate 418, p347. Photo of the octagonal domed room in the east wing, plate 417, p346. Photo showing construction of the cupola and openings for lighting of the octagonal hall, plate 416, p346. Photo of rooms at the south-west corner of the peristyle, plate 408, p340. plan drawing of octagon, plate 30.Įrnest Nash. analytical drawing of the octagon, plate 31. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1982. The classic text of architectural history.Įxpanded 1996 edition available at On Appian Hill, northeast of the Colluseum. This was an octagonal hall roofed by a concrete dome, 14.7 m (50 ft) across the corners, and open on all sides to the garden or to surrounding smaller roomsas far as is known the first appearance in a building of this kind of a new concept of interior space which was to come increasingly to the fore over the next half-century." To the right of this was the less conventionally planned eastern part, which contained the feature of greatest importance and originality. In the centre, the faade was set back, following three sides and two half-sides of an octagon. The more westerly part, which was certainly of Nero's time, also had a peristyle behind the faade. It most resembled the country and seaside portico villas of Campagna, and was open to the views of and beyond the lake. The main architectural interest lies in the wing just referred to, known as the Esquiline wing, which stood a little to the north of the lake and was subsequently built over to form part of the enclosure of the Baths of Trajan.
THE DOMUS AUREA SERIES
It was less a palace than a series of pavilions and a long wing comprising living and reception rooms, all set in a vast landscaped park with an artificial lake in its centre where the Colosseum now stands. 64-68 and possibly later), was built or begun by Nero after the great fire in A.D. "The Domus Aurea (Golden House), Rome (A.D.
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