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The Esquline Hill
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Featured August 6 , 2006
A brief description of the largest of the famous seven
hills.
 The Esquiline from above.  The Esquiline in Nero's day. One view is that the Hill was named after the abundance of holm-oaks, exculi, that resided there in Rome's celebtated history. Another view is that, during Rome's infancy, the Capitolium, the Palatium, and the northern fringes of the Caelian were the most-populated areas of the city, whose inhabitants were considered inquilini, in-towners; those that inhabited the external regions - Aurelian, Oppius, Cispius, Fagutalis - were considered exquilini, suburbanites. Rising above the valley in which was later built the Colosseum, the Esquiline was a fashionable residential district. It became home to many high-born families, and achieved a status for housing the learned. In it's own way it became as famous as the Palatine that housed the golden-roofed Temple of Jupitor. At the southern-most cusp, the Oppius, Nero confiscated property from the citizens to build his extravagant, mile-long Golden House, the Domus aurea, and later still Trajan constructed his massive bath complex, both of whose remains are visible today. Farther to the northeast, at the summit of the Cispius, is the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore that was built in a time when the Caesar's were fading into history's annuls. NERO'S GOLDEN HOUSE: Following the reign of Augustus came a succession of four emperors descending from the Julio-Claudian line: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. These are the Emperor's whom of which we think when one mentions the glory of Rome. There was no more greater way for an emperor to display his strength, power, and good will to the Roman people than by erecting glorious buildings, that glorified himself, showed his majesty, and improved the quality of Romans' lives. Those were their supposed reasons for the tak anyway! The Emperors would typically fund the building of new aqueducts, temples, markets, theaters, harbours, arches, granaries, and fora. They also built lavish palaces for their own living quarters which they deemed most appropriate to their status and majesty, and employed the most distinguished architects, and artists in all the Roman Empire. It was not unknown for artists to be brought to Rome under pain of death to do their Emperor's bidding. In sum their work would be of the highest standard for their lives would depend upon it. One palace that caught the eyes of all who viewed it was the famous Domus Aurea, called the Golden House according to some of ancient writers and scholars because parts were overlaid in gold leaf, and embedded with a fortune in gems. Construction was started on Nero's new palace after the great fires of Rome. Some say he allowed the fire to spread so he would have the land for this magnificent structure. Though this was never proven, but it sounds likely. The story is unsubstantiated but we do know that so many buildings burned that a large swathe of land was cleared for it to be built upon. Nero's first home, the Domus Transitora, was one of those destroyed. Such was this man's need for more that he allowed his home to burn so that he might build afresh But now Nero had an excuse to build a newer and grander structure. He began his new palace immediately and continued to enhance it until his death four years later in 68 A.D when he took his own life. It too spanned the Esquiline and Palatine Hills but also occupied most of the Caelian Hill as well. It even replaced the Temple of Claudius the God, which Nero demolished. He also disbanded the cult of Claudius, only for it to be reinstated by the Emperor Vespasian. Unfortunately, very little exists of Nero's home today but for a collection of walls and foundations. But we can read the writings of others who best describe this home of homes. Severus and Celer designed the complex, which was described by Suetonius: A huge statue of Nero, 120 feet high, stood in the entrance hall; and the pillared arcade ran for a whole mile. An enormous pool, more like a sea than a pool, was surrounded by buildings made to resemble cities and by a landscape garden consisting of plowed fields, vineyards, pastures and woodlands. Here every variety of domestic and wild animal roamed about. Parts of the house were overlaid with gold and studded with precious stones and mother of pearl. All the dining rooms had ceilings of fretted ivory, the panels of which could slide back and let a rain of flowers, or of perfume from hidden sprinklers, fall on his guests. The main dining room was circular, and its roof revolved slowly, day and night, in time with the sky. Sea water, or sulfur water, was always on tap in the baths. Suetonius The gemstones, perfumes, and rotating ceiling have long since disappeared, but archaeologists have uncovered an octagonal room with smaller rooms radiating from it. The roof was a dome with a huge hole or "oculus" in the center to let in light. Slits in the sides of the room also let in light, but they were positioned behind supports that subtly hid the light source from the visitor to the room. Suetonius says: When the palace had been decorated throughout in this lavish style, Nero dedicated it and condescended to remark, "Good, now I can at last begin to live like a human being." Romans were indeed impressed with this manse, but did not approve of it. Nero's lifestyle made his house an easy target for criticism. The Domus Aurea became a symbol of the decadence that motivated Nero's immoral acts. The artificial lake, the rotating ceiling, the misting unguents, and the 120 foot tall statue of Nero himself all reminded the Romans of the outlandish extravagance of Nero's regime. |
Garden of Midnight Lillies
~ Table of Contents ~
HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN WHO CRAVES POWER!
Marius Caesar A preview chapter from my book Claudia Julia Livia "aka" Livilla Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder Cicero Minesium Gaius Caesar aka Caligula Boudicca The Titans Octavia Minor and Antonia Minor Chapter 4 of my book.....enjoy! no title Octavian/Augustus no title Welcome message First page Cornelius Sulla |
