O Neptunus, brother of Iuppiter and Nereus, heartily and gladly I give you praise and grateful thanks. And to you, Neptunus, before all other gods I offer and accord you the highest thanks. I give you praise, for you know how to treat men fairly; this befits the gods.
Plautus, Trinummus, 819-30
Right this way, magister. Y'er standing inside the Basilica of Neptune located behind the great Pantheon. There across the way is the Stagnum and the Baths of Agrippa.
This ‘ere building was constructed by the great Marcus Agrippa ‘imself in the third year of the reign of the Emperor Augustus, may the gods bless ‘im. Most of this building is offices of one sort or other, but there’s a museum to commemorate the glorious victory at Actium, where that eastern wench and that Antony fellow were beaten good ‘n’ proper. Down that hall is the museum if you want to learn more.
As you can see, the walls and ceilings are decorated with shells, dolphins, and other such like symbols of Neptune's ocean realm. There are also lot of ‘orses, animals special to old Father Neptune. And there’s the God ‘imself.
I will leave you ‘ere. Good day to you, magister.
Originally dedicated in 25 BC, the Basilica Neptuni was damaged by fire in the reign of Titus. Hadrian significantly restructured and incorporated the building into his restoration of the Pantheon. What functional purpose this building served is not known.
This version of the Basilica Neptuni contains exhibitions relating to Marcus Agrippa. It also serves as space for offices and associations located in the Campus Martius.
Visit the Agrippa Gallery
Visit the Museum of Actium
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Image Sources: Hippocampus, mosaic detail from Fishbourne Roman Palace and Museum. Image of the Braccio Nuovo gallery, Vatican Museum, from Cooperativa IL SOGNO.
Detail from “Triumph of Neptune” mosaic from Tunisie.com. “Neptune and Triton” calming the seas for Aeneas, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, from Michael Lahanas’ Hellenica website.
Sources:
A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, Samuel Ball Platner (as completed and revised by Thomas Ashby), London: Oxford University Press (1929), provided by Professor Bill Thayer’s Lacus Curtius website.
Article at Livius.
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Hall of Neptune
