Domus Aurea

Welcome to the Oppian Hill, a site that once served as the beating, controversial heart of the Roman Empire. You are standing above the remains of the Domus Aurea, the Golden House, an architectural marvel commissioned by Emperor…

We begin our exploration at the site of the ancient vestibule, the monumental entrance to Nero’s estate. Standing here, you would have been greeted by a sight designed to induce immediate awe and perhaps a touch of terror: the…

Gaze down into the valley where the Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum, now stands. In Nero’s time, this entire basin was filled by the stagnum—a massive, rectangular artificial lake. …

We now descend into the preserved heart of the palace on the Oppian Hill. As you walk through the entrance corridor, you are actually entering the substructure walls built by Emperor Trajan. …

We have reached what many consider the architectural masterpiece of the Domus Aurea: the Octagonal Hall. This room represents a pivotal moment in the history of architecture. …

We move now into the room known as Achilles on Skyros, named for the exquisite frescoes depicting the Greek hero. This room offers us the best look at the work of the master painter Fabullus, also referred to as Famulus in some…

Next, we enter the Cryptoporticus, a long, vaulted underground corridor. While it may have served a utilitarian purpose as a service passage, its decoration was anything but basic. …

Finally, we turn our attention to one of the most legendary features of the Domus Aurea: the Coenatio Rotunda, or the revolving dining room. Long considered a myth described by the historian Suetonius, its physical remains were…

As we conclude our tour of the Domus Aurea, we must reflect on the brief but spectacular life of this palace. It was finished in fifty-two AD and stood for only a few years before Nero's death in sixty-eight AD. …