#roman domus

[ancientcharm]

Partial view of bathroom in House of Menander, Pompeii.

[domusplautii]

Thinking about the women who weren’t aristocratic, whose lives we never hear about in the histories, and only with snide humour in the satirists.

*

From the article, Roman Women by Gillian Clark.

[Greece & Rome, Vol. 28, No. 2, Jubilee Year (Oct., 1981), pp. 193-212 (20 pages), on Jstor.]

[asdaricus]

Midjourney's take on ancient Roman villas

by Midjourney v5

[abtl]

ok the Domus is looking pretty good not gonna lie

[blueiskewl]

Rome’s 'Lost' Imperial Palace 'Domus Tiberiana' Reopens

Until recently a crumbling and off-limits ruin near the famous Colosseum, the Domus Tiberiana palace — built in the first century AD and beloved by Nero — hopes to once again take its place as one of the city’s top tourist attractions.

The ancient palace sits on Palatine Hill — the city’s oldest hill, overhanging Rome —from where imperial dynasties ruled for centuries. But over the years, the site fell into disrepair and in the 1970s, the Domus Tiberiana site was shut due to the structural instability of some of the ruins. The closure left behind what many Romans described as a “black hole” in the capital’s archaeological heart.

Now, after a six-year makeover, the palace has reopened its doors as a “diffuse museum,” with findings and frescoes scattered across the site to provide visitors with an insight into the palace’s ancient grandeur.

And it was grand. The Domus Tiberiana was Rome’s first imperial palace, built by the emperor Tiberius who combined and incorporated the pre-existing noble mansions built on the hill. Occupying over four hectares, the palace featured residences alongside large gardens, places of worship and rooms for the emperor’s Praetorian guard.

As the seat of Rome’s power and politics, Domus Tiberiana held a prime location, high above the Palatine and Roman Forums, offering its occupants a “balcony view of the city.” Over time, the Domus was embellished and enlarged by other emperors including Nero, who was crowned on its steps aged just 16, in 54 AD.

Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum’s archaeological park (in which Domus Tiberiana falls) and lead archaeologist on the renovation, said that ancient antiquities, many exceptionally well-preserved, were unearthed during the project.

The artifacts — bright stuccos, frescoes, amphorae, potteries, looms, terracotta, and divinity statues related to the cults of Isis, Dionysius and Mithras — offer visitors a trip through time, said Russo.

“They make this place — formerly (inhabited) by aristocratic families, then Roman emperors — feel alive again,” she said. “There are seven exhibition rooms full of extraordinary finds, starting with those preceding the original construction of the palace when aristocrats lived in mansions before Tiberius subsumed them into the Domus.”

Among the newly-exposed and frescoes are some of the earliest paintings of lemons (considered an exotic fruit in Ancient Rome, as they hailed from the Far East) and a depiction of a gladiator, proving that the era’s gladiatoral games were appreciated by rich families, explained Russo.

The imperial palace remained in use until the 7th century, when it became the papal residence of John VII. In the mid-16th century, the aristocratic Farnese family — who were powerful local landowners — built the lavish Orti Farnesiani gardens on the site, adorning it with ornaments and sculptures of nymphs, satyrs and fauns.

“This monument speaks of history,” Russo added. “We have restored (Domus Tiberiana) to its past splendor, but more work lies ahead.”

Indeed, painstaking efforts have been made to blend old and new. A series of majestic, reddish-brown vaulted arches that greet visitors having been carefully reconstructed with the same materials as ancient Romans used in the past.

“What makes this revamped Domus unique is the architectural style,” said Russo. “We managed to use original materials to reinforce and strengthen the handmade 15-meter (50ft) tall front arches (which run alongside the palace’s) ancient paving.”

It has certainly caught the public’s attention. Since reopening at the end of September, Domus Tiberiana has attracted some 400,000 visitors, a “huge success,” said Russo, adding that she believes that this incarnation of the Domus Tiberiana offers visitors the most “evocative” visit in generations.

Archaeologist and scholar of ancient Rome Giorgio Franchetti saidN that, in the reopening of the Domus Tiberiana complex, Rome has “recovered a lost jewel.”

“The Palatine Hill has always been the stage of Rome’s power politics,” he said in an interview. “Tiberius likely chose this spot to build the palace as it was where his family residence stood. There aren’t many places like the Domus Tiberiana where you can really breathe the past.”

By Silvia Marchetti.

[romeneverfell]

Room of the East Peristyle of the House of Augustus, 1st century BCE | In the Roman Forum complex, Palatine hill

Beautiful example of the "Second Style" of Roman fresco work, characterized by architectural trompe-l'œil and the insertion of scenes as "windows" to the outside, such as the glimpse behind the stage of the two women standing in the city in conversation.

[ancientorigins]

Prime location. Stunning mosaics. Water features, and a grotto. Has the most important domus of Rome just been found near to the Colosseum?

[finelythreadedsky]

cannot believe i introduced the accusative of place to which today and did not realize i had the opportunity to do the romani ite domum bit

[theromaboo]

The Fifth Day of Britannicus

Today I'm doing Nero in Da Domus! Those comics were hilarious and always near and dear to my heart.

It seems like drawn depictions of Brit hardly go wrong. Of the five different drawn versions of Britannicus I know about, I really like four of them but I dislike the fifth one probably because it's in an anime style and I'm not used to that. And every single drawn depiction of Britannicus I know about looks young. They all look Brit's age. Artists are just so good at this.

Anyway, the tumblr of Nero in Da Domus is @neroindadomus. And @owlask is the person who made it.

I personally love this Britannicus. Maybe I'm a little biased because I do love this comic so much, but they did Brit well and did not make him look like he was 30, which is a plus. He's cute, he's Brit. I think his hair suits him. Very nice.

[babygirlcowboy]

Just finished all of my midterms 🥹🥹🥹 I can finally relax for 2 days and read Batman fanfiction 🥹🥹🥹🥹

[ancientcharm]

House of the wounded bear, Pompeii.

Photo: Silvia Vacca

The name of the house is due to the mosaic on the entrance floor that depicts a bear wounded by a spear.

[domusplautii]

I'm down a rabbit hole around how Romans lived in their houses - Reading a heap of academic articles around the subject and reviewing a bunch of lectures on YouTube.

There's a really useful one by Mary Beard Pompeii: The Art of Reconstruction (also available on Jstor here).

I think about this a lot.

Were there really multiple, unrelated families living in those sprawling houses at Pompeii; or extended, multi-generational families, as was thought until more modern times?

Were the (probably) semi-public spaces of the urban villa used in an open, free-flowing way; or were they divided up using doors, wooden screens and (perhaps) curtains?

Did they really have no concept of personal privacy?

Did people sleep anywhere in the house, all thrown in together; or did they use some of the cubicula like modern bedrooms?

Where did they cook? Did they have braziers wherever needed so they could cook in any room, and if so, why have a culina at all?

[marta-bee]

Tomorrow I’m turning 40, but my sense of humor is still very much that of a seven year old boy giggling because someone said “booby.” Honestly, I don’t see that changing any time soon, and thank goodness for that.

[blasphemouskittens]

Romanes eunt domus

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Triclinium, Musée romain d’Augusta Raurica, Augst, Canton de Bâle, Suisse