This grandiose statue, which represented the emperor in the guise of the sun god, was made by the Greek sculptor Zenodoro. It was 35 feet high and supported by a 11 feet high pedestal. Placed at the entrance of the Domus Aurea, next to the Colosseum, there was a colossal gilded bronze statue. This shows that the Golden House was not only intended as a place of residence for the emperor but also as a place for recreation and otium. Petals and perfumes would have delighted the guests so appreciated by the emperor. Composed of 150 small and large rooms, for a total extension of 16,000 square meters, the equivalent of 3 football fields about 30,000 square meters of walls decorated with frescoes and stuccos and vaults up to 12 feet high.Īt the time of Emperor Nero, the Golden House was completely covered with gold, precious stones, shells and pearls, while the ceilings of the dining rooms were characterized by movable ivory tablets. In fact, between 64 and 68 AD the emperor built “a home as befits a man”: the Domus Aurea.Ī few numbers tell us how massive the Golden House was.
The author then adds other information about Nero such as he was a lover of the arts, including music, singing and poetry, but he was also a great money launderer, using them mainly for construction. Nero became the symbol of cruelty and infamy for the city of Rome. The historian Suetonius, in De Vita Caesarum, outlines the profile of the emperor: “Nero was born at Antium nine months after the death of Tiberius, on the eighteenth day before the Kalends of January, just as the sun rose, so that he was touched by its rays almost before he could be laid upon the ground. Many people at once made many direful predictions from his horoscope, and a remark of his father Domitius was also regarded as an omen for while receiving the congratulations of his friends, he said that “nothing that was not abominable and a public bane could be born of Agrippina and himself”. Under the constant pressure of this famous woman, Nero repudiated Octavia, accusing her of sterility and adultery and he had her exiled and then killed. She was so beautiful and ambitious woman, described by Tacitus in this way: “she had every female merit, except honesty”. Before becoming emperor, he had married his cousin Claudia Octavia even if he was interested in another women, Poppaea. He began to promote the first measures under the careful guidance of the prefect Burro and Seneca, his tutor.
This grandiose work was carried out by the Emperor Nero’s order, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.Īt the age of 17, Nero rose to power, as an adopted son of Emperor Claudius, in 54 AD. Right here are the remains of one of the most important imperial palaces of ancient Rome, the Golden House, in Latin Domus Aurea. In the past, it was the vital urban space for the Roman citizens, while nowadays is considered a place for walking and recreation. Just a few steps from one of the most visited monuments in the world, the Colosseum, we can admire a place that resists over time, the Golden House.
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