What does the Palatine in Rome look like: photo. Palatine: historical sights of Rome - imperial palaces Imperial palace complex on the palatine

If you like the history of Ancient Rome and the remains of the former empire, then you will definitely like the Palatine in Rome.

Palatine is one of the 7 hills on which Rome stands. This hill was inhabited much earlier than the others, therefore it is considered the oldest, and during the time of the empire only the highest stratum of society lived here. Therefore, the structures that have been preserved here were huge.

For comparison, the buildings in the background are people

History of the Palatine

Palatine Hill originates even before the founding of Rome, because shepherds lived on this hill a thousand years before our era. Later, the hill became the main scene of the famous legend about Romulus and Remus.

According to legend, it was on the Palatine Hill that the she-wolf found and nurtured the 2 founding brothers of Rome;
It was here (already later) Romulus and Remus began to build a great city;
And it was on the Palatine Hill that Romulus killed Remus.

Archaeological excavations confirm the legends: settlements were found by specialists that were founded in 1000 BC, which confirms the early settlement of Palatine, compared with the other six hills.

During his lifetime, Romulus surrounded the Palatine Hill with a wall with two gates - these were the first defensive structures of Rome. .

noble place

Hundreds of years later, the Romans sacredly honored their history, and remembered where their ancestors lived. Therefore, many people wanted to live on the Palatine, this hill was considered the most prestigious in the city, but only the Roman nobility inhabited the hill.

Only the rich and emperors could afford to build their villas and palaces on the Palatine Hill.

To show its importance, each new palace was built larger and more luxurious than the previous ones. At some point, such structures became so huge that there were no analogues in the world at that time.

They were even given their own name - domuses. It was considered an honor to have such domus, so each emperor built his own domus as soon as he ascended the throne. The most famous domusi that have survived to this day are the residences of the emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian.

One of these houses. Fence in the center about chest

Decline of the Palatine

After the invasion of the Goths on Rome, the buildings on the Palatine were destroyed, and after that no one was engaged in them until the 17th century. But when the hill fell into the possession of the Farnese family, the reconstruction of buildings buried underground began actively on it.

The final archaeological work on the Palatine Hill in Rome was completed with the support of Napoleon III in the 60s of the XIX century, but after the Roman authorities took away Napoleon's property in connection with the historical value found during the excavations.

Throughout history, many buildings have been built on the Palatine that impress tourists today. The Palatine Hill is part of the history of Rome untouched.

Museum Antiquarium

One of the most interesting places in the Palatine is the Antiquarium Museum. On two floors of the museum, ancient sculptures, mosaics and bas-reliefs are presented, miraculously preserved under a layer of earth. Also in the museums there are halls with modern sculptures.

The museum differs sharply in white from other buildings, so it is easy to find

Entrance is free, carried out with the Colosseum-Palatine-Forum ticket. It is worth visiting for lovers of history and ancient artifacts, however, like the rest of the Palatine.

The museum opens at 9:00 am and closes 2 hours before sunset from Tuesday to Sunday.

Video Palatina

The central of the seven main hills of Rome is the Palatine. Its height is 40 meters. This is one of those places in Rome that were inhabited in antiquity.

According to legend, ancient Rome originates here. It was on the Palatine that Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf and raised by Faustulus. It was here that Romulus once founded the city.

The very name Palatium is associated by historians with the name of the goddess Pales, who guarded the cattle. According to them, the Palatine Hill originally served as a place for cattle pasture. Later, the Italians developed certain religious ideas. So the cult of the goddess Pales arose, and the Palatine became the religious center of the shepherds. They performed the ritual of sacrifice here.

This location was located:
- the sacred she-wolf cave (with a spring and a fig tree, where, according to legend, they found a basket with twin babies);
- house of Romulus;
- the altar of Pan;
- hut Faustula;
- the temple of Jupiter Stator, which was founded by Romulus;
- a pit for dropping by settlers of original fruits, household items, native land, which was brought in handfuls.

Donations were thrown into the pit until it was full. After that, she covered herself with an altar. Thorns grew everywhere, which, according to legend, grew from a spear. The spear was thrown by Romulus from the Aventine. It sank into the ground so deeply that it was impossible to pull it out.

On February 15, the ancient festival of Lupercalia takes place here. At this time, naked Luperki run around the Palatine Hill. During the life of Romulus, the Palatine was surrounded by a wall that had two gates.

The fact that the hill is quite ancient is proved by numerous archaeological finds. Thus, it has been established that the first settlement appeared here around 1000 BC. e.

As the city grew, so did the arrangement of the Palatine. By the end of the existence of the republic, this place was inhabited mainly by the rich and aristocrats of Rome. Augustus was born on the Palatine. Here he decided to build a house for his family. This is how the first Palatine Palace appeared. It was built in a simple style, located in the center of a hill, and marble was the building material.

Not far from the palace was the temple of Apollo, which was built of pure marble. The building was equipped with two libraries - Greek and Latin. The temple of Vesta was also located here.

The palace was destroyed by fire and burnt down in 3 AD. e. Augustus was able to restore it by adding propylaea. During that period, a colonnade was also erected, which had 52 columns. The spaces between the columns were decorated with statues. Part of the complex of buildings that adjoined the house of Augustus was the house of Livia.

The western part of the Palatine was decorated with the palace of Tiberius. To the north of it (closer to the forum) was the palace of Caligula - this is the third in a row on the Palatine. From it was a bridge that connected the Palatine with the Capitol.

The construction of the fourth palace was carried out under Domitian. This building contained a basilica, as well as the Throne Room and the Hall of Jupiter. There was also a fountain with a columned hall. The emperor's audiences were held in the Throne Room, and the meetings of the imperial council were held "in the private audience hall". Domitian also built a magnificent stadium, the length of which was 160 meters. The width of this stadium was 50 meters. The imperial box adjoined the stadium. The buildings of Domitian themselves differed significantly from others in exquisite luxury.

The last palace - the fifth - was built by the North in the southeastern part of the Palatine. The structure is known as Severian's house.
From 3-2 centuries BC. e. temples were built on the Palatine. Today you can see here the ruins of the temples of Cybele, Victoria and Apollo.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Palatine was presented as just ruins, which were overgrown with a dense grove. The Farnese Gardens and Villa Mils are located in this place. Later, in 1861, Napoleon III acquired the northern part of the Palatine, where the Farnese Gardens were located, from the Neapolitan king named Francis II. Long troubles and wranglings with the Roman government began, but thanks to Renier, the archaeologist Pietro Rosa received permission to excavate at this place. It was they who discovered the remains of the ancient and imperial buildings of the hill to modern times.

The year 1870 was marked for the Palatine by the fact that this place again becomes subject to the Italians. The very word Palatine became a synonym for the palace and was used in all European languages. As for the Russian language, this word entered it as "chamber".

An altar was discovered on the Palatine Hill, which is dedicated to an unknown deity. Found it in 1820. According to researchers, the altar was built in antiquity, but it underwent restoration already in the days of the late Republic.

Address, opening hours, how to get there

Palatino (Palatine Hill)
Address: Piazza di Santa Maria Nova, 00186 Roma, Italy
Coordinates: 41.890482 , 12.489017

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Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, later Pope Paul III, created gardens here: by his order in the middle of the 16th century. the architect Vignola laid the Farnese gardens, terraces, reservoirs, flower beds and pavilions of which are arranged above the palace of Tiberius.

House of Libya

Away from the Forum stands the house of Livia, where wall paintings with mythological scenes and fantastic landscapes testify to the former splendor of imperial buildings. The house is attributed to the wife of Emperor Augustus because of the inscription Livia Augusta found on the lead pipe.

Flavian Palace

The ruins of the Flavian Palace in the center of the hill date back to the reign of the Flavian Emperor Domitian. The vast courtyard, surrounded by colonnades, is bounded on the south side by a triclinium with underfloor heating; in the center of the northern part of the palace there is a throne room, flanked by a judicial basilica and a lararium - a place of worship of lares, penates and other gods who guarded the house and family. By the 1st century AD include the monumental ruins of the multi-storey palace of Augustus, where the emperor lived, and the gardens, as well as the stadium built by Domitian.

Hippodrome

From here you have a beautiful view of the ruins of the largest hippodrome in Ancient Rome, Circus-Maximum in the lowland between the Palatine and Aventine hills. Up to 150 thousand spectators could watch the competition of chariots drawn by four horses. According to legend, it was here that the abduction of the Sabine women took place.

The Palatine is the central of the seven Roman hills. According to legend, it was on it that the she-wolf raised Remus and Romulus. Today's Palatine looks like an island of silence in the midst of noisy Rome. This is a huge archaeological reserve.

How did the name Palatine come about?

Palatine (lat. Mons Palatinus, Palatium; Italian. Palatino) is the central of the seven Roman hills, 40 m high. According to legend, it was on it that the she-wolf raised Remus and Romulus, and here Romulus founded the city. Palatium is a poetic name, but its origin was very prosaic. Pales is the name of the goddess, the patroness of cattle. Livestock was grazed here for a long time. Later, the hill became a place of worship for the goddess Pales, and then it began to be gradually built up. Houses of aristocrats appeared, followed by imperial palaces. They were built and rebuilt over 3 centuries.

Palaces of the Palatine

The entire history of the Ancient One lies in ruins on the Palatine. The first settlements appeared here in 1000 BC.

Palace of the Augusts

The first palace was built here by Augustus at the end of the 1st century. n. who used it as a personal residence. Little is left of the marble August Palace (Domus Augustana): parts of the foundation and gloomy fragments of the outer walls.

House of Libya

House of Libya (Casa di Livia), photo Carole Raddato

Nearby are the ruins of the House of Libya (Casa di Livia) (end of the 1st century BC) - the wife of Augustus. Here you can discern the outlines of several interior spaces; fragments of paintings depicting mythological scenes, candelabra, sphinxes, garlands of flowers and fruits have been preserved on the walls (part of the frescoes from the palace were transferred to the Palatine Museum).

Palace of Tiberius and Palace of Caligula

Palace of Tiberius (Domus Tiberiana), photo daryl_mitchell

In the western part of the hill - the ruins of a structure made of neat brickwork - this is the Palace of Tiberius (Domus Tiberiana) (I-V centuries). It was built by the emperor Tiberius. Under Caligula, the building was expanded. From the walls of Caligula's palace there was a bridge to. There are many legends about the splendor of the palace, but today it is only a gloomy, albeit massive, ruins above the forum a little north of Domus Tiberiana. In the 16th century, the Farnese Gardens were laid out on the site of the destroyed imperial palace.

Flavian Palace

The Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia), photo by Cassius Ahenobarbus

Under Emperor Domitian in 80-92, the luxurious Flavian Palace (Domus Flavia) appeared. It housed a basilica, a sanctuary, a hall of Jupiter, a throne room and a columned one with a fountain. A Renaissance pavilion was built over its foundation, and a secret cryptoportico with a stucco ceiling has been preserved below.

Under Domitian, a huge one was also created. Once it served as an arena for spectacular spectacles, but now it is just a long rectangular wasteland. At the stadium, by the way, the imperial box has been preserved - an arched section of the wall in several tiers.

Palace of Septimius Severus

Palace of Septimius Severus (Domus Severiana), photo antmoose

The Palace of Septimius Severus (Domus Severiana) stood in the southeast of the hill. Now high arched galleries are visible in its place. Most of the building is hidden in the ground, and it is difficult to imagine the true dimensions from the remains. It was the last of the palaces on the Palatine.

Palatine today

Farnese Gardens, photo by Sarah P

After the invasion of the barbarians, the Palatine was empty, and the ruins of the majestic palaces were overgrown with grass and ivy. Its revival began in the 16th century under Pope Paul III Farnese.

Today, at the top of the Palace of Tiberius, there is an observation deck with views of and. Inspect everything from above, and then go down for a detailed acquaintance. There is also the Palatinum Museum.

Near the ruins of the Palace of Augustus, in a small Renaissance building, there is the Antiquarium Museum. There are collected sculptures found at the excavations. Fragments of ancient statues and modern sculptures are exhibited at the stadium of Domitian. Excavations on the hill have been going on since the 18th century.

Today's Palatine looks like an island of silence in the midst of noisy Rome. This is a huge archaeological reserve where royal pine trees grow, mysterious ruins stand motionless and the mysteries of ancient palaces hidden underground are waiting in the wings.

How to get there

To get to the Circus Maximus - this is the Circo Massimo stop, you can use:
buses: 51, 75, 81, 85, 87, 118, 160 628, 673, No. 2, No. 10, C3;
trams: 3; 8;
metro line B.

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After visiting the Colosseum, we went to inspect the Palatine and. You can take a pleasant walk along the Palatine, contemplating various ancient buildings of antiquity. But, subject to good weather. With us, unfortunately, it turned out to be extremely hot! But it is not all that bad! Here, as in many places, you can drink or wash yourself with cold water in numerous fountains, which are very helpful in the heat.

Palatine is one of the seven hills on which the city stands. Its height is about 40 meters. It was here that the ancient city arose in antiquity. The name of the hill comes from the name of the goddess Pales, the guardian of cattle. On the hill there is a fairly large number of remains of ancient buildings. Many of them can only be imagined, because, alas, there is little left of them ... I will not bother you with the names of the buildings that were here - I advise you to just take a walk and enjoy the atmosphere of the ancient city.

Information for travelers:

Address: entrance from the street. Via di San Gregorio (see map below). Phone: +39.06.39967700

Working hours:
Daily: 8.30 - 19.00.
Closed: 1 January and 25 December.
The ticket office closes 1 hour before closing.

Ticket prices: single ticket for the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine: 9 - 12 euros (depending on the availability of exhibitions). If you do not use the card, I advise you to buy tickets at the box office of the Palatine and the Roman Forum - the queues for tickets here are much smaller!