Villas of Ancient Rome - IBAM

THE VILLAS
OF THE CITY
OUTSKIRTS
Villa of Gallienus:
Planimetry of the complex
of the Temple
of Minerva Medica
sources describe it as being such a vast
complex that the whole court could
find lodgings when the emperor
resided there. The construction of the
Aurelian walls left out a large part of it.
As far as the Temple of Minerva is
corcerned, it was actually a large hall
used as living quarters, for meetings
and for business. It was partially heated
in the winter and later made more
pleasant in the summer with the addition
of two large exedrae, opposite one
another and with fountains. The hall
appears decagonal on the outside and
circular inside (25 metres in diameter).
The walls, covered at one time with
mosaics and slabs of porphyry, are subdivided
into a series of deeply recessed
niches. Ten large, arched windows
opened above them. The hall was covered
with an “umbrella vault” at a
maximum height of 33 metres, at least
partly covered with mosaics. It collapsed
almost entirely in 1828. The
niches contained statues, some of
which have been found on different
occasions, along with other statues,
columns and capitals. The most
remarkable are those dating from
between the end of the 4 th and the
Villa of Gallienus:
Temple known as
“Minerva Medica”
VILLAS
OF ANCIENT
2 7
ROME