All About - History - Nero - Rome's Deadliest tyrant

NERO: ROME’S DEADLIEST TYRANT
THE DOMUS AUREA
Nero’s self indulgence is no well kept secret, the
emperor did not shrink at the idea of spending
enormous amounts on himself while his subjects
suffered. After the great fire of 64 CE destroyed
vast areas of land, Nero saw an opportunity to
build the grandest palace the world had ever seen.
Nero seized this land, actually owned by several
aristocrats, and set about building his dream home
– the Domus Aurea or ‘Golden House’.
Enlisting the help of the celebrated architect
Severus and the engineer Celer, Nero created a
pleasure palace unlike any seen before. The vast
complex included landscaped gardens, a huge
man-made lake and an imperial retreat with 150
beautifully decorated rooms. Glimmering with
delicate gold leaf, semi-precious stones and ivory,
upon the project’s completion Nero proclaimed,
“Now I can begin to live like a human being.”
After Nero’s suicide just four years later, the lake
was drained and vast areas of the palace were torn
down by Vespasian, who also began constructing
the Colosseum where the lake had stood. Baths
were also later built on the land. It wasn’t until the
Renaissance that interest surrounding the remains
was renewed – many famous painters explored the
ruins, marvelled at the beauty and were inspired
in their own work.
Palace entrance
The courtyard that served as the
main gateway into the complex was
along the via Sacra. The entrance
featured a towering 30-metre-high
gilt-bronze statue of Nero himself,
also known as the Colossus Neronis.
Banquet rooms
Despite there being no evidence
of a kitchen on site, there were
countless banquet rooms. In the
West Wing alone, one rectangular
courtyard was surrounded by at
least 50 banquet rooms.
Baths
A staple in Roman life, Nero had a luscious bath
house built on the grounds. The bath featured
running cold and hot water, and water was a main
feature throughout the complex – with waterfalls
running down the walls, ornamental fountains
and pools built into the floors.
East Wing
Our knowledge of the
East Wing is limited, as
the West Wing is the
best preserved part of
the building. However,
it is likely it matched the
splendour of its twin, with
sitting-rooms, sun courts,
fountains and intricately
painted frescoes. The two
wings were joined by a
large colonnade, which
may have extended over
two levels.
The room of the Golden Vault
The Golden Vault was in the West Wing and
featured a huge gilded ceiling and marble
panelling. The main attraction, however, was a
towering painting of Zeus abducting Ganymede.
These beautiful and innovative frescoes were
featured throughout the entire Golden House and
would go on to inspire artists such as Raphael.
Gardens
The palace was surrounded by a
luscious landscaped garden covering
50 hectares. The gardens included
ploughed fields, vineyards, pastures
and woodlands. It is also recorded
that domestic and wild animals
roamed freely in the gardens.
34