Nero’s “Solar” Kingship and the Architecture of the Domus Aurea
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9204896 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hannah Robert (0000-0002-4243-1242, University of Waikato), Robert Hannah (University of Waikato), Giulio Magli (0000-0002-4460-4282, Politecnico di Milano), Antonella Palmieri (0000-0003-4493-8095, Domus Aurea Restoration ProjectPiazzetta Matilde Serao, 7, 80132 NapoliItaly) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue | 5-6 |
| Pages | 511-524 |
| Publication date | 2016-10-14 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Numen (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0029-5973 • E-ISSN: 1568-5276 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/15685276-12341436 |
| OpenAlex | W1492300287 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
The Domus Aurea, Nero’s last “palace” constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor’s project, analyzing the archaeoastronomy of the best preserved part of the Domus, the Esquiline Wing. In particular, we study the so-called Octagonal Room, the huge vaulted room which is in many respects a predecessor of the Pantheon. The project of the room turns out to be connected with astronomy, as is Hadrian’s Pantheon sixty years later. Indeed, the divinization and “solarization” of the emperor — placed at the equinoxes as a point of balance in the heavens — are shown to be explicitly referred to in the rigorous orientation of the plan and in the peculiar geometry of the design of the dome
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Dome (geology) · Emperor · Geography · Monarchy · Plan (archaeology) · Politics · Visual arts · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Architecture · Geology · Historical and Architectural Studies · Historical Astronomy and Related Studies · History · Law · Paleontology
| Highly cited | No |
|---|