A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO THE VILLA OF LIVIA AT PRIMA PORTA A Project Presented to the faculty of the Department of Humanities and Religious Studies California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Liberal Arts by Marcie Collin Paolinelli SPRING 2012 A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO THE VILLA OF LIVIA AT PRIMA PORTA A Project by Marcie Collin Paolinelli Approved by: __________________________, Committee Chair Jeffrey Brodd, Ph.D. Date: ______________________ ii Student: Marcie Collin Paolinelli I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this Project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for this Project. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ________________ Victoria Shinbrot, Ph.D. Date Department of Humanities and Religious Studies iii Abstract of A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO THE VILLA OF LIVIA AT PRIMA PORTA by Marcie Collin Paolinelli The architectural remains of the ancient Villa of Livia, an estate owned by the wife of Augustus, lie on a large plateau that overlooks the Tiber valley, near the modern town of Prima Porta, approximately nine miles north of Rome along the Via Flaminia. This complex is one of the largest known imperial villas, covering more than 8 ½ square miles. In antiquity, the villa was known as ad Gallinas after a famous omen that foreshadowed the end of the Julio-Claudian line of emperors. Despite the villa’s stature and place in history, very little material written in English exists about this site other than what has been published about the most famous finds from the mid-nineteenth century excavations—the magnificent statute of Augustus, which is now displayed in the Vatican museum, and the beautiful garden frescoes, which are on display in the preserved in the National Museum in Rome. Since 1970, the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma has conducted extensive excavations, partially restored parts of the villa, and produced a site map. However, all of this work is documented in Italian, which makes the information inaccessible to English-speaking visitors. iv This guide is intended as a reference for the English-speaking visitor to understand the villa’s historical and cultural value. First, it provides a short biography of Livia and the historical significance of the villa. Second, it describes the major excavations that have been carried out since the mid-nineteenth century and the major finds from each effort. Then, the guide takes the reader on a tour of the excavated areas of the villa. These areas include the residence, the thermal baths, the peristyle and adjacent rooms, the gardens, and the underground complex where the garden frescoes were found. The guide concludes with recommendations for other museums to visit in Rome for further information on the Villa of Livia. ________________________, Committee Chair Jeffrey Brodd, Ph.D. ________________________ Date v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………....vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 2. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE .................................................................................. 3 3. EXCAVATIONS .......................................................................................................... 8 4. TOPOGRAPHY AND SITE PLAN ........................................................................... 14 5. THE RESIDENCE ...................................................................................................... 17 6. THE THERMAL BATHS .......................................................................................... 24 7. THE PERISTYLE AND ADJACENT ROOMS ........................................................ 29 8. THE UNDERGROUND COMPLEX ......................................................................... 35 9. THE GARDENS ......................................................................................................... 40 10. RELATED ROMAN MUSEUMS ............................................................................. 44 11. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 47 References ......................................................................................................................... 48 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Topographical View of the Villa of Livia ......................................................... 14 Figure 2: General Site Plan of the Villa ............................................................................ 15 Figure 3: Northeast Section of the Villa ........................................................................... 18 Figure 4: Impluvium Mosaic ............................................................................................ 19 Figure 5: Brick Base in the Atrium ................................................................................... 19 Figure 6: Threshold of the Exedra .................................................................................... 21 Figure 7: Room 45 ............................................................................................................ 22 Figure 8: Site Plan of the Thermal Bath Complex ............................................................ 24 Figure 9: Brick Piers of the Suspensurae .......................................................................... 25 Figure 10: Back Wall of Frigidarium................................................................................ 27 Figure 11: Corridor ........................................................................................................... 28 Figure 12: Site Plan of the Peristyle and Adjacent Rooms ............................................... 29 Figure 13: Room 57 .......................................................................................................... 30 Figure 14: Peristyle Pool ................................................................................................... 30 Figure 15: Vestibule .......................................................................................................... 31 Figure 16: Site Plan of Rooms Adjacent to the Peristyle on the Southwest Side ............. 32 Figure 17: Room 5 ............................................................................................................ 33 Figure 18: Room 6 ............................................................................................................ 33 Figure 19: Room 9 ............................................................................................................ 34 Figure 20: Possible Staircase to Second Floor .................................................................. 34 vii Figure 21: Imitation of Fresco Panel currently displayed in Room 2 North Wall ............ 37 Figure 22: Stucco Panel with Winged Victories ............................................................... 39 Figure 23: Small Terrace Garden ...................................................................................... 41 Figure 24: Augustus of Prima Porta.................................................................................. 44 Figure 25: Reconstructed Hallway in the Villa of Livia ................................................... 46 viii 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION The architectural remains of the ancient Villa of Livia, an estate owned by the wife of Augustus, lie on a large plateau that overlooks the Tiber valley, near the modern town of Prima Porta, approximately nine miles north of Rome along the Via Flaminia. This complex is one of the largest known imperial villas, covering more than 8 ½ square miles. In antiquity, the villa was known as ad Gallinas after a famous omen that foreshadowed the end of the Julio-Claudian line of emperors. As the tale goes, as Livia was traveling to the villa, an eagle dropped a white hen carrying a laurel branch in its beak into her lap. Livia nurtured the hen and its subsequent offspring. It is also believed that Livia planted a single laurel branch in the villa’s garden that took root and miraculously grew into a large laurel grove. Augustus took laurel from this very grove to carry and wear in celebration of his triumphs. Subsequent emperors followed this custom as well and took branches for their triumphal wreaths. Shortly after Nero died, the grove withered away and the chickens died, thus forming an omen of the coming extinction of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Despite the villa’s stature and place in history, very little material written in English exists about this site other than what has been published about the most famous finds from the mid-nineteenth century excavations—the magnificent statute of Augustus, now housed in the Vatican museum, and the beautiful garden frescoes, found in a subterranean room and now preserved in the National Museum in Rome, Palazzo Massimo. Since 1970, the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma has conducted 2 extensive excavations, partially restored parts of the villa, and produced a site map. However, all of this work is documented in Italian, which makes the information largely inaccessible to English-speaking visitors. This guide is intended as a reference for the English-speaking visitor to understand the villa’s historical and cultural value. First, it provides a short biography of Livia and the historical significance