Palatine Hill

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Lore & Background

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave known as the Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa that kept them alive. This is also the hill on which the adult Romulus chose to found the city. (The murder of Remus is not specifically located on the Palatine in canonical sources; it is often associated with the Aventine or general founding area.) Another legend occurring on the Palatine is Hercules' defeat of Cacus after the monster had stolen some cattle. Excavations show that people have lived in the area since the 10th century BC. Excavations performed on the hill in 1907 and again in 1948 unearthed a collection of huts believed to have been domestic dwellings from the 9th to 7th century BC, approximating the time period when the city of Rome was founded.

In Their Own Story

From the start of the Empire (27 BC) Augustus built his palace on the Palatine Hill, and the hill gradually became the exclusive domain of emperors. The ruins of the palaces of at least Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD), Tiberius (14–37 AD) and Domitian (81–96 AD) can still be seen. Augustus also built a temple to Apollo here. The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 destroyed Nero's palace, the Domus Transitoria, but he replaced it by AD 69 with the even larger Domus Aurea, over which was eventually built Domitian's Palace. From the 16th century, the hill was owned by the Farnese family and was occupied by the Farnese Gardens, still partially preserved above the remains of the Domus Tiberiana. At the top of the hill, between the Domus Flavia and the Domus Augustana, the Villa Mattei was built in the 16th century, then purchased around 1830 by the Scot Charles Mills who turned it into an elaborate neo-Gothic villa. At the end of the 19th century the villa was converted into a convent. This was partially demolished from 1928 to allow excavations and in the surviving part of the building the Palatine Museum has been installed.

Reader's Guide

The Palatine Hill is the centremost of the seven hills of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the city. It is now mainly a large open-air museum. The Palatine Museum houses many finds from excavations here and from other ancient Italian sites. Dominating the site is the Palace of Domitian, which was rebuilt largely during the reign of Domitian over earlier buildings of Nero. Later emperors, particularly those of the Severan Dynasty, made significant additions to the buildings, notably the Domus Severiana. The House of Livia, the wife of Augustus, is conventionally attributed to her based only on the generic name on a lead pipe and circumstantial factors such as proximity to the House of Augustus. The building is located near the Temple of Magna Mater at the western end of the hill, on a lower terrace from the temple. It is notable for its frescoes. The Domus Tiberiana was built by Tiberius, though he spent much of his time in his palaces in Campania and Capri. Part of its remains lie in the current Farnese Gardens. Intensive archaeological excavations began in the 18th century and culminated in the late 19th century, after the proclamation of Rome as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. In 2006, archaeologists announced the discovery of the Palatine House, believed to be the birthplace of Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. In 2007 the legendary Lupercal cave was claimed to have been found beneath the remains of the Domus Livia on the Palatine, though many have denied its identification on topographic and stylistic grounds.

Did You Know?

• The hill originally had two summits separated by a depression: the higher summit was called Palatium; the lower Germalus (or Cermalus).
• Using the Forma Urbis its perimeter enclosed 63 acres (25 ha); while the Regionary Catalogues of the 4th century enclose 131 acres (53 ha).
• The name of the hill is the etymological origin of the word palace and its cognates in many languages, including Italian palazzo, French palais, and German Palast.
• In 2007 a 16-metre-deep cavity was found beneath the remains of the Domus Livia, claimed to be the Lupercal cave, though many believe it is actually a nymphaeum or underground triclinium from Neronian times.
• Excavations performed on the hill in 1907 and again in 1948 unearthed a collection of huts believed to have been domestic dwellings from the 9th to 7th century BC.

Mythological Origins and Legends

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave, known as the Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa that kept them alive. This is also the hill on which the adult Romulus chose to found the city, and where he murdered his brother Remus. This ritualistic murder on the Palatine formed an important part of Roman identity and the mythological origins of the Pomerium. Another legend occurring on the Palatine is Hercules' defeat of Cacus after the monster had stolen some cattle. Hercules struck Cacus with his characteristic club so hard that it formed a cleft on the southeast corner of the hill, where later a staircase bearing the name of Cacus was constructed.

Etymology and Linguistic Legacy

According to Livy (59 BC – AD 17) the Palatine hill got its name from the Arcadian settlers from Pallantium, named from its founder Pallas, son of Lycaon. More likely, it is derived from the noun palātum 'palate'; Ennius uses it once for the 'heaven', and it may be connected with the Etruscan word for sky, falad. The name of the hill is the etymological origin of the word palace and its cognates in other languages (Greek: παλάτιον, Italian: palazzo, French: palais, Spanish: palacio, Portuguese: paço and palácio, German: Pfalz and Palast, Czech: palác, Croatian: palača, etc.). The Palatine Hill is also the etymological origin (via the Latin adjective palatinus) of 'palatine', a 16th-century English adjective that originally signified something pertaining to the Caesar's palace, or someone who is invested with the king's authority. Later its use shifted to a reference to the German Palatinate. The office of the German count palatine (Pfalzgraf) had its origins in the comes palatinus, an earlier office in Merovingian and Carolingian times. Another modern English word, 'paladin', came into usage to refer to any distinguished knight (especially one of the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne) under Charlemagne in late renditions of the Matter of France.

Imperial History and Architecture

From the start of the Empire (27 BC) Augustus built his palace on the Palatine Hill and the hill gradually became the exclusive domain of emperors; the ruins of the palaces of at least Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD), Tiberius (14–37 AD) and Domitian (81–96 AD) can still be seen. Augustus also built a temple to Apollo here. The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 destroyed Nero's palace, the Domus Transitoria, but he replaced it by AD 69 with the even larger Domus Aurea, over which was eventually built Domitian's Palace. Dominating the site is the Palace of Domitian which was rebuilt largely during the reign of Domitian over earlier buildings of Nero. Later emperors, particularly those of the Severan Dynasty, made significant additions to the buildings, notably the Domus Severiana. From the 16th century, the hill was owned by the Farnese family and was occupied by the Farnese Gardens, still partially preserved above the remains of the Domus Tiberiana. At the top of the hill, between the Domus Flavia and the Domus Augustana, the Villa Mattei was built in the 16th century, then purchased around 1830 by the Scot Charles Mills who turned it into an elaborate neo-Gothic villa. At the end of the 19th century the villa was converted into a convent. This was partially demolished from 1928 to allow excavations and in the surviving part of the building the Palatine Museum has been installed.

Ancient Settlements and Excavation

Rome has its origins on the Palatine. Excavations show that people have lived in the area since the 10th century BC. Excavations performed on the hill in 1907 and again in 1948 unearthed a collection of huts believed to have been used for funerary purposes between the 9th and 7th century BC approximating the time period when the city of Rome was founded. The hill originally had two summits separated by a depression: the higher summit was called Palatium; the lower Germalus (or Cermalus). Using the Forma Urbis its perimeter enclosed 63 acres (25 ha); while the Regionary Catalogues of the 4th century enclose 131 acres (53 ha). Already during Augustus' reign an area of the Palatine Hill was subject to a sort of archaeological expedition which found fragments of Bronze Age pots and tools. He declared this site the 'original town of Rome.' Modern archaeology has identified evidence of Bronze Age settlement in the area which predates Rome's founding. Intensive archaeological excavations began in the 18th century and culminated in the late 19th century, after the proclamation of Rome as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. In 2006, archaeologists announced the discovery of the Palatine House, believed to be the birthplace of Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. In 2007 the legendary Lupercal cave was claimed to have been found beneath the remains of the Domus Livia (House of Livia) on the Palatine. Archaeologists came across the 16-metre-deep cavity while restoring the decaying palace, with a richly decorated vault encrusted with mosaics and seashells. Many others have denied its identification with the Lupercal on topographic and stylistic grounds, and believe that the grotto is actually a nymphaeum or underground triclinium from Neronian times.