The House of Augustus, or the Domus

Domus

In ancient Rome, the domus was the type of house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. They could be found in almost all the major cities throughout the Roman territories...

 Augusti, is the first major site upon entering the Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. It served as the primary residence of Caesar Augustus

Augustus

Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...

 during his reign. The Domus Augusti should not be confused with the Domus Augustana (also known as the Domus Augustiana), which is a part of the vast palatial complex constructed by Emperor Domitian

Domitian

Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...

 on the Palatine in 92 AD, of which the Domus Flavia is a part.

Construction

After being awarded tribunica potestas for life in 23 BC, Octavian

Augustus

Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...

 decided to buy the house of Quintus Hortensius

Quintus Hortensius

Quintus Hortensius Hortalus was a Roman orator and advocate.At the age of nineteen he made his first speech at the bar, and shortly afterwards successfully defended Nicomedes IV of Bithynia, one of Rome's dependants in the East, who had been deprived of his throne by his brother. From that time...

 on the Palatine and make his primary place of residence. The comparative modesty of the Domus Augusti was in keeping with the return to traditional ideals promoted during the Augustan period, as indicated by Suetonius in the quote below. The Domus Augusti was located near the Hut of Romulus

Casa Romuli

The casa Romuli , also known as the tugurium Romuli, was the reputed dwelling-place of the legendary founder and first king of Rome, Romulus . It was situated on the south-western corner of the Palatine hill, where it slopes down towards the Circus Maximus, near the so-called "Steps of Cacus"...

 and other sacred sites which relate to the foundation of Rome. In antiquity this residence contained two levels, each leading to a garden courtyard. The bottom floor is not accessible today, but it is possible to make out the basin of a fountain and the rooms beyond it that were paved in coloured marble.

The Domus Augusti in Contemporary Times

Suetonius

Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....

 (c. 70 AD – after 130 AD), lawyer and secretary of the imperial palace, wrote of Augustus and his palace:

It is generally agreed that he was most temperate and without even the suspicion of any fault. He lived at first near the Forum Romanum, afterwards on the Palatine in a modest dwelling remarkable neither for size or elegance, having but a short colonnade with columns of local stone and rooms without any marble decorations or handsome pavements. For more than 40 years he used the same bedroom in winter and summer.

Later History

According to L. Richardson, Jr.'s A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, "The house burned, perhaps in AD 3, but was then rebuilt (Suetonius, Aug. 72.2.) and, made state property (Cass. Dio 55.12.4-5). Suetonius speaks of it in the past tense, so it may be presumed that it burned during the fire of Nero. It has recently been identified as a house northwest of the Temple of Apollo, between this and the Scalae Caci," (p.118).