Information about Palatine hill

The Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome
In Latin / Italian	Palatium / Colle Palatino
Rione	Campitelli
Buildings	Flavian Palace
People	Cicero, Augustus, Tiberius, Domitian
Events	Finding of Romulus and Remus
Ancient Roman religion	Temple of Apollo Palatinus, Temple of Cybele, Lupercalia, Secular Games
Mythological figures	Romulus and Remus, Faustulus
Roman sculptures

Massive retaining walls extended the area on the Palatine available for the Imperial building complex.

The Palatine Hill (Latin: Collis Palatium) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres^[1] above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other. It is the etymological origin of the word "palace."

Mythology

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine hill was where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive. According to this legend, the shepherd Faustulus found the infants, and with his wife Acca Larentia raised the children. When they were older this is where Romulus decided to build Rome.

History

Rome has its origins on the Palatine. Indeed, recent excavations show that people have lived there since approximately 1000 BC.

Many affluent Romans of the Republican period (510 BC – c. 44 BC) had their residences there. The ruins of the palaces of Augustus (63 BC – 14), Tiberius (42 BC – 37) and Domitian (51 – 96) can still be seen. Augustus also built a temple to Apollo here, beside his house.

The Palatine Hill was also the site of the festival of the Lupercalia.

Location

One building, believed to be the residence of Livia (58 BC – 29), the wife of Augustus, is currently undergoing renovation. Situated near to the house of Livia is the temple of Cybele, currently not fully excavated and not open to the public. Behind this structure, cut into the side of the hill, is the so-called House of Tiberius.

Overlooking the Forum Romanum is the Flavian Palace which was built largely during the reign of the Flavian dynasty (69 – 96) – Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. This palace, which was extended and modified by several emperors, extends across the Palatine Hill and looks out over the Circus Maximus. The building of the greater part the palace visible from the Circus was undertaken in the reign of the emperor Septimius Severus (146 – 211).

Immediately adjacent to the palace of Severus is the Hippodrome of Domitian. This is a structure which has the appearance of a Roman Circus and whose name means Cirgus in Greek, but is of insufficient size to accommodate chariots. It can be better described as a Greek Stadium, that is, a venue for foot races. However, the exact purpose of this one is disputed. While it is certain that during the Severan period it was used for sporting events, it was most likely originally built as a garden shaped like a stadium. According to guide from the Sopraintendenza Archeologica di Roma, most of the statuary in the nearby Palatine museum comes from the Hippodrome. (Domitian also built a larger stadium that was actually used for foot-racing competitions; it exists today as Piazza Navona, lo stadio di Domiziano.)

The Palatine Hill is now a large open-air museum and can be visited during the daytime for a small charge on the same ticket as Colosseum. There are two entrances, one near the Arch of Titus on the Forum Romanum and the other on Via di San Gregorio, the street just beyond the Arch of Constantine, going away from the Colosseum.

Excavations

During Augustus' reign, an area of the Palatine Hill was roped off for 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. There is a museum on the Palatine in which artifacts dating from before the official foundation of the City are displayed. The museum also contains Roman statuary.

An altar to an unknown deity, once thought to be Aius Locutius, was discovered here in 1820.

In July 2006, archaeologists announced the discovery of the Palatine House, which they believe to be the birthplace of Rome's first Emperor, Augustus.^[2] Head archaeologist Clementina Panella uncovered a section of corridor and other fragments under Rome's Palatine Hill, which she described on July 20 as "a very ancient aristocratic house." The two story house appears to have been built around an atrium, with frescoed walls and mosaic flooring, and is situated on the slope of the Palatine that overlooks the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. The Republican-era houses on the Palatine were overbuilt by later palaces after the Great Fire of Rome (64), but apparently this one was not; the tempting early inference is that it was preserved for a specific and important reason. On the ground floor, three shops opened onto the Via Sacra.

The location of the domus is important because of its potential proximity to the Curiae Veteres, the earliest shrine of the curies of Rome.^[3]

In January 2007 Italian archeologist Irene Iacopi announced that she probably found the legendary Lupercal cave beneath the remains of Emperor Augustus' palace on the Palatine. Archaeologists came across the 15-meter-deep cavity while working to restore the decaying palace. The first photos of the cave show a richly decorated vault encrusted with mosaics and seashells. The Lupercal was probably converted to a sanctuary by Romans in later centuries. ^[4]

Etymology

According to Livy (59 BC – 17) the Palatine hill got its name from the Arcadian settlement of Pallantium. The term palace itself stems from Palatium.

References

1. ^ Palatine Hill. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 25, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: [1]
2. ^ For a classical account of the birth (and birthplace) of Augustus, refer to: Suetonius, Life of Augustus, 5.
3. ^ Varro Linguae Latinae 5.155; Festus L 174; Tacitus Annales 12.24
4. ^ [2]

Book 1 (Rome Under The Kings)

Tomei, Maria Antonietta. "The Palatine." Trans. Luisa Guarneri Hynd. Milano: Electa (Ministero per i Beni e le Actività Culturali Sopraintendenza Archeologica di Roma), 1998.

External links

Samuel Ball Platner, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill: Two Millennia of Landscaping
Aerial view of Palatine Hill. Google Maps. Retrieved on October 14, 2005.

• • [ e] Landmarks of Rome
	Basilicas and other Christian sites: Basilica di San Clemente Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Basilica of St. John Lateran Ghetto St. Peter's Basilica Sistine Chapel Santa Maria in Trastevere Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II Palazzo Barberini
	Gardens, Parks, and Natural Attractions: Tiber Island Villa Borghese
	Ancient Temples, Monuments, and Sporting Venues: Ara Pacis Castel Sant'Angelo Circus Maximus Colosseum Pantheon Roman Forum Temple of Portunus Largo di Torre Argentina Obelisks Temple of Jupiter (Capitoline Hill) Temple of Hercules Victor
	Aqueducts, Fountains, and Walls: Trevi Fountain Baths of Caracalla Aurelian Walls Spanish Steps Servian Wall Palazzo Farnese Piazza Navona
	Sculptures: Apollo Belvedere La Bocca della Verit Laocon and his Sons
	Seven Hills: Aventine Hill Caelian Hill Capitoline Hill Esquiline Hill Palatine Hill Quirinal Hill Viminal Hill

Coordinates:

Seven Hills of Rome east of the Tiber form the heart of Rome. The Seven Hills of early Rome – the Cermalus, Cispius, Fagutal, Oppius, Palatium, Sucusa and Velia – figured prominently in Roman mythology, religion, and politics.
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Comune di Roma

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Nickname: "The Eternal City"
Motto: "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (SPQR) (Latin)
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Latin}}}
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Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Official language of: European Union
European Union
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Sovereign Military Order of Malta

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rione (pl. rioni) comes from the Latin regio (pl. regiones, meaning region); during the Middle Ages the Latin word became rejones, from which rione.
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Campitelli is the X rione of Rome. In the logo there is the black head of a dragon on a white background. This symbol comes from the legend that Pope Silvester I threw out a dragon staying in the Forum Romanum.
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The Flavian Palace, also known as Domus Flavia, is a part of the vast residential complex of the Roman Emperors on the Palatine Hill in Rome. It was completed in 92 AD under the reign of Titus Flavius Domitianus, more commonly known as the Emperor Domitian ^[1]
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Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cicero around age 60, from an ancient marble bust
Born: January 3, 106 BC
Arpinum, Italy
Died: December 7, 43 BC
Formia, Italy
Occupation: Politician, lawyer, orator and philosopher
Nationality: Ancient Roman
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Augustus Caesar
Emperor of the Roman Empire

Reign January 16 27 BC – August 19 AD 14
Full name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
Born September 23, 63 BC
Rome, Roman Republic
Died August 19, AD 14 (age 76)
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Tiberius
Emperor of the Roman Empire

A bust of the Emperor Tiberius
Reign AD 14–AD 37
Full name Tiberius Caesar Augustus
(born Tiberius Claudius Nero)
Born November 16, 42 BC
Rome
Died
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Domitian
Emperor of the Roman Empire

Bust of Domitian, Capitoline Museum, Rome
Reign 14 September, 81 AD –
18 September, 96 AD
Full name Titus Flavius Domitianus
Born 24 September 51
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Ancient Roman religion combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. The Romans originally followed a rural animistic tradition, in which many spirits were each responsible for specific, limited aspects of the cosmos and human activities,
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Temple of Apollo Palatinus (Palatine Apollo) on the Palatine Hill was first dedicated by Augustus to his patron god Apollo. It was only the second temple in Rome dedicated to the god, after the Temple of Apollo Sosianus.
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Temple of Cybele or Temple of Magna Mater was a temple on the Palatine Hill in Rome. This, the main temple of Cybele or Magna Mater in Rome, was erected after the Roman embassy brought back her icon from Pessinus in 204 BC.
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Lupercalia was a very ancient, possibly pre-Roman pastoral festival, observed on February 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. It was also to honor the God, Pan (mythology).
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Secular Games (Latin Ludi Saeculares, originally Ludi Terentini) were a religious celebration, involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and nights to mark the end of a saeculum and the beginning of the next.
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Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. One part, largely later and literary, consists of whole-cloth borrowings from Greek mythology.
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Romulus
Reign April 23, 753 BC - 717 BC
Born 771 BC
Alba Longa
Died 717 BC
Rome
Predecessor None
Successor Numa Pompilius
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In Roman mythology, Faustulus was the shepherd who found the infants Romulus and Remus, who were being suckled by a she-wolf, known as Lupa, on the Palatine Hill. He, with his wife Acca Larentia, raised the children.
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Roman sculpture refers to the sculpture of Ancient Rome. Roman sculpture often involved copying of Ancient Greek sculpture. Much Roman sculpture survives, although some of it is damaged. There are many surviving sculptures of Roman emperors.
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city is an urban settlement with a particularly important status which differentiates it from a town.

City is primarily used to designate an urban settlement with a large population. However, city may also indicate a special administrative, legal, or historical status.
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Roman Forum: Temple of Vespasian on the left, Arch of Septimius Severus behind the remains of the Temple of Saturn in the foreground. On the right are the three columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Palatine Hill, and slightly to the left of these is the Chiesa di San
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Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest circus, in Italian Circo Massimo) is an ancient hippodrome and mass entertainment venue located in Rome.

Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, the location was first utilized for public games and
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Etymology is the study of the history of words - when they entered a language, from what source, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

In languages with a long written history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to
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palace is the home of a head of state or other high-ranking public figure. In some countries, such as Italy, the term is also applied to some private mansions. Many palaces are now put to other uses such as parliaments or museums.
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