The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World by Chris Scarre

Author:Chris Scarre
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2024-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

An ambitious architecture

One of the most distinctive features of Hadrian’s Villa is the number of halls and pavilions of curvilinear plan, ranging from the relatively simple circular or semicircular spaces of the ‘Serapeum’ to the intricacies of the ‘Island Villa’ or the main pavilion of the ‘Piazza d’Oro’. Many of these were roofed with complex concrete vaults, divided into concave segments like umbrellas, sometimes alternating with flat or convex sections, and decorated with glass mosaic to reflect light and water. In some cases the ground plan of the design seems deliberately to challenge the ingenuity of the builders and the capabilities of Roman concrete to roof it; the results where still visible, as in the Small Baths, continue to impress today. In particular there has been a long controversy over whether the main pavilion of the ‘Piazza d’Oro’ was roofed or not, and if so, whether with a concrete vault or timber; only recent advances in computer-based statistical analysis have shown that a concrete vault was at least possible.

Factfile

Major dimensions

Overall area (estimated) 120 ha

Overall maximum length (estimated) 2 km

Island Villa

Diameter of enclosure 44.2 m (150 Roman ft)

External diameter of canal 34.3 m (116 Roman ft)

Diameter of island 24.5 m (83 Roman ft)

Piazza d’Oro

Overall 59 × 88 m (200 × 300 Roman ft)

Central court, external 59.7 × 51.6 m (200 × 175 Roman ft)

Central court, internal 36.9 × 46 m (125 × 156 Roman ft)

Vestibule, diameter 10.3 m (35 Roman ft)

Main pavilion 22.1 × 22.1 m (75 × 75 Roman ft)

Canopus canal

121.4 × 18.65 m (410 × 63 Roman ft)

Serapeum

Internal diameter 16.75 m (57 Roman ft)

Known water features

Aqueduct

12 large fountain display pieces (nymphaea)

30 single fountains

6 grottoes

19 pools, basins & channels

6 bath complexes

10 cisterns

35 lavatories

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