Villa Adriana

Villa Adriana
UNESCO world heritage
	The Canopus or Euripus with a view of the so-called Serapeum
National territory:	Italy
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(i) (ii) (iii)
Surface:	80 ha
Buffer zone:	500 ha
Reference No .:	907
UNESCO region :	Europe and North America
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1999 (session 23)

Greek statue on the edge of Canopus

The Villa Adriana or Hadrian's Villa was built between 118 and 134 AD approx. 30 kilometers northeast of Rome , 6 km from Tivoli (ancient name: Tibur ) as the summer residence and retirement home of the Roman emperor Hadrian . The complex comprised at least 125 hectares of built-up area and green spaces, making it the largest and most elaborate palace complex that a Roman emperor had ever built.

As an important ancient ensemble of ruins, it gained importance for the further development of garden art after it became known again in the 15th century and was a model for many baroque gardens . More “palace city” than villa , it is the best preserved complex of this type from Roman times and a tourist attraction. The multifaceted architecture of the Villa Adriana reflected - and partly still reflects - in a large number of buildings and furnishings, the impressions that Hadrian had gathered during his extensive travels to the provinces of the Roman Empire , especially in Greece and Egypt .

Origin and design features

In terms of its basic type, Hadrian's villa near Tibur was one of the country estates of the Roman aristocracy, whose members often had buildings built outside of the city that were suitable for leisure and varied leisure activities. There are well-known written records about this from Columella and Pliny the Younger . There was already a villa in the center of the large area later used by Hadrian in Republican times . Several other influential Romans, of Spanish descent like Hadrian , also had their country estates in this region. It is sometimes assumed that the Gens Vibia, to which Hadrian's wife Sabina belonged, owned the forerunner villa, which was then replaced by Hadrian's extensive redesign.

One of the favorable local conditions for the emperor's colossal building project was, on the one hand, an already developed commercial structure; with the Via Tiburtina there was also a long-standing road connection to Rome; and the Anio River, which is connected to the Tiber , in the immediate vicinity enabled the advantageous shipping of all material and goods transports over longer distances. In the Tibetan quarries, the building material could be drawn from the full. In contrast, the plateau on which Hadrian's “palace city” was to rise was made of soft tuff . So it was relatively easy to perforate this building site for underground access and supply routes. The need for labor was nevertheless enormous. 20,000 to 40,000 employees are assumed to be employed for the earthworks for redesigning, leveling and terracing the terrain in accordance with the construction plan.

Aqua Marcia at Tivoli

The quality of the local water supply corresponded to that which reached Rome through the Aqua Marcia and which Pliny the Elder wrote about in the Naturalis Historia : “The greatest of all aqueducts in the whole world, the highest in freshness and cleanliness for the glory of the city is that Aqua Marcia, among all the gifts that the gods have given the city. ”The water requirements of Hadrian's Villa were met by underground hydraulic systems, not only thermal baths and buildings, but also artificial water surfaces , nymphaea and ornamental fountains. While a separate supply aqueduct provided the water to the Hadrian's villa from the south-east, the service water was diverted to the north.

The gigantic size of the villa complex and the large number of buildings erected on it result in a form of imperial power staging. In doing so, Schareika observes Hadrian's turning away from the “axial-frontal Roman preferences” in the monumental architecture of its predecessors. Instead, his architectural cosmos is determined by a “moving, not angular, but multiform, proliferating diversity”. The rounding or the round can be found with characteristic frequency, not only in the teatro marittimo in a central location, which took up the Greek Tholos and varied in a striking way, but also in the thermal baths with round shape and dome. The old Persian architectural element of the iwan , a large hall with a vaulted ceiling, open to a courtyard, was also frequently used. Overall, according to Schareika, the tendency towards architectural experimentation and the effort to develop conventional designs with new functions can be seen in the overall complex.

Large areas and functional areas

Plan of the site and the status of the excavations in 1905

Model of the entire system

Schareika calls Hadrian's Villa a "complex of far-reaching mystery", which extends over 3 kilometers in north-south direction and at its widest point in west-east direction over about 1,500 meters. The division of the complex into four large areas, which can facilitate the overview for today's observer, as well as the description of the functions and names of a number of buildings, where traditional attributions and more recent research only vaguely or not at all, should be regarded as makeshift.

The intended large areas include 1. the north park with terrace gardens and sanctuaries; 2. the regio princeps adjoining it to the south with the imperial residential and representative buildings and the teatro marittimo in the center; 3. the regio otiosa u. a. (as with thermal facilities and an attractive embedded in the environment banquet hall Serapeium hereinafter) which is a configured as a landscape water banquet peristyl is upstream (known as "Canopus"); 4. the Südviertel u. a. with the “Rocabruna Tower”, another palace complex and the southern theater known as the “ Odeon ”. In the current entrance building for visitors, a model is displayed showing what the villa might have looked like in Hadrian's time.

The modern naming of the individual ruins was based on the Late Antique Historia Augusta , the only extensively extant literary source testimony: “With the Villa of Tibur, Hadrian created a wonderful ensemble, in such a way that he named the most famous provinces and places in it named, such as the Lykeion, the Akademia, the Prytaneion, the Kanopos, the Poikile, the Tempe Valley. And in order not to miss anything, he also created an underworld. "

On this partly dubious basis - because the Historia Augusta is a source of strongly fluctuating reliability - assignments were made to the buildings found and names were sometimes given speculatively, which have established themselves as such and are retained, but do not always match the more recent research findings . While the entire complex of Hadrian's Villa was supposed to symbolize the Roman Empire in its diversity and unity, the Teatro Marittimo (also known as the island pavilion), located in the center of the regio princeps, is believed to be the smallest intimate retreat and meeting room for the emperor Could serve circle, was interpreted according to its structure at the same time as the symbolic center of the cosmos. However, more than justified hypotheses can often not be derived from the structural remains.

Individual objects and special features

Villa Adriana: the so-called Teatro Marittimo or island pavilion

As a “solitaire of architecture”, Schareika introduces the building placed in the center of the regio princeps, which is called the Teatro Marittimo or island pavilion . The core of the circular system is a cylindrical stone base, surrounded by an annular channel filled with water. The thus island-like base with a diameter of around 20 meters was made up of pillars in the edge area, built on and roofed over. The outer edge of the canal was also framed by columns and, with the likewise ring-shaped outer wall, offered the opportunity for a protected tour. The stone “pavilion” in the middle could be reached via two swivel and movable bridges. Location and design of this building structure have given rise to the interpretation that the circular, apparently lying in the water indoors the Orbis so that the ocean should embody bathed globe.

There were external connections both to the imperial residential palace and to the two-winged building complex, which is now incorrectly referred to as the “Latin” and “Greek library”, which adjoined the northeast and is now regarded as an administrative and diplomatic wing. Connected to the west of the island pavilion complex was a large reception or audience hall with a semi-dome apse (now known as the “Philosophensaal” for no reason), accessible via the 230 × 96 meter large reception courtyard on the artificially created east-west terrace, known as Poikile . This is an oversized form of the peristyle courtyard integrated into the traditional Roman villa , but here with its extremely spacious pool it is moved out of the residential complexes and in front of them - an undoubtedly impressive impression for incoming visitors.

Villa Adriana: Poikile

Below this huge, artificially created east-west terrace were - completely out of sight of the Roman aristocrats staying or visiting the Hadrian's villa - the accommodations of the working and service personnel, whose activities and sight are as little as possible in one's own actions Wanted to be bothered by enjoyment. The small and sometimes quite low rooms in the up to 15 meter high substructures of the terrace, designed for an estimated 1,500 people, were spread over three to four floors and were reached via wooden stairs and wooden galleries. In addition to this underground residential complex, the connection, supply and delivery routes also ran in arched tunnels of different widths, which were only moderately supplied with air and light from above. "Overall, the course of the corridors and paths meticulously ensured that the higher social groups did not come into contact with the slaves and servants."

The more well-known buildings of Villa Adriana also include the Prachthof (“Piazza d'Oro”), an extremely generously designed and enclosed garden complex, located next to the imperial residential palace on the eastern edge of the regio princeps, as well as the various thermal baths and the Canopus , a special one Point of attraction for today's visitors in the regio otiosa. This Euripus , located north of a large banquet hall, was seen in view of the relevant excerpt from the Historia Augusta as a counterpart to a canal in Egypt that connected the city of Canopus with Alexandria . Correspondingly, the banquet hall, vaulted by a mighty half-dome, was called the Serapeum ( Serapis sanctuary) - although it was not functional . In the meantime re-erected round pillars as the northern end of the Euripus were in turn connected to the western and eastern long sides of the portico- style columns leading to the banquet hall. Beyond this, terraced gardens were laid out on both sides and equipped with large flower troughs, so that the impression of a green, possibly colorful flowering valley could arise.

Concrete domes up to almost 17 m in diameter are a preferred means of finishing off ceilings in numerous buildings in Hadrian's Villa:

Serapeum: 16.75 m
Summer triclinium ( Exedra ): 12.00 m
Heliocaminus: 11.90 m
Small thermal baths: 10.40 m by 9.40 m
Piazza d'Oro ( vestibule ): 9.50 m
Heliocaminus: 7.60 m by 6.20 m

Decay and Rediscovery

The Palatine Library in Villa Adriana

The centaur mosaic

Floor in Opus sectile in the Piccole Terme of Villa Adriana

After Hadrian's death, the villa passed into the possession of the subsequent emperors, initially to that of Antoninus Pius , but was less used. In the 3rd century, at the latest after the founding of Constantinople in 330 by Emperor Constantine I , decay and slaughter began: Statues, high-quality marble and other pieces of equipment were removed. In the armed conflict between the Ostrogoths and Emperor Justinian I , the complex served both sides as a warehouse. Further dismantling and the removal of materials and furnishings that could be used for other purposes took place in Hadrian's villa in the course of the expansion of Tibur into a diocese that competed with Rome and also provided popes.

It was not until the early Italian Renaissance that the Villa Adriana drew new attention around 1450 in the Italia illustrata of Flavio Biondo as an important ancient legacy. At the turn of the 16th century, Pope Alexander VI. first digs. This halted the careless destruction, but not the continued looting of the ruins. Hadrian's villa was not only important as a source of inspiration for garden art in the Villa d'Este, which was built in Tivoli after 1560 , but also as an abundant reservoir of art objects. So the client Ippolito II. D'Este authorized his planning officer Pirro Ligorio for further transfers from the ancient to the new villa as required. In spite of all the previously taken and robberies, a good 300 works of art were found in the Villa Adriana and presented in collections and later in various museums, such as the Vatican Museums . Of particular note are the mosaics found in the Triclinium of the Small Palace in 1779 . The world-famous Centaur mosaic has been in the Altes Museum , Berlin , since 1848 . In 1871 the Hadrian's villa became the property of the Italian government; the excavations were continued with the aim of preserving the exposed material and presenting it to visitors.

Aftermath

Since 1999, the Hadrian's Villa is part of the World Heritage of UNESCO . In the following year 2000, around 187,000 people visited Hadrian's Villa; 10 years later there were 108,800. In the summer of 2011, parts of Hadrian's villa were closed due to the risk of collapse.

However, a third of the entire complex has not yet been explored by excavations. The Antinoeion , located to the west near the Poikile in the access area, was only discovered in 2002 and archaeologically processed. It is a sanctuary that can be attributed to Egyptian cult practice, which was not part of the original planning, was only created after 134 and is to be placed in connection with the Antinous cult introduced throughout the empire by Hadrian . According to Schareika's interpretation, the location and design of the Antinoeion should convey the common cultural basis of the Roman Empire in connection with Hadrian's intention to renew as a message.

The archaeological finds and findings make the Villa Adriana in the furnishings of the rooms a mirror of the social order and conditions in the Roman Empire: in the imperial ambience gold, purple , marble walls and colored mosaics; for upscale visitors black and white mosaics, wall painting and stucco decorations ; low rooms, plastered walls and wooden ceilings for the common people. The Hadrian's Villa has had an aftereffect in terms of garden design far beyond the neighboring Villa d'Este, for example in pleasure gardens like Wörlitzer Park , where some replicas can be found.

In addition to and with further archaeological exploration, the German Water History Society has also developed intensive research into the water culture of Villa Adriana. For example, it has been determined that for the water supply of the old Republican villa a lead pressure pipe with a small diameter was sufficient, which provided hardly more than 10 to 20 liters of water per second, while the temporary consumption of the Serapeum of Hadrian's villa alone with a Canopus in front was over 100 Liters per second is to be estimated. More recent research projects aim at a three-dimensional computer model to represent the overall water management system and to research the disposal system of the villa in cooperation with speleologists .

Remarks

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 40 f.

↑ Henning Fahlbusch: The water culture of the Villa Hadriana (results of the 2003-2006 campaigns of the DFG project FA 406/2). Writings of the German Water History Society Volume 8, p. 475.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 48.

↑ Naturalis Historia XXXI, 24, 41 (“clarissima aquarum omnium in toto orbe frigoris salubritatisque palma praeconio urbis Marcia est, inter reliqua deum munera urbi tributa”); quoted n. Schareika 2010, p. 48.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 48 f.

↑ Over 900 rooms and corridors are already known; Areas previously unexplored lead us to expect a lot more. (Schareika 2010, p. 129)

↑ Schareika 2010, pp. 61–75.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 7.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 68.

↑ Tiburtinam Villam mire exaedificavit, ita ut in ea et provinciarum et locorum celeberrima nomina inscriberet, velut Lyceum, Academian, Prytaneum, Canopum, Poicilen, Tempe vocaret. et, ut nihil praetermitteret, etiam inferos finxit. ( Historia Augusta , Hadrianus 26.5.)

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 53 f.

↑ Schareika 2010, pp. 84 and 88 f.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 84.

↑ Fiska 2013, pp. 9 and 16. For Schareika it is hypothetical to see the “island pavilion” as an architectural realization of an idea that integrated Oceanus, Orbis, cardinal points, firmament and stars “into a cosmos, the center of which was the Roman emperor Hadrian is. "(Schareika 2010, p. 88)

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 55.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 113.

↑ The following data according to Jürgen Rasch: The dome in Roman architecture. Development, Shaping, Construction , in: Architectura , Vol. 15 (1985), pp. 117-139.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 44.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 27 f. and 44.

↑ Schareika 2010, pp. 125 to 127.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 129.

↑ Schareika 2010, p. 131.

↑ Henning Fahlbusch: The water culture of the Villa Hadriana (results of the 2003-2006 campaigns of the DFG project FA 406/2). Writings of the German Water History Society Volume 8, p. 485 f.

literature

(sorted chronologically)

Hermann Winnefeld : Hadrian's villa near Tivoli. Recordings and investigations (= yearbook of the German Archaeological Institute. Supplement. 3, ISSN 0342-3948 ). Reimer, Berlin 1895, ( digital full version ).

Adolf Hoffmann : The garden stadium in the Villa Hadriana (= German Archaeological Institute Rome. Special writings. 4). von Zabern, Mainz 1980, ISBN 3-8053-0345-9 (also: Karlsruhe, University, dissertation, 1975).

Joachim Raeder : The statuary decoration of the Villa Hadriana near Tivoli (= European university publications. Series 38: Archeology. 4). Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1983, ISBN 3-8204-7578-8 (also: Berlin, Free University, dissertation, 1980).

Mathias Ueblacker: The Teatro Marittimo in the Villa Hadriana (= German Archaeological Institute Rome. Special writings . 5). With a contribution by Catia Caprino. von Zabern, Mainz 1985, ISBN 3-8053-0491-9 .

Marina De Franceschini: Villa Adriana. Mosaici - pavimenti - edifice (= Bibliotheca archaeologica. 9). "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, Rome 1991, ISBN 88-7062-714-4 .

Frederico Guidobaldi (ed.): Sectilia pavimenta di Villa Adriana (= Mosaici antichi in Italia. Studi monografici. 2). Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato - Libreria dello Stato, Rome 1994, ISBN 88-240-0344-3 .

William L. MacDonald, John A. Pinto: Hadrian's villa and its legacy . Yale University Press, New Haven CT et al. 1995, ISBN 0-300-05381-9 .

Salvatore Aurigemma : Villa Adriana. Ristampa. Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato - Libreria dello Stato, Rome 1996, ISBN 88-240-3862-X .

Bernard Andreae : The centaur mosaic and other emblemata from the triclinium of the Villa Hadriana. In: Bernard Andreae: Antique picture mosaics. von Zabern, Mainz 2003, ISBN 3-8053-3156-8 , pp. 278-293, (with older literature on mosaics).

Federica Chiappetta: I percorsi antichi di Villa Adriana. Edizioni Quasar, Rome 2008, ISBN 978-88-7140-335-5 (Also: Rome, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Tesis).

Helmut Schareika : Tivoli and the Villa Hadriana. The “proud Tibur”: Latin city and summer residence of Rome. von Zabern, Mainz 2010, ISBN 978-3-8053-4158-5 .

Georg Fiska: The Teatro Marittimo in the Villa Hadriana. New research on architecture (= Phoibos Humanities Series. 2). Phoibos, Vienna 2013, ISBN 978-3-85161-100-7 (also: Vienna, University, diploma thesis, 2012).