Le Domus Romane: A Trip through Time

Located in the Piazza Venezia just a few blocks from the monolith that is the monument to Victor Emmanuel II, sits Le Domus Romane exhibit. The Piazza was built in 1585 by Cardinal Michele Bonelli, Pope Pius V’s nephew. The museum is built on the ruins of Ancient Roman houses that lay under the Piazza Venezia. The outside of the museum was unimposing like many shops in Rome, but once we went inside the small entrance turned into a vast labyrinth of glass floors above the ancient ruins of the Roman houses. Once we were inside the presentation started with light projections illuminating the areas the narrator described, even outlining sections to show how the ruins would have been back in the 4^th century CE.

The ruins themselves were houses that belonged to Roman families of the aristocracy or senators during Rome’s imperial period. In the houses were private baths filled by water pipes of all different temperatures. There was even what today would be compared to a sauna, the laconicum, which was heated through the floor often with slaves burning wood while enduring brutal conditions. The different temperature baths would be recommended to those who could use them by their doctors dependent on their medical and physical condition.

After the many rooms of baths there was a room with the ruins of an ancient board game much like backgammon that somehow still remained intact. Next to that room was a “butto,” or a garbage dump. Despite it seeming unimportant, it was the part of the Domus that provided the most remains for excavation. Among the ruins were bones from food, broken dishes and vases, and even a turtle shell. Lastly not in the butto, but near it lay the statue head of Minerva, the goddess of weaving, war, and wisdom. Along the floor of the second house was a breathtaking mosaic, unfortunately split in two by the wall of a 16^th century Renaissance palace that was later built over its ruins. Most of the mosaic was still intact, but through the light projection the museum was able to fill in the missing pieces allowing us to see what it would have looked like in its former glory.

The second house also was so large that it had two floors, easily seen by the staircase that was the largest discovered in the area. Using the museum’s virtual reconstruction, we could see the expanse of the two-story house, imagine the wealth that would be inside, and see out to the courtyard or garden that would have existed during its time. However, it would not last forever as the Domus eventually collapsed from an earthquake. There is also evidence of a fire but it is unknown if the two were related. The ruins gave way to the Renaissance palace, then to the Piazza Venezia, to a library and theatre which many famous musicians such as Handel stayed at, eventually even to a WWII bunker. However thanks to the multimedia technology we were able to see what it would have looked like in all of its glory. The combination of old and new was reflective of much of Rome, as it is easy to see ruins right next to modern apartment buildings, which the locals seem to be used to but can lead to surprise at every turn.

~Colin Martindale