Gruppo di edifici domizianei nel Foro Romano, Roman Empire buildings in Roman Forum, Italy
The Domitianic complex is a group of ruined brick buildings between the Roman Forum and the Palatine. Its main hall, now only a floor plan, was covered by a barrel vault 33 meters in diameter and fronted by a portico toward the Forum. East of it lie a square open atrium, a hall with a central court ringed by a quadriporticus, and three smaller rooms. Below the atrium are older remains from Caligula's reign, including a rectangular basin and an apsed room.
Built under Emperor Domitian, this complex served as a link between the Roman Forum and the imperial palaces on Palatine Hill. The construction was part of Domitian's broader effort to reshape and expand the Forum area during his reign.
The complex includes a row of shops (tabernae) facing the Vicus Tuscus, dated by brick stamps to Hadrian's reign. In the 6th century, the church of Santa Maria Antiqua was built within these structures, and the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs occupies a Trajanic building on the site.
Access to this site is typically included with a ticket to the entire Forum complex, so plan to spend time exploring multiple areas at once. The remains are partially overgrown, requiring careful attention to understand the original room layout and building structure.
The complex's identification remains uncertain: a temple of Augustus has been ruled out, and it is now thought to have been a monumental vestibule to the Palatine palaces, possibly housing the Praetorian Guard. In the 6th century the church of Santa Maria Antiqua was built within it.
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