©MarinaDeFranceschini - Progetto Accademia
23 - HOUSE NEAR THE GOLDEN SQUARE
Description
It is a small and modest building built in opus reticulatum and is therefore coeval with the ancient republican villa incorporated into the structures of the Imperial Palace, to which it is attributed.
The rooms are small and no trace of decoration can be seen on the walls, which were plastered. A few simple mosaics with a white background, framed by of one or two black bands remain in the spot.
The only decorated mosaic is in room CC11, with stars of four triangles: it belongs to a group of rooms that have rough walls, probably an enlargement made during the reign of Hadrian.
Room CC11 with the mosaic
To build the access corridor to Piazza d'Oro PI1, rooms CC1 and CC2 were made smaller, and their mosaics were cut, without redoing the black frame which in fact is abruptly interrupted.
Function and meaning
This small farmhouse was probably part of the pre-existing republican villa incorporated in the Imperial Palace, since it has the same orientation.
The plain mosaics without decorations, which were cut for the construction of Hadrian's Golden Square, prove that it belonged to the group of secondary buildings meant for service personnel.
Being near the entrance to the Cryptoporticus of the Golden Square and also to the Firemen’s Headquarters, it housed the villa's servants.
SEE: Marina De Franceschini, Villa Adriana. Mosaici, pavimenti, edifici. Roma 1991, pp. 160-169 e 480-483.