Description
These imposing substructures, similar to the Hundred Chambers, served to embank the rocky cliff on the north side of the Praetorium Esplanade and to support the Praetorium Panoramic Pavilion which opened onto that Esplanade.
There is a powerful retaining wall towards the embankment to which several perpendicular walls are connected, which acted as buttresses.
Room of the Substructures with travertine blocks for mezzanines
The spaces between the buttresses, long and narrow, were divided in two by transverse partitions, obtaining two rows of rooms, marked in the plan with the nos. 1-2. In front of them is a portico n. 3.
The height of about 15 m was exploited by creating wooden mezzanines that rested on travertine blocks that are still in place, so as to obtain three different floors.
In this way numerous rooms similar to those of the Hundred Chambers were created. They were accessed via a largestaircase in the form of a tower A, with several flights of stairs made of bricks.
There were landings which gave access to external galleries created inside the portico no. 3.
In B is instead the stair coming from the Cryptoporticus of the Great Baths which went up to the Panoramic Pavilion of the Praetorium.
In some side rooms n. 4 there are still floors in opus spicatum; the walls were plastered. They were connected with the Workshop of the Artisans (n. 38)-.
There was a second floor in 5, which was damaged by bombing in WWII.
View of the Praetorium Substructures, with the tower staircase A
Function and Meaning
the Hundred Chambers, which have the same structure.
The simple decoration and the opus spicatum pavements prove that it belonged to the servants' quarters of the Villa.
The Substructures also served as retaining wall of the cliff and the tufa bank of the Praetorium Esplanade, which is located about 15 m higher up. It also supported the Praetorium Panoramic Pavilion n. 40.
SEE: Marina De Franceschini, Villa Adriana - Mosaici, pavimenti, edifici. Roma 1991, pp. 532-536 with previous bibliography
Raspi Serra-Themelly 1993; Guidobaldi 1994; Lolli Ghetti 1994; Bergamo 2014.