Hadrian's Villa

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Villa Adriana (Tivoli)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Villa Hadriana (Villa Adriana Tivoli) 1000 03.jpg
Hadrian's Villa
Interactive map of Villa Adriana (Tivoli)
Location Tivoli, Lazio, Italy
Criteria Cultural: (i), (ii), (iii)
Reference 907
Inscription1999 (23rd Session)
Area80 ha (200 acres)
Buffer zone500 ha (1,200 acres)
Website villae.cultura.gov.it
Coordinates 41°56′46″N12°46′21″E / 41.946004°N 12.772515°E / 41.946004; 12.772515
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Hadrian's Villa
Location of Hadrian's Villa in Lazio
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Hadrian's Villa
Hadrian's Villa (Italy)

Hadrian's Villa (Italian : Villa Adriana; Latin : Villa Hadriana) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising the ruins and archaeological remains of a large villa complex built around AD 120 by Roman emperor Hadrian near Tivoli outside Rome.

Contents

It is the most imposing and complex Roman villa known. The complex contains over 30 monumental and scenic buildings arranged on a series of artificial esplanades at different heights and surrounded by gardens decorated with water basins and nymphaea (fountains). The whole complex covers an area of at least a square kilometre, an area larger than the city of Pompeii. In addition to the villa's impressive layout, many of the buildings are considered masterpieces of Roman architecture, making use of striking curved shapes enabled by extensive use of concrete. They were ingenious for the complex symmetry of their ground plans and are considered unrivalled until the arrival of Baroque architecture in the 17th century, initiated by Borromini, who used Hadrian's Villa for inspiration. [1]

The site, much of which is still unexcavated, is owned by the Republic of Italy and has been managed since 2014 by the Polo Museale del Lazio.

History

The villa was constructed near Tibur (modern-day Tivoli) as a retreat from Rome for Emperor Hadrian during the second and third decades of the 2nd century AD. Hadrian is said to have disliked the palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, leading to the construction of the retreat.[ citation needed ] It was traditional for the Roman emperor to have constructed a villa as a place to relax from everyday life. Previous emperors and Romans with wealth had also constructed villas (e.g. Villa of Trajan). Though emperors' villas were supposed to be a place of rest and leisure, there is some evidence of Hadrian conducting official duty from the villa in the form of an inscription of an official letter sent from the villa in the summer of 125 AD. [2]

Hadrian began construction on the villa early in his career as emperor, though brick stamp evidence shows us that construction of the villa was ongoing. [3]

After Hadrian, the villa was used occasionally by his various successors (busts of Antoninus Pius (138–161), Marcus Aurelius (161–180), Lucius Verus (161–169), Septimius Severus and Caracalla have been found on the premises). [4] Zenobia, the deposed queen of Palmyra, lived near the villa from 273 until she died. The villa was restored by Diocletian during the final decades of the third century. [2]

The first documented rediscovery of the villa was by Historian Biondo Flavio in the late 15th century who brought its attention to Pope Pius II whose writings on the villa in his Comeratti began to pique architectural interest in the villa. [4] In the 16th century, Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este had much of the remaining marble and statues in Hadrian's Villa removed to decorate his own Villa d'Este located nearby. [3] [4]

Structure and architecture

A model of Hadrian's Villa Maquette 2 VA.JPG
A model of Hadrian's Villa
A plan of Hadrian's Villa Villa-Hadriana-map.jpg
A plan of Hadrian's Villa

The buildings are constructed in travertine, brick, lime, pozzolana, and tufa. Villas were typically sited on hilltops, but with its fountains, pools and gardens, Hadrian's villa required abundant sources of water, which was supplied by aqueducts feeding Rome, including the Aqua Anio Vetus, Aqua Anio Novus, Aqua Marcia, and Aqua Claudia. To avail themselves of those sources, the villa had to be located on land lower than the aqueduct. [5]

The complex of the villa contains many structures from different cultures. For example, the villa has a small river running through it which relates back to the Egyptian Nile river. The villa contains several Greek figures called Poikilos. All surviving written evidence of Hadrian's Villa in ancient writing is from the Historia Augusta, which describes how Hadrian named rooms of the villa after various significant locations within the Roman Empire (the Lyceum, the Academy, Hades) and these continue today to be the terms scholars use to describe sections of the villa. [2]

The villa's recreation area known as Canopus, as seen from the temple of Serapis Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli (38088664402).jpg
The villa's recreation area known as Canopus, as seen from the temple of Serapis

The architecture goes beyond the mere naming of its structures after places and monuments seen by Hadrian on his extensive travels across the empire. Certain buildings clearly attempt to recreate specific features of landscapes or architecture that had personal significance for the emperor.

Thus, the area known as the Canopus, named after the Egyptian city and a section of the Nile which leads to the city, [2] features a long, stately reflecting pool representing the Nile. It is a large open-air dining area with a covered triclinium with a huge stibadium (a semicircular masonry couch) located in an enormous domed exedra overlooking the lake. [6] This area's sculptural program is the most complete including copies of famous sculptures including the caryatids of the Erechtheion, a statue depicting the Egyptian dwarf and fertility god Bes, and a crocodile. [2] [7]

Grand Thermae Les grands thermes (Villa Adriana, Tivoli) (5888636563).jpg
Grand Thermae

One structure in the villa is the so-called "Maritime Theatre". It consists of a round portico with a barrel vault supported by pillars. Inside the portico was a ring-shaped pool with a central island. The large circular enclosure 40 metres (130 ft) in diameter has an entrance to the north. Inside the outer wall and surrounding the moat are a ring of unfluted Ionic columns. The Maritime Theater includes a lounge, a library, heated baths, three suites with heated floors, washbasin, an art gallery, and a large fountain. [8]

The Antinoeion

In 1998 a new section of the villa, named by scholars the Antinoeion, was rediscovered. [9] This area is located on the main road leading to the grand vestibule. The discovery of a large concrete foundation has been used as evidence of the original location of the Antinous Obelisk which is now located on the Pincian Hill in Rome. [9] Some scholars have argued that this evidence is proof of Antinous' tomb being located on the villa. [9] This has been challenged by scholars who argue that the area instead was a highly Egyptianized nypheum. [10] The Antinoeion is just one example of Egyptianization of the villa. Artwork such as the crocodile of the Canopus and the statue of Osiris-Antinous show the prevalence of this orientalist aesthetic in the villa. [11]

Sculptures and artworks

A steel engraving depicting Augustus' now lost painting of the death of Cleopatra VII in encaustic, which was discovered at Emperor Hadrian's Villa (near Tivoli, Italy) in 1818; she is seen here wearing the golden radiant crown of the Ptolemaic rulers, an Isis knot (corresponding to Plutarch's description of her wearing the robes of Isis), and being bitten by an asp in an act of suicide. Cleopatra VII, steel engraving of the encaustic painting found at Hadrian's Villa in 1818.jpg
A steel engraving depicting Augustus' now lost painting of the death of Cleopatra VII in encaustic, which was discovered at Emperor Hadrian's Villa (near Tivoli, Italy) in 1818; she is seen here wearing the golden radiant crown of the Ptolemaic rulers, an Isis knot (corresponding to Plutarch's description of her wearing the robes of Isis), and being bitten by an asp in an act of suicide.

A lifelike mosaic depicted a group of doves around a bowl, with one drinking, seems to be a copy of a work by Sosus of Pergamon as described by Pliny the Elder. It has in turn been widely copied. [15] Artworks found in the villa include:

Significance

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Hadrian's Villa as a World Heritage Site in 1999. The designation specified the boundaries of the site and created a buffer zone around it in which no new construction was permitted. In 2011, the communal government of Tivoli announced plans, later cancelled, to build a waste dump in the vicinity of the villa and approved the construction of public housing on 120,000 sq. meters within the buffer zone. At its 36th Annual Meeting, UNESCO formally addressed these encroachments on the site. While they commended the Italian government for its decision to abandon the construction of a waste dump in the Corcolle area, the committee requested the government "to inform the World Heritage Centre in due time about any major development project planned in the buffer zone of the property, including the housing development at Comprensorio di Ponte Lucano, for which a Heritage Impact Assessment should be included, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before any irreversible commitment is made." UNESCO also requested "the State Party to submit . . . an updated report on the state of conservation of the property," by February 2014, reflecting concerns over the deterioration of the exposed ruins. [16]

The reasons for making the villa a World Heritage Site are: it is a masterpiece that brings together the material culture of the Mediterranean world, it inspired the Renaissance and baroque period, it inspires the modern world as well, and the villa is an exceptional survival of the early Roman Empire. [17]

In 2019, UNESCO designated Hadrian's Villa as a site with special immunity from wartime activity due to its profound symbolic value. [18] In 2021 February, archaeologists led by researcher Rafael Hidalgo Prieto from the Pablo de Olavide University announced the discovery of remains of Hadrian's breakfast room which used to show his imperial power. They revealed a structure as a water triclinium and a separate dining room that served as a model for the well-known Serapeum. [19] [20]

"The emperor wanted to show things that would overwhelm the visitor, something that had not been seen anywhere else in the world and that exists only in Villa Adriana" said Prieto. [21] [22]

See also

References

External videos
Isis-Sothis-Demeter MGEg Inv22804.jpg
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Hadrian's Villa: A Virtual Tour, Smarthistory [23]
  1. ↑ Jacobson, David M. "Hadrianic Architecture and Geometry." American Journal of Archaeology 90, no. 1 (1986): 69–85. https://doi.org/10.2307/505986.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 MacDonald, William L. (1995). Hadrian's villa and its legacy. John A. Pinto. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN   0-300-05381-9. OCLC   30734581.
  3. 1 2 Boatwright, Mary Taliaferro (1987). Hadrian and the city of Rome. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-03588-1. OCLC   14966401.
  4. 1 2 3 De Franceschini, Marina (2016). Villa Adriana, Accademia : Hadrian's secret garden. Pisa. ISBN   978-88-6227-827-0. OCLC   965347614.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ "The Emperor's Abode: Hadrian's Villa". Italia. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Jashemski, Wilhelmina F., Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti, and John Foss. "Preliminary Excavations in the Gardens of Hadrian's Villa: The Canopus Area and the Piazza d'Oro." American Journal of Archaeology 96, no. 4 (1992): 579–97. https://doi.org/10.2307/505186.
  7. ↑ Kleiner, Diana E. E. (1992). Roman sculpture. New Haven. ISBN   0-300-04631-6. OCLC   25050500.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ "View Article: Hadrian's Villa: A Roman Masterpiece". depts.washington.edu.
  9. 1 2 3 Mari, Zaccaria; Sgalambro, Sergio (2007). "The Antinoeion of Hadrian's Villa: Interpretation and Architectural Reconstruction". American Journal of Archaeology. 111 (1): 83–104. doi:10.1086/AJS40024582. JSTOR   40024582. S2CID   245264948.
  10. ↑ Renberg, Gil (2010). "Hadrian and the Oracles of Antinous (Sha Hadr. 14.7); with an Appendix on the So-Called Antinoeion at Hadrian's Villa and Rome's Monte Pincio Obelisk". Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome. 55: 159–198. JSTOR   41419692.
  11. ↑ Vout, Caroline (2005). "Antinous, Archaeology and History". The Journal of Roman Studies. 95: 80–96. doi:10.3815/000000005784016342. JSTOR   20066818. S2CID   162186547.
  12. ↑ Pratt, Frances; Fizel, Becca (1949). Encaustic Materials and Methods . New York: Lear, pp. 14-15.
  13. ↑ Sartain, John (1885). On the Antique Painting in Encaustic of Cleopatra: Discovered in 1818 . Philadelphia: George Gebbie & Co., pp. 41, 44.
  14. ↑ Plutarch (1920). Plutarch's Lives , translated by Bernadotte Perrin, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., p 9.
  15. ↑ Drabble, Margaret (2009-09-16). The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 292. ISBN   978-0-547-24144-9 . Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  16. ↑ Decisions Adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th Session (WHC-12/36.COM/19), St. Petersburg, 2012, pp. 117-118.
  17. ↑ "Villa Adriana (Tivoli)". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  18. ↑ Rome, Wanted in (2019-02-25). "Enhanced protection for Villa Adriana in Tivoli". Wanted in Rome. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  19. ↑ "Archaeologists Have Found the Roman Emperor Hadrian's Palatial Breakfast Chamber, Where He Dined Before Servants on a Marble Throne". Artnet News. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  20. ↑ Rome, Philip Willan. "Archaeologists discover table where Roman emperor Hadrian held power breakfasts at foot of Apennines". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  21. ↑ McGreevy, Nora. "Archaeologists Discover Ruins of Emperor Hadrian's Ornate Breakfast Chamber". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  22. ↑ "Arqueólogos españoles descubren la sala de banquetes más lujosa del Imperio Romano". abc (in Spanish). 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  23. ↑ "Hadrian's Villa: A Virtual Tour". Smarthistory at Khan Academy. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2013.

Further reading

  1. ↑ Somers. "Hadrian's Villa: A Roman Masterpiece". University of Washington Honors Program in Rome. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
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