Photo Essay: The Palatine Hill in Rome Exemplifies that Rome Is the Eternal City

Rome is famous for its seven hills; the Palatine Hill is the most celebrated central hill and actually predates Rome itself which did not become a city until 753 BC. Archeologists have found Bronze Age pots and tools there. The Palatine Hill is believed to be the oldest colony of Roman citizens, dating back to the 10th century BC in the time of Romulus ( makes 1492 look slightly tame, doesn't it?). The first residents built simple huts, but as the area developed, it became the Roman "Location, location, location," and the most elite of Roman society built their villas and palaces there. If you lived there then, you would have had Cicero, Marc Anthony, Livia, Tiberius, Caligula, Nero and Domitian as neighbors. Forget the sugar; you could go borrow a bowl of grapes for your dinner. Just try keeping up with the 'Joneses' there; even elaborate villas were eventually replaced by imperial palaces.

Your first reward after you ascend the 40 meter elevation from the Forum and 70 meters above the city itself is one of the most magnificent views in Rome, or perhaps anywhere in the world. Stretched before you is the Roman Forum, and you become a witness to one of the most glorious civilizations ever. Although the temples and buildings are largely in ruins, some stately columns remain as vigilant sentinels, and you can see the footprints of the buildings. On this inspired ground, it should only take a little imagination to begin to hear the footsteps of Roman emperors, senators and citizens as they carried out their commerce, justice, legislative and worship duties. Its very rise and fall are displayed there before you.

Here is where Caesar himself was cremated. Can you imagine the intensity and drama of that moment in history in this very space where you stand now? Some of the buildings are remarkably preserved in spite of the fact that the area was used as a quarry and as a cow pasture over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, after the fall of Rome, the great Palatine Hill was covered by churches and convents. One of the Roman gods must have protected these hallowed walls and columns, so we could be lost in contemplation of Vestal Virgins who served a 30 year priesthood and would be buried alive if they lost their claim to fame, virtuous orators, venial visits with prostitutes, and the victorious veni, vidi, vici.

Do you remember the story of Romulus and Remus in Roman mythology? What if the story is fact not myth? Romulus and his twin brother were sons of Mars, the Roman god of war and a princess named Rhea. Alas, jealous as only gods can be, Rhea got wind of plots against the lives of her family, including the twins. As an act of love, she set them adrift on the Tiber, and it was a she-wolf who found them and suckled them in a cave. Eventually they were discovered and raised by a shepherd named Faustulus and his wife, but the boys were not cut out to be farmers. They wanted to be kings, but neither wanted to share his kingdom with the other, and in a fit of rage, Romulus killed his own twin brother with a rock and became king. Romulus chose the same hill where he was raised by the wolf to build the city named for him. This story was all a familiar part of Roman mythology, but in 2007, an archeologist reported that she had found the actual Lupercal (lupa means 'wolf' in Latin) cave where the boys were raised. Other archeologists point out that finding an ancient cave on the Palatine Hill does not prove it is the actual cave, but it is fascinating to consider that the myth may be factual.

The cave was found during the investigation of the recently discovered house of Augustus by a camera lowered 50 feet under the house as they explored. It is already partially collapsed and is believed too fragile to be disturbed in the way of the usual archeological dig, so it is being studied with underground cameras, endoscopes, laser scans and other sophisticated remote sensing devices.

In July of 2006, Archeologists discovered the house where Augustus, Rome's original emperor was thought to have been born. It is now called the Palatine House and was very recently open to the public, where five people are allowed in at a time and you are allotted a five minute perusal. Of course, the wait in line is much, much longer. This early home is one of a very few Republican villas that did not end up overbuilt by an imperial palace, and this helped make it accessible. There was a Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, and this was the occasion of much of the overbuilding. There are theories of why the Palatine House was never overbuilt, and it is suspected to be significant, but no one is sure what the reason was. The house has two floors with a central atrium, is decorated with mosaics and frescoes and had three shops on the ground floor. It is postioned on the slope of the Palatine Hill that overlooks the Coliseum.

Domitian's house had a stadium or arena circled by columns, although it is not believed it was large enough for chariot races. Domitian apparently hosted his own private entertainments and even private hunts, and his separate viewing box can still be identified in the ruins. The Circus Maximus where chariot races were held was adjacent to the Palatine. The remains of the palace of Tiberius built in the first century were filled in by Cardinal Farnese in the 15th century. He created his famous Farnese Gardens on the site, and Farnese managed to grow many rare plants. These gardens are believed to be the first botanical gardens in the world.

There is a Palatine Antiquarian Museum in which collected artifacts ceramics, frescoes, mosaics, inscriptions, sculptures and portrait heads actually found on the hill in the excavations are displayed. It was built on the site of Domitian's palace which was the largest palace in Rome for 3 centuries. Remains of Domitian's palace survive on either side. It is a pleasant and interesting museum, especially if you have read up on your history first, and it is not an overwhelming size.

The House of Augustus in 2006 and the possible Lupercal Cave in 2007, I don't know about you, but I am wishing I were an archeologist in Rome today.