Domus Aurea, a secret underground chamber found

Thanks to recent excavations, it was discovered under the Domus Aurea a secret underground room in which very special frescoes are included. These 2000-year-old images portray mythical characters as well as real people.

Some of the painted centaurs dance with the god Pan, as if enveloped by a heavenly and harmonious melody guiding their movements. The ocher and gold hues also define the contours of birds, seahorses and other mythological animals. Among these we find a sphinx, which gives its name to this mysterious room: the “Chamber of the Silent Sphinx

Domus Aurea: between history and mystery

Commissioned by Nero about 2000 years ago, the Domus Aurea is one of the most important and mysterious buildings in Roman history and beyond. It was built after the famous fire in Rome and extended over an area of ​​300 hectares. More than 300 rooms spread over the serpentine forms of the Esquilino, Oppio and Palatine hills.

This imperious monument fully reflected the controversial personality of Nero, feared and cruel to opponents and subjects themselves. His successors had other buildings built over the original Domus Aurea, including the Colosseum.

The villa del princeps was almost completely destroyed after the death of Nero himself and has been included in the UNESCO list since 1980 world heritage sites In fact, during the archaeological excavations, the “Chamber of the Silent Sphinx” was found right above Oppian Hill.

Due to the large amount of debris remaining in the room, some of the walls are covered and cannot be excavated due to the risk of ruining the room. frescoes underlying. Nevertheless, the mystery of a place as old as it is fascinating will remain for a long time.