Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill (/ˈpælətaɪn/ _PAL-ə-tyne; Classical Latin: Palatium; New Latin: Collis/Mons Palatinus; Italian: Palatino ) is one of the most important places in ancient Rome. It is the centremost of the seven hills of Rome and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." Today, it is mainly an open-air museum, and many treasures found there are displayed in the Palatine Museum.

Important leaders like Augustus built grand palaces on the Palatine Hill. Before that, it was home to wealthy families. The hill used to have two peaks: the higher one was called Palatium, and the lower one was known as Germalus or Cermalus. Over time, the area grew to cover about 63 acres, and later records show it expanded to around 131 acres.

Etymology

The Palatine Hill may have been named after settlers from a place called Pallantium, founded by a person named Pallas. Another idea is that its name comes from a Latin word meaning “palate,” which relates to the idea of a high or important place.

Because of the Palatine Hill, we get the word “palace” and many similar words in languages like Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, and others. The word “palatine” also comes from the hill, originally meaning something connected to a ruler’s palace. Over time, this word was used to describe places and people with special authority.

Mythology

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill is where Romulus and Remus were found and cared for by a she-wolf named Lupa. It is also the place where Romulus later founded the city of Rome.

Another famous story from the Palatine Hill tells of Hercules defeating a monster named Cacus who had stolen cattle. Hercules struck Cacus so hard that he created a cleft on the hill, and later a staircase was built there in memory of the event.

History

Rome began on Palatine Hill, where people lived as early as the 10th century BC. Ancient stories tell us that a city called Pallantium was founded there by a leader named Evander and other Greeks long before the famous Trojan War. This city later became part of ancient Rome, linking Rome's beginning to Greek heroes.

Important Romans lived on the Palatine Hill, and when the Empire began, Emperor Augustus built his palace there. Over time, it became a special place for emperors. Today, we can still see the remains of palaces built by Augustus, Tiberius, and Domitian. The hill is now an open-air museum, and the Palatine Museum shows many discoveries from the area.

Monuments

The Palatine Hill is home to many important ancient buildings. The most famous is the Palace of Domitian, which was built and changed over time by many Roman emperors. Nearby are the houses of important Roman leaders like Livia, the wife of Augustus, and Tiberius. These buildings have beautiful old paintings and are close to temples such as the Temple of Magna Mater. Other notable structures include the Domus Severiana, the Temple of Cybele, the Temple of Apollo Palatinus, the Septizodium, and the Domus Transitoria.

Excavations

During the time of Emperor Augustus, people searched the Palatine Hill and found pieces of old pots and tools from the Bronze Age. Augustus said this place was where Rome began. Later, scientists found more evidence that people lived here even before Rome was founded.

Excavations became big in the 1800s after Rome became the capital of Italy. In 2006, archaeologists found what they think is the house where Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, was born. They also found a special cave in 2007 that some think might be the Lupercal, a famous place from Roman myths. These discoveries help us learn more about ancient Rome.

Main articles: Bronze Age, Modern archaeology, archaeologists, atrium, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Great Fire of Rome, Via Sacra, Curiae Veteres, curies, Lupercal, Livia, nymphaeum, triclinium, Neronian