Enchanting Hidden 'Sphinx' Chamber Discovered At Nero’s Golden Palace
Rome continues to be a rich source of archaeological discoveries. Archaeologists have chanced upon a hidden vault in the ruins of Roman Emperor Nero's sprawling palace, hidden under the hills near Rome's ancient Colosseum.
The team came across an opening leading to a room covered with depictions of mythical creatures including centaurs and the god Pan, officials from the Colosseum archeological park, supervising the work.
The room, which was part of the huge Domus Aurea palace built by the emperor in the first century AD, had remained hidden for nearly 2,000 years, likely dating to between A.D. 65 and A.D. 68.
A hidden vault — filled with dirt and adorned with vivid paintings such as a centaur, a sphinx and an attacking panther — has been discovered in the ruins of Emperor Nero's ancient Roman palace.
Credit: Parco Archeologico Del Colosseo
The archaeologists have dubbed the chamber, which will require excavation with much of it buried and just its vault currently visible, Sala della Sfinge, or the Room of the Sphinx and say it is a significant discovery.
The discovery was of “immense artistic and archeological value,” said Alfonsina Russo, the director of the Colosseum archeological park, which includes the Domus Aurea.
It was discovered by accident during restoration of an adjacent area of the palatial complex, which was built on by subsequent emperors, including Trajan, and now lies interred beneath a hill next to the Colosseum in the historic heart of Rome.
To their amazement, they had stumbled upon a 15 feet (5 m) high underground chamber. The long-forgotten room, which was built in a barrel vault design with an arched roof, was once connected to the massive Domus Aurea.
The frescos are incredibly well preserved. Photo: Handout/Parco Archeologico Del Colosso/AFP
Nero began constructing his massive palace — known as the Domus Aurea, or "golden house" — in A.D. 64, after a devastating, six-day-long fire reduced two-thirds of Rome to ashes. That researchers are still uncovering new rooms in the Domus Aurea after hundreds of years of excavation (the ruins were first rediscovered in the 15th century) is no surprise. In its prime, the palace sprawled over four of Rome's famous seven hills, and is believed to have included at least 300 rooms.
After the fall of Nero in 68 AD the palace was partially demolished by Emperor Trajan who had the baths built on top of part of the complex. So the room has remained concealed until it was re-discovered by archaeologists.
The paintings discovered included a man, armed with a sword, being attacked by a panther Credit: Parco Archeologico del Colosseo
In the intervening centuries, much of the site was abandoned and today only few traces remain visible of what was a huge estate and of which only a fraction has been excavated with much of it lying under today's modern bustling city.