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greatest of the Flavian monumental structures and represented new heights of architectural design and
construction.
Later Flavians added to the architectural splendor of the city. TITUS (reigned 79-81 A.D.) built baths,
but his less popular brother DOMITIAN (ruled 81-96 A.D. was the one who initiated major works.
Domitian was responsible for the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vespasian on the Capitoline Hill, and a
stadium in the Campus Martius. His most notable achievement was on the Palatine Hill, where the
architect RABIRIUS designed and built the new imperial palace, the Domus Flavia. With its impressive
use of concrete, and of pillars and columns made out of marble, it surpassed Nero's Golden House and
became the palace of choice for later emperors. The Domus Flavia was the culmination of the
architectural innovations begun under Nero. Trajan (ruled 98-117 A.D.) continued them and attempted to
pour much of his wealth into construction programs in the city. The great architect of the age was
APOLLODORUS of Damascus, and he was responsible for the two major projects of Trajan, the Baths
and the Forum. Trajan's Baths, begun in Rome in 104 A.D. and finished in 109, were larger than those of
Agrippa, with cross-vaulting and free columns. They were situated on part of the original grounds of
Nero's Golden House. Trajan's Forum was an architectural masterpiece. Near the Campus Martius, much
of the Quirinal was flattened to accommodate the buildings. The Forum was composed of the huge
BASILICA ULPIA (185 feet long), Greek and Latin libraries, and eventually a temple devoted to the
divine emperor himself. Also, a column commemorating Trajan's accomplishments was added.
Hadrian - Whereas the greatest architectural works prior to the reign of Hadrian were Roman, in his era
they were distributed throughout the Empire. Hadrian attempted to build in every province. The
importance of Rome faded in comparison. Nonetheless, the PANTHEON, though not innovative in style,
was one of the most stunning achievements of any age, and Hadrian's palace at TIVOLI was beautiful, large
and splendidly suited to the artistic and gifted emperor. It was built between 118 and 134 A.D., and
contained courtyards, villas, a Serapeum, baths, a piazza and a library. The influence of Hadrian's
worldwide travels was evident in the varied styles upon which the palace was based.
From approximately the time of Trajan, and especially in the reign of Hadrian, Africa was Romanized
architecturally. LEPCIS MAGNA, for example, received baths, and building programs in the provinces
increased during the Late Empire. Rome was deemphasized as an artistic or architectural center in direct
proportion to imperial aspirations and attention to the rest of the Roman world. Further, the ostentatious
styles and imitations of classicism faded in the reawakening of the straightforward Roman or Republican
designs. Roman imperial architecture lost vigor in this era, but it was revived in the period following the
rule of the Antonines, in the late 2nd century.
The Late Empire - The architecture of the Late Empire underwent periods of vitality and stagnation,
mirroring the political climate of Rome and the Empire. Septimius Severus, taking the throne in 193
A.D., ruled Rome with certainty and thus initiated a program of construction both in the city and in his
home province of Africa. Rome had been devastated by the fire of 191, and the emperor rebuilt the city,
adding to the Palatine palace and creating a new structure, a many-columned building called the
Septizonium. Severus' other notable edifice was the Arch, which was traditional in design.
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