This book collects contributions by Pensabene, P. Fileri and E. Gallocchio on the Augustan building projects on the Palatine. It complements and provides a further assessment of the data presented in Pensabene, Scavi del Palatino 2. Culti, architettura e decorazioni (2017) (reviewed by C. Smith, CR 68 [2018], 231–3), with the aim of outlining the architectural and topographical development of this area from the late Republic to the establishment of the Flavian Palace. The arguments raised are based on the field research conducted by P. and his collaborators at the site. The scope is to offer a narrative that clarifies – and to some extent revises – the building phases, chronology and interpretation of the archaeological remains that were brought to light during past excavations, especially as more information has become available following publication of G. Carettoni's notes by M.A. Tomei, Augusto sul Palatino. Gli scavi di Gianfilippo Carettoni: appunti inediti (1955–1984) (2014).
The book is divided into four parts that engage with as many buildings – ‘Le Residenze di Ottaviano’, ‘Tempio di Apollo’, ‘Gli Edifici Adiacenti al Tempio’ and ‘Padiglioni del Palazzo Augusteo e la Casa di Livia’ – followed by a short conclusion. The text is richly illustrated with black-and-white and colour photographs, drawings, maps, plans, sections and reconstructions, although regrettably many of these are reproduced at a small scale due to the format of the book, and it is therefore difficult to appreciate their details in full. One should also point out that numerous typographical errors occur throughout the text as well as some inconsistencies between references in the notes and the bibliography; overall, these do not compromise the quality of the work, but are nevertheless a nuisance.
When discussing the residences of Octavian in Part 1, Pensabene and Gallocchio refer to the underground structures known (misleadingly) as the ‘House of Augustus’, which visitors to the archaeological area of the Palatine can enjoy today with the accompaniment of eye-catching laser projections. The subject of the princeps’ residence on the Palatine has generated a much-heated debate in recent years, with contrasting opinions between ancient historians and archaeologists. Pensabene and Gallocchio identify the central part of these structures with the house that Octavian acquired in 42 bce. In an attempt to reconcile the archaeological evidence with Suetonius’ account (Aug. 72.1–3), it is suggested that this house might have been modest when it was purchased, but was subsequently embellished with paintings, stuccowork, marble decoration and terracottas (the ‘Lastre Campana’, an extensive catalogue of which was published by Pensabene in Scavi del Palatino 2, pp. 210–385, plates 25–211). This first phase was followed by an extension building project, the so-called ‘casa interrotta’, which never saw completion as the whole residential complex was obliterated when construction of the Temple of Apollo began in 36 bce. The examination of the evidence is comprehensive and well presented; the authors consider some of the issues raised by T.P. Wiseman (‘The House of Augustus and the Lupercal’, JRA 22 [2009], 527–45; ‘A Debate on the Temple of Apollo Palatinus’, JRA 25 [2012], 371–87), although perhaps one would have expected engagement with Wiseman's The House of Augustus: a Historical Detective Story (2019), which is not listed in the bibliography.
The analysis of the Temple of Apollo in Part 2 looks at this edifice's extant foundations and the architectural ornament that can be associated with it. Reconstruction of the temple's plan and elevation draws upon the fundamental work of S. Zink (‘Reconstructing the Palatine Temple of Apollo: a Case Study in Early Augustan Temple Design’, JRA 21 [2008], 47–63; ‘Old and New Archaeological Evidence for the Plan of the Palatine Temple of Apollo’, JRA 25 [2012], 389–402), accepting the building's canonical south-west orientation overlooking the Circus Maximus. There is some discussion of the alternative reconstruction of the temple facing north-east towards the forum, as proposed by the late A. Claridge (‘Reconstructing the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill in Rome’, in: C. Häuber, F.X. Schütz and G.M. Winder [edd.], Reconstruction and the Historic City: Rome and Abroad – an Interdisciplinary Approach [2014], pp. 128–52), although this hypothesis is ultimately rejected here. Whichever view one favours, a valuable point discussed in the book concerns the architectural compromises that were adopted in the construction of this large-scale temple: in particular, the presence of screen walls instead of proper walls in between the pillars on the sides, and the use of travertine along with marble for the decoration of the temple exterior, as attested by a Corinthian capital with uncarved vegetal elements (a similar example in marble is also attributed to this building). The analysis of the temple's ornamentation is completed by Pensabene and Fileri's thorough examination of the only extant marble fragment of the cella's door jamb, which is poorly preserved, but shows traces of an elaborate decoration with vegetal scrolls, tripods and griffins.
Moving beyond the temple, Part 3 investigates the buildings annexed to it – the main feature being represented by the Portico of the Danaids that was dedicated in 25 bce, three years after the Temple of Apollo. Almost nothing survives of this structure, but the famous reliefs on the Sorrento Base are used as evidence to suggest this portico was decorated with Ionic columns; Pensabene and Gallocchio attribute to it some isolated architectural fragments of Numidian yellow marble kept in the local storeroom. A reconstructed plan shows that this portico might have occupied a large rectangular area developing to the south-west of the temple and around its sides. This initial layout would have been modified afterwards through construction of the aedes Caesarum on the north-west side and the triclinium (cenatio Iovis) of the Flavian Palace to the north-east.
Part 4 addresses the thorny question of the location of Augustus’ house after abandonment of the first residence. Again, the Sorrento Base would suggest an architectural and topographical proximity between this house (its door surmounted by an oak wreath is shown on the relief), the Portico of the Danaids and the Temple of Vesta on the Palatine. Pensabene argues that the house is to be identified with a series of pavilions comprising the remains under the Flavian Palace, the ‘Aula Isiaca’ and the upper floor of the House of the Griffins, as already proposed by F. Castagnoli (‘Note sulla topografia del Palatino e del Foro Romano’, ArchCl 16 [1964], 173–99), and to these one should add the underground structures known as the ‘House of Livia’. This hypothesis offers an alternative model to the controversial Sanctuary-Palace of Augustus proposed by A. Carandini and his colleagues (for the latest version of this edifice's reconstruction, see A. Carandini and P. Carafa, Dal mostro al principe: alle origini di Roma [2021]).
As acknowledged by Pensabene in the preface, this study is only a first step towards a better understanding of the Palatine in this historical and socio-political context – only time will reveal whether the arguments proposed here will have been widely accepted by the scholarly community (a positive review was published by E.M. Moormann, BABesch 97 [2022], 241–2, while a critical assessment was presented by T.P. Wiseman, ‘Palace-Sanctuary or Pavilion? Augustus’ House and the Limits of Archaeology’, PBSR 90 [2022], 9–34). It may be no exaggeration to define the archaeology and topography of ancient Rome as a ‘minefield’, where in many instances the stories told by archaeological remains and literary sources are probably destined to keep clashing. Prioritising one source of information over the other, however, does not seem a helpful exercise. One should therefore appreciate Pensabene and his co-authors’ efforts to look at both when discussing the results of their fieldwork, thus attempting to contextualise the material evidence within the respective historical setting. The wealth of data examined in the book, the proposed reconstructions of buildings and spaces, and the broader implications of these hypotheses will provide an essential point of departure for future studies, and for this we should be thankful.
