On the Palatine, Rome’s foundation story sits beside traces of much older settlement. Archaeology records occupation here from at least the tenth or ninth century BCE, including huts on the Cermalus used until the late seventh century. Roman tradition places the city’s legendary beginnings on this hill, but the huts are evidence of early life, not proof of Romulus or a precise foundation date.
By the second and first centuries BCE, the hill had become a residential district for Rome’s elite. The House of the Griffins preserves painted and paved decoration from that period. Augustus later chose the Palatine for his residence, acquiring existing properties and making a politically resonant association with Rome’s earliest traditions. The House of Livia belongs to this Augustan complex; its attribution rests on an inscription bearing the name Iulia Augusta.
Under the emperors, residences expanded and partly overlapped rather than replacing one another in a simple sequence. The Domus Flavia formed the palace’s public sector, while the Domus Augustana was its private sector. Decorated underground passages connected parts of the complex. The long building known as the Palatine Stadium is more cautiously understood as a garden and place of leisure for the imperial household, though its exact use remains uncertain.
The hill kept changing after antiquity. From the sixteenth century, the Farnese family shaped terraces and gardens among the remains of the Domus Tiberiana, adding another layer to the imperial landscape. Take time to read these different eras together, then continue with our Rome guide or compare another imperial setting at the separate Baths of Caracalla.
