Domus Augustana

The Domus Augustana is the private residential portion of the Flavian imperial palace complex on Rome’s Palatine Hill, constructed during the reign of Emperor Domitian in the late 1st century AD. It forms the upper, domestic sector of a larger palace that also included formal imperial reception spaces.

Ruins include extensive terraces, courtyards and rooms arranged along the slope of the Palatine, with surviving foundations and fragmentary walls that outline the plan of imperial apartments and service areas. The site provides panoramic views over the Roman Forum and the Circus Maximus, and is commonly visited together with the adjacent Domus Flavia and other Palatine monuments.

The complex was commissioned and largely built under Domitian (reign 81-96 AD) as part of major Flavian construction on the Palatine. Over subsequent centuries the palace was altered, reused and quarried for building materials; archaeological excavations from the 18th century onward have partially uncovered its layout and important architectural features.

It stands on the Palatine Hill in central Rome, immediately above the Roman Forum and within sight of the Colosseum, making it central to the ancient city’s political and ceremonial core.

• Access and viewpoint: The ruins lie on the Palatine Hill and are visited as part of combined Palatine/Roman Forum/Colosseum tickets; terraces offer views over the Forum and Circus Maximus.
• Dating: Much of the complex dates to the Flavian period under Domitian, so many surviving architectural features reflect late 1st-century imperial building programs.

What to See #

• Domus Flavia: The public, formal wing of the Flavian palace complex built by Emperor Domitian, containing ceremonial rooms and large reception spaces constructed in the late 1st century AD.
• Domus Augustana: The private residential wing of the imperial palace on the Palatine Hill, arranged on terraces and adapted into the palace complex during Domitian's reign around 81-96 AD.
• Stadium (Hippodrome) of Domitian: An elongated enclosed garden or private stadium incorporated into the Flavian palace complex; it functioned as a landscaped, axial space connecting palace levels.