Tor Marancia and Centocelle:

a comparative context
LYNDA MULVIN

Abstract
This paper appraises the architectural plans and wider functional context of two late third century villas at Tor Marancia and at Centocelle
in the environs of Rome. The villa at Centocelle had an impressive peristyle and adjoining apsidal hall that invite comparison with imperial
palaces elsewhere, for example the great apsidal halls at the palace of Constantine, Mediana and at the palace of Galerius, Gamzigrad.
Tor Marancia, south of the Via Appia Antica, has a peristyle courtyard, an apsidal hall and a quatreconch hall adjoining the peristyle. Both
villas thus incorporate classical elements of the late antique villa plan, and the paper considers these in a comparative context and more
particularly by reference to late Roman villas in the Danube-Balkan region. The villa at Tor Marancia is a large scale structure with extant
staircases and a profusion of smaller interconnected rooms and halls capable of accommodating not just a private dwelling but also, for
example, an administrative or agricultural centre. The paper considers whether Tor Marancia had a public as well as a private function and
whether it may have been incorporated within the imperial system of agriculture and administration near Rome.

Introduction clusions that can safely be drawn from the secondary

evidence must necessarily be qualified as tentative. How-
This paper discusses the architectural development and ever, I hope to demonstrate that the immediate context
function of two late Roman villas from the urbs of Rome, of these villas as important structures in the countryside
at Tor Marancia and at Centocelle. During the course of close to Rome, as well as the wider comparative context,
recent research, published as my doctoral thesis, Late Ro- goes some way towards assisting in their interpretation.
man Villas in the Danube Balkan Region (BAR-IS 1064)
Oxford 2002, comparative consideration was given to the
development of the Roman villa plan in Italy and in other The distinctiveness of the Urbs of Rome
Roman provinces. This included a comparative discussion
of the two late Roman villas at Tor Marancia and at Cen- It is necessary to recall two important points in seeking
tocelle in the suburbium of Rome. These sites were exam- to interpret the archaeological record of the urbs of Rome
ined within the broader context of the late Roman villa. from the Roman era. The first is that the landscape of the
In my study, they served as examples of the adoption and suburbium resulted from geological and volcanic activity
development of architectural elements of the late Roman whereby the action of many rivers and streams created
villa plan including the combination of the peristyle, the deep furrows which resulted in the undulating landscape.
apsidal hall and the triconch or quatreconch hall. This made for very fertile lands outside the city walls
The purpose of this paper is to take a closer compara- stretching radially for up to 8 kilometres, and these were
tive look at the recorded evidence for these two villas intensively cultivated in antiquity (Pliny NH, xix, 50: ex
with a view to considering: horto plebi macellum).
The second point is that the area around the city of
• Whether either or both may, in a manner similar to cer- Rome was distinct from the Roman countryside in gen-
tain other important and large-scale villas notably in the eral because, although outside the city walls, it was an
Danube-Balkan provinces, have been incorporated within inherent part of Rome itself and benefited from that status
the imperial system of administration near Rome. and was protected as such. It might be expected therefore,
that villas in the suburbium of Rome would be dedicated
• Whether the plan of these villas provides any clear in- in part to agricultural production, at least during the early
dication of their use, either as agricultural or senatorial empire, and that they would probably not need to be forti-
villas or both. fied to the same extent as villas in more remote parts of
The choice of these two villas for discussion is to some the empire.
extent selective, as this conference shows that there are A further observation at the outset would be that even
many other and better-published examples of large-scale if the large residences or complexes found dominating
villas in the suburbium of Rome. Furthermore, the con- this landscape around the city of Rome did not have a

Roman villas around the Urbs. Interaction with landscape and environment. Proceedings of a conference held at the Swedish Institute in Rome,
September 17–18, 2004. Eds. B. Santillo Frizell & A. Klynne (The Swedish Institute in Rome. Projects and Seminars, 2), Rome 2005.
www.svenska-institutet-rom.org/villa/
 Lynda Mulvin

primarily agricultural purpose, or that they may in some Tor Marancia

cases by virtue of senatorial or imperial ownership have
had a different status to the typical Roman villa in the Tor Marancia lies between the Via Ostiense and the Via
countryside, nonetheless they should still be called ‘vil- Appia Antica to the south of the catacombs of Domitilla
las’. The difficulties of defining the term ‘Roman villa’ at the crossing of the Via Ardeatina and the Via delle Sette
have been discussed at length elsewhere including in my Chiese, in an area largely built upon today. The excava-
own study and while in Latin the word villa can mean tion work was carried out between April 1817 and April
both a farm and a country house, and that its primary as- 1823. A large villa made up of two adjacent buildings was
sociation would indicate that the villa had an agricultural unearthed. The buildings as recorded lay about 750 me-
purpose, although it is generally agreed that this is not tres apart. Two lead plaques fistulae (CILCIL XIV (14) 7459)
strictly necessary. My own working definition of the Ro- record the names of two noble women Munatia Procula
man villa is as follows: and Numisia Procula dated to the second century A.D.
There are other suggestions that a woman of imperial
“A place in the country owned by a Roman or Rom- descent Flavia Domitilla owned this land.3 A temple of
anised landowner normally (but not always) associated Dionysius was also discovered close by the villa.
with farming, in most cases comprising a single residence Bartolomeo Nogara described the mosaics from the
with some expression of Roman elements and more often villa of Munatia Procula in his work I mosaici antichi di
than not with connotations of luxury or relaxation, stand- Roma (Rome, 1910). Black and white figurative mosa-
ing either on its own or at the heart of a complex of more ics decorated several rooms. The sea motif and the figure
functional buildings and integrated into the social and style date the mosaics to the second century A. D. The
economic environment of the Roman world.”1 mosaic displayed images of Ulysses and a siren and Tri-
ton and sea creatures.4 Statues of Abundance, Bacchus,
Venus and a torso of Diana were also found among the
Visual Evidence ruins. Some wall paintings dated to the third century
A.D. also survive and are held in the Vatican Museum.5
The architectural plan of the villa has a peristyle, an
Although both Centocelle and Tor Marancia are now ef-
apsidal hall on the short axis, and a quatreconch hall
fectively hidden from view, there is a relatively well-pre-
which adjoins the peristyle. Staircases suggest the pres-
served visual record of the suburbs of ancient Rome. The
ence of an upper level. In this it incorporates the classical
role of the suburbium as market garden for the city seems
elements of the late Roman villa plan, that is the peri-
to have continued into the medieval period and beyond as
style, the quatreconch and apsidal hall. This would sug-
important lands and buildings passed into and remained in
gest that this plan dates to a later period than the mosaics
the ownership of a concentrated number of landowners.2
and represented a second phase of construction (Fig 1).6
Glimpses of the suburbs are featured in the background
In particular, the use of black and white figurative mosa-
of some of the medieval maps of Rome, one of the earli-
ics is typically second century A. D., whereas it would be
est is by Fra Paolino da Venezia 1323 with the well know
unusual to find this combination of architectural elements
depiction of the Vatican lands as deer park. Occasionally
in villa buildings earlier than the third century A. D.
Roman ruins are plotted as viewpoints in the landscape.
The villa also has another more unusual feature of
These maps together with others from the sixteenth and
a profusion of smaller interconnected rooms and halls,
seventeenth centuries as well as G.B. Piranesi’s Vedute di
which would have been capable of accommodating a
Roma,1778; reprint 1974, serve as a visual record of the
large number of occupants. These rooms were arranged
monuments at this time.
around two intersecting access corridors forming a cross
The importance of the eighteenth and nineteenth cen-
and in many cases they also allowed for access between
tury record is better underlined by the archaeological
the smaller clusters of rooms. Being located on the lower
inventory established by work of certain Italian scholars
level of the building, they could have been servants’ quar-
such as Luigi Biondi and English scholar Thomas Ashby.
ters but it is also possible, particularly having regard to
Biondi recorded the excavation of the villa at Tor Ma-
certain comparative evidence of known administrative
rancia in his work I Monumenti Amaranziani illustrati,
quarters of similar construction in other large Danube-
in an appendix to Museo Chiaramonti, III, Rome, 1843.
Balkan villas such as Spalato (Dalmatia, Croatia) and
In the early twentieth century, Thomas Ashby recorded
Mogorjelo (Dalmatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina) that they had
the area around the villa at Centocelle in his important
a larger administrative or agricultural function (see below
topographical study ‘La villa dei Flavi cristiani “ad duas
Figs. 6 & 7).
7 7
lauros” e il suburbano imperiale ad oriente di Roma’, ________
Rome, 1928. 3
Lanciani 1892, see chap. VII, note 17.
4
For a discussion of the mosaics see Clarke 1979, 74.
5
To view details of the Vatican collection see Farina 1985, 49.
6
Mielsch 1987, 86.
________
7
For Diocletians Palace at Spalato see Wilkes 1986, 69. For
1
Mulvin 2002, 3. Mogorjelo see Dygge & Vetters 1966, 11–62 and Duval 1989-
2
Calzolari 1984, 2–19. 1990, 253–259; for further discussion of Danube-Balkan villa
plan typology see Mulvin, 2004, 385–406.

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 Tor Marancia and Centocelle: a comparative context

Fig. 1. Tor Marancia, Rome, Ground Plan (redrawn after H. Mielsche, Fig. 2. Centocelle, Rome, Ground Plan (redrawn after H. Mielsche, Die
Die römische Villa, Architektur und Lebensform, München 1987, p. römische Villa, Architektur und Lebensform, München 1987, p. 92, fig.
860, fig. 58). 69).

Centocelle aces.10 The villa that has elements that come closest in
size are the great apsidal hall at Mediana with apse di-
Thomas Ashby classified the monuments in the immediate ameter of 13 m and length of apsidal hall at 26.5 m and
area of the villa at Centocelle as falling into three groups: the peristyle at 30 m wide (Fig. 4). At Mediana the plan
the Prenestina group included fragments of Gordian’s is strictly symmetrical with a peristyle at the centre of the
exedra and the tomb at Tor Schiavi; the Labicana group plan. Adjacent to the apsidal hall was a smaller structure
comprised of the area from Tor Pignaturra to Centocelle; which has a hexagonal central area with two rectangular
and the Tuscolana group was an area of monuments be- niches and one semi-circular niche opening from it. This
tween the via Tuscolana and the via Latina.8 More re- has been called a nymphaeum but it could possibly be a
cently the area of Centocelle was zoned as an archaeo- small dining area.
logical park that runs south of the Via Casilina, the Via di The villa identified as the imperial palace at Gamzi-
Centocelle, Via Papiria to the Viale P. Togliatti. It covers grad has a number of buildings with peristyles at the cen-
about 300 hectares (Fig. 2). Recent excavations already tre of their plan. The north wing comprises a series of
discussed by our colleague Rita Volpe elsewhere in this three peristyles, leading to different apsed reception halls
volume have unveiled details of at least six other villas: (Fig. 5). To the north of the main residence there was a
(Villa di Via Sommariva, La Villa delle Terme, Villa di
(V large apsidal room. Gamzigrad has two apsidal halls
Pietralata, la Villa della Piscine, Villa di Via Lizzani, Villa measuring respectfully 15 m and 17 m. The triconch and
di Torre Spaccata) dating from the first century B.C. to quatreconch halls are linked by a round room.
the fourth century A.D.
The villa near Centocelle on the Via Latina has large-
scale dimensions and impressive peristyle and apsidal Comparative Discussion
hall invite comparison with imperial palaces elsewhere,
for example the great apsidal halls at the palace of Con- Function: imperial distribution relates to Tor Marancia
stantine, Mediana (Moesia Superior; Serbia) and at the
palace of Galerius, Gamzigrad (Moesia Superior; Ser- There are examples of villas in the Danube-Balkan region
bia).9 The plan of the villa had a peristyle with a large where the fortification of villa complexes may be directly
adjoining apsidal hall. The width of the peristyle is 27m. attributable to imperial intervention in the region in the
It has an apse width of 25 m and apsidal hall length of 30 fourth century. This was to guarantee food supply most
m, which represents a very large-scale structure. On the notably to the military serving on the River Danube.11
evidence of recent excavations, as yet unpublished, it may In Pannonia, the construction of large villa sites with
be that the apsidal hall was added during a later building fortified perimeters adjacent to the main road, where
phase and that it may have had a different configuration the entire complex combines a residence with farm and
to that revealed in the 1925 plan. outbuildings including large grain stores, is particularly
These dimensions are larger than any found in the ________
Danube-Balkan region including the three imperial pal- 10
For further discussion on comparative villas: Mulvin, 2002,
________ 47–55.
8
A detailed account is available in Ashby & Lugli 1928, 159, 11
The notion that the scale and uniformity of these villas
160. suggests they had an imperial function as state granaries has
9
See the gazetteer of late Roman villa sites surveyed Mulvin, been discussed elsewhere: Mócsy, 1974, 303–307, Toth, 1989,
2002, 73–105. 31–40, Christie 1994, 303–305 and Mulvin 2002, 34.

3
 Lynda Mulvin

Fig. 3. Above: Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Pannonia Superior; Hungary

(redrawn after M. Biró, “Roman Villas in Pannonia”, ActaArchHung 26,
1974, p. 47, fig. 24). Also Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Pannonia Superior;
Hungary. To the left bottom: view across the grain store, building 19
facing north-west.

Fig. 4. Ságvár-Tricciana, Pannonia Inferior; Hungary (redrawn after E.

Tóth, “Die spätrömische Festung von Iovia und ihr Gräberfeld”, Antike
Welt 1, 1989, p. 32, fig. 2).

4
 Tor Marancia and Centocelle: a comparative context

Fig. 5. Alsóheténypuszta, Pannonia Superior, Hungary (redrawn after E. Fig. 6. Diocletian’s Palace, Spalato, Dalmatia; Croatia (redrawn after
Tóth, “Die spätrömische Festung von Iovia und ihr Gräberfeld”, Antike J.J. Wilkes, Diocletian’s palace at Split. Residence of a retired Roman
Welt, 1, 1989, p. 32, fig. 3). emperor, Sheffield 1986, reprinted Oxford 1993, p. 59, fig. 9).

evident during the fourth century for example at Kesz- with engaged corner towers and three gateways. The ar-
thely-Fenékpuszta (Fig. 3), Ságvár-Tricciana (Fig. 4) and rangement of the residential quarters along the south-
Alsóheténypuszta (Fig. 5) and An imperial edict found at west wall of the building, with the service rooms arranged
Ságvár-Tricciana (A.D. 379) (Codex Theod. xi, 36, 26) around the other three sides of the internal walls, was an
provides evidence of imperial activity here during this efficient use of space and light. The rectangular rooms
time. The similarity in the fortifications with the large placed along the interior walls at Mogorjelo could sug-
round towers and straight walls between these villa com- gest that these rooms were used for stabling animals on
plexes is notable. When viewed together these buildings the ground floor with the upper floor dedicated to farm
could be considered as having been fortified to protect management. At both Spalato and Mogorjelo, the form of
large quantities of grain, and possibly operated as central- these small rectangular rooms placed side-by-side with
ised depots with a degree of imperial control. doorways opening out onto the central space is found also
The imperial palace at Gamzigrad had a similar em- in use in other examples of Tetrarchic military architec-
phasis on perimeter fortification, and the presence within ture.
the palace complex of two grain store buildings empha- Likewise at Tor Marancia the separate area with a se-
sises the capacity of the imperial residence for self-suf- ries of closely interconnecting rooms may have been a
ficiency.12 Similarly, the imperial palace of Diocletian at public or administrative area, as is suggested above for
Spalato, although in some respects an exceptional exam- similar rooms in the Danube-Balkan villas. In particular,
ple as a fortified complex, it combines public, administra- while the larger rooms closer to the peristyle are more
tive and private residential buildings with a similar em- likely to have been devoted to sleeping quarters or other
phasis on imperial self-sufficiency. private uses, there still remain a large number of smaller
At Spalato, the presence of the quatreconch hall ad- closely-knit rooms, forming the warren of rooms in the
jacent to the apsidal reception hall should also be noted. south east quadrant of the ground floor of Tor Marancia.
The rigidity and order of the plan, with rectangular rooms In a building of this scale located on valuable lands close
side-by-side and contained within fortified walls, may be to the city of Rome and forming part of the important
compared to the fortified building at Mogorjelo (Dalma- social and economic fabric of the suburbium of Rome,
tia, Croatia). It is suggested that Mogorjelo was linked there is a possibility that these rooms were devoted to the
to Diocletian’s Palace as a form of refuge or supplemen- administration and operation of the estate. In the absence
tary residence building for the emperor.13 Mogorjelo has of any positive indication that they were used for indus-
a similarly well-ordered plan, enclosed in defence walls trial or storage purposes, the similarity of this plan with
________ administrative quarters in other large fourth century villas
12
For Gamzigrad, see Srejovic 1983, 31–45. such as Spalato and Mogorjelo supports a conclusion that
13
Wilkes 1993, 75–77.

5
 Lynda Mulvin

Form: Typology: peristyle triconch plan

In Roman villas the necessity of entertaining and con-

ducting administrative affairs under the one roof was usu-
ally answered by maintaining a clear distinction between
public and private space. Columella (De Re Rustica, 1,
6, 1) states that the size of the villa and the number of
its parts should be in proportion to the whole enclosure
and that the property should be divided into three parts:
pars urbana – a large residence for the owner, family and
friends to reside in either as a retreat from the city or as
a permanent dwelling separated from the working part of
the villa; pars rustica – the farming and/or industrial part
of the complex, including quarters for the overseer, slaves
and livestock, being a profitable organisation supplying
produce for the villa itself and then to the local markets
and usually affording to pay taxes levied by Rome; and
pars fructuria – the store house for winter supplies and
surplus. Often, the combination of a peristyle courtyard
and a triclinium could be used for entertaining while
other parts of the villa were detailed for agriculture or
administrative functions.
In later antiquity for some villas such as those for ex-
ample at Tor Marancia, an outer courtyard with adjoining
rooms was the “public space” whereas an inner peristyle
became a private space with larger more spacious recep-
tion facilities for intimate guests. The profusion of small-
er interconnected rooms and halls which would have been
capable of accommodating a large number of occupants
were likely servant’s quarters or administrative quarters
with a public function. The apsidal hall could serve the
dual function of receiving guests and as a dining hall ei-
ther taken on its own or with any adjacent dining cham-
ber or triclinium. For example the apsidal hall at Gamzi-
grad was linked by a peristyle to a separate triconch and
quatreconch dining chamber (Fig. 8). Equally, the palace
identified as that of Constantine at Mediana has a large
apsidal hall and adjacent triconch dining hall (Fig. 9 &
Fig. 9a).
Such is the case likewise with Centocelle where the ap-
sidal hall could function as both reception hall and dining
area. At the imperial level the larger size reception rooms
would have accommodated the appropriate grandeur of
Fig. 7. Mogorjelo, Dalmatia; Bosnia/Hercegovina (redrawn after N.
scale of such gatherings, but so too, more generally, the
Duval, “Mogorjelo, camp ou palais?” Starinar n.s. 40-41, 1989-1990)
(Belgrade 1991) Fig. 1, p. 256). Also Mogorjelo, Dalmatia; Bosnia- presence of a grand reception hall is an essential ele-
Hercegovina (Photo author’s own). ment in many late Roman villas. Heavy symbolism was
attached to the apsidal hall framing the Imperial throne.
these rooms in the villa at Tor Marancia may have had an The apsidal hall becomes the room in an imperial palace
administrative function. where consultations, recitations, meetings and lectures
It is true that Tor Marancia, unlike the Danube-Balkan were conducted.14
examples to which I have referred, was a private estate. This emphasis on the reception hall is complemented
Nonetheless, the villa is known to have been owned by by the development of the triclinium (tri-kline or three
persons who were had connection to the imperial family couches) that first appeared as a rectangular room with
and therefore, quite possibly, to the imperial administra- three couches. With the development of the apse as a
________
tion. Furthermore, the need for a place to conduct the or- 14
For more detailed discussion of the function of the apsidal
derly business of the estate including rooms to which the
dining hall, the triconch hall and comparative examples of other
public might have had access would apply equally to a
fourth century provincial villas such as Piazza Armerina, where
large private domain in its interactions with the market as these architectural elements are present, see Mulvin 2002, 40–
to a villa forming part of the imperial system for support- 43; Lavin 1962, 1–29 and Tamm 1963, 17–60.
ing and supplying the Roman army in the provinces.

6
 Tor Marancia and Centocelle: a comparative context

Fig. 8. Gamzigrad, Moesia Superior; Serbia (re-surveyed and redrawn after D. Srejovic, (ed.), Roman imperial towns and palaces in Serbia, Sirmium,
Romuliana and Naissus, Belgrade 1993). Also Gamzigrad, Moesia Superior; Serbia, apsidal hall (Photo author’s own).

7
 Lynda Mulvin

Fig. 10. Hadrian’s Villa, Stibadium, View from the Scenic Triclinium
(Photo author’s own).

Fig. 9. Mediana, Moesia Superior; Serbia Ground Plan.

Fig. 9a. Mediana, Moesia Superior, Serbia view of Reception Hall and Fig. 11. Cercadilla, Cordoba, Spain; Multi-apsed Hall (Photo author’s
Apsidal Hall. own).

decorative aspect to a hall from the second century, the conch dining hall is familiar from the imperial palaces at
rectangular couch was widely replaced by a semi-circular Spalato (triconch); Gamzigrad (which uses the form of
couch, the stibadium, which fitted into the apse. It is at all both the triconch and the quatreconch; and at Mediana
events accepted that the stibadium couch became popular (a variant consisting of an adjacent rectangular/apsidal
as an indoor feature from the third century, and that it chamber, possibly a nymphaeum or small dining area).
was housed usually in the apse. By way of innovation, the There are also incidences of multi-apsed dining rooms for
assembling of three exedra to contain the stibadium was example the recently discovered example at Cercadilla,
first seen at Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. In the example of Spain (Fig. 11).15
the Scenic Triclinium at Hadrian’s Villa, an imperial din- In summary, therefore, the villas in Tor Marancia and
ing hall of immense proportions, the dining group were Centocelle exhibit features typical of developments in
framed by a huge semi-domed apse and enjoyed uninter- villa architecture during the fourth century A. D. As im-
rupted views of the Great Canopic pool (Fig 10). In this portant villas close to the centre of the empire, they were
example the stibadium circles the curve of the apse and is influenced by imperial design, and in turn they may well
surrounded by water on all sides. The large hemicycle at have formed part of the body of architecture that influ-
Centocelle could have been similarly used as a stibadium enced the design and construction of villas of this period
which confirms its use as a feature of mainstream Roman elsewhere in the empire including the comparative exam-
villa architecture. ples discussed here.
The quatreconch as seen at Tor Marancia, becomes ________
another characteristic element of late Roman villas. In 15
Marquez et al. 1992, 1039–1047.
particular, the combination of the apsidal hall and the tri-

8
 Tor Marancia and Centocelle: a comparative context

Conclusion quiring the protection of scarce resources destined for

the Imperial army. Furthermore, if I am correct about
In this brief comparative excursus the evidence of form Tor Marancia being a later complex dating from the
has been used working from the only remaining evidence fourth century and therefore after the construction of the
in secondary sources, in these two villas and have sug- walls of Rome in 270 AD, it would have been natural
gested that the scale and form of one Centocelle, and the and almost required for it to incorporate some element
detail and arrangement of Tor Marancia are such that they of protection against raiders as well as for it to make
reflect two of the main conclusions that I drew from my some provision for self-sufficiency. The outbuildings
own comparative study of Late Roman Villas elsewhere and perimeter walls, if any, have not been unearthed,
and in particular in the Danube-Balkan region. but there is a clue, suggested by the presence of the
The first such conclusion is that certain of the larger nearby temple, that the complex of buildings there ex-
villas either in the countryside or in the suburbium of the tended to a much wider area than the excavated field.
main cities, particularly Rome, served more than a do- A final point, which relates more closely to the theme
mestic or private purpose and may well have been for- of the conference, arises from the consideration that al-
mally incorporated into the alimentary supply network though these villa complexes were each integrated into
of the Roman system of administration. Tor Marancia, the special socio-economic environment of the urbs of
on the basis of its ownership, location, scale and form Rome, that environment changed over time from one of
presents itself as a suitable candidate for inclusion in this relative security to one of relative insecurity. Develop-
category of villa. Unlike certain of the others identified in ments in the late Roman villa plan associated with new
the comparative evidence, it does not appear to have been architectural innovations were therefore accompanied
specially fortified, but it should be borne in mind that its by more pragmatic innovations dictated by the need for
location close to Rome allowed for greater security than greater security and greater self-sufficiency. Although not
more remote villas in the countryside. reflected in the archaeological record, it is difficult to im-
The second point, this time relating to both villas un- agine how villas of this scale could have functioned and
der discussion, is that the evidence from my own com- survived without making provision for these needs.
parative study and other studies is that there was a notable Following the fall of Rome in the early fifth century,
shift towards a formal arrangement of rooms to include the system that supported these villas and largely gave
the apsidal hall, and the triconch hall associated with the them definition was no longer functioning, and if the pat-
peristyle among the more important villas of the second tern of occupation seen elsewhere in the empire was rep-
and third century A.D. This in turn was very probably in- licated here one might speculate that these villas could
fluenced by Imperial architectural developments, which have become the heart of communal settlements with an
had a remarkable reach throughout the Roman provinces expanded number of outbuildings and some outer perim-
especially in the Danube-Balkan region where there were eter fortification.
three imperial palaces.
From this perspective it is no surprise to find that these Lynda Mulvin
large scale and evidently important villas at the heart of [email protected]
the urbs of Rome were planned around these elements.
Although the villa at Centocelle does not have a triconch
or quatreconch element, the scale of its apsidal hall and
peristyle arrangement places it firmly within the main-
stream of late Roman villa architecture. The plan of Cen-
tocelle is however more consistent with an earlier plan
type, for example Hadrian’s villa dating from the second
century. In addition, unlike the villa at Tor Marancia,
whose profusion of rooms suggests a public function, the
recorded evidence for Centocelle is more consistent with
a purely private function.
At neither site is there recorded evidence of any ad-
joining complex of storage facilities or indeed of fortified
perimeter walls. On one level, this might provide a strong
indication that these lands were not devoted to important
agricultural activities requiring the storage of produce
and its protection from outside threats. In particular, in
the absence of such evidence or of any contemporary lit-
erary source, the possibility cannot be ruled out that these
buildings were entirely domestic or senatorial. Howev-
er, as a matter of probability I think it very likely that
they had an agricultural purpose too. These villas in the
suburbium of Rome are not located in remote areas re-

9
 Lynda Mulvin

Bibliography

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Roma’, MemPontAcc 2, 1928, 155–192.
Biondi 1843 L. Biondi, I Monumenti Amaranziani illustrati, in an appendix to Museo Chiaramonti, III, Roma 1843.
Calzolari 1984 V. Calzolari, Italia Nostra. Sezione di Roma. Piano per il Parco dell’Appia Antica, Roma 1984.
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