PALESTRA

This monumental complex, given the misleading name, Palestra, in the 16C, consisted of various buildings integrated into one block 100 meters square. The entrance was at a monumental staircase (in front of 4) oriented toward the nearby Greek Theater. New studies have shown that the structure had a large hall (1) surrounded by a double portico (9) with statue niches (Z. Mari and S. Sgalambro, "La sala ipostila," Lazio e Sabina 8 [2012] 11-21). The center was paved in cipollino; overhead was a trussed roof. Outside the arcades were fountains and basins. Behind the room was a garden (2) surrounded by a portico that also had fountains. One side faced a hanging garden with a fountain in the middle. On the opposite side was a large room (room 4; 18.5 x 13 m) divided into three aisles by cipollino and pavonazzetto columns crowned with white Corinthian capitals. The room was paved in opus sectile. A number of Egyptian, or Egyptianizing, works of art, including a colossal bust of Isis (Vatican Gregorian Egyptian Museum) and ceiling stuccoes with Isiac themes, were found here. Some scholars therefore speculate that the structure was an Isaeum (Mari and Sgalambro 2012: 19). The Palestra dates between 125 and 135 AD (Mari and Sgalambro 2012: 19).