Discover Top Posts Tagged with #domus aurea

Day 18: Bronze - Nero and his colossus

#grayjoytober2025 #drawtober 2025 #history art #traditional art #1st century #julio claudian dynasty #emperor nero #ancient rome #roman empire #domus aurea #roman tag

no one builds a good rotating ceiling anymore.

#architecture has gotten so boring citizens #with all your technology i would think you could accomplish it #and yet i have found nothing #domus aurea #emperor nero #ancient rome #roman history

I'm in a "Trust the Process" flow right now as I build out the Domus Aurea area. (Say Domus Aurea Area 5 times fast GO)

For scale I'm thinking of making the domus shorter. I recently found floor plans that show a "completed" version of the section of the Domus Aurea on the Oppian. You can see my picture cuts it off, but it would just be mirrored on that side. I'm thinking I'll just make another optional lot.

I'm still not sure how filled in this world will be, but I think I'm in the 70s in number of lots. I plan to do hotspots, their surrounding area, and a path back to the forum.

Also not doing aesthetics because you can curropt a whole lot if you need to reshape the hill under it. Back to only outlines!

#ts3 #the sims 3 #ancient rome #caracalla #palatine hill #sims 3 build #Domus Aurea #CAW #Colosseum #Temple of the Divine Claudius #Oppian Hill #7 Hills of Rome #Imperial Fora

Large Piece of Rare ‘Egyptian Blue’ Recovered from Emperor Nero’s Imperial Palace in Rome

The discovery of this ancient synthetic pigment highlights the impressive artistry of Rome’s imperial era.

Archaeologists in Rome have discovered beautiful, ancient paint—but not just any paint. Known as “Egyptian Blue,” it’s among the oldest synthetic pigments in the world, with the newly found ingot weighing more than five pounds.

Two tanks found at the ancient pigment workshop

Archaeologists excavating the Domus Aurea, Emperor Nero’s vast imperial residence in ancient Rome, have discovered containers still carrying the splendid pigments artisans used to decorate the palace complex almost 2,000 years ago. Among the brilliant colors, researchers were most excited to find a rare chunk of Egyptian blue pigment. The Colosseum Archaeological Park announced the discovery in a January 20 Facebook post.

“The fascination conveyed by the depth of blue of this pigment is incredible,” Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, said in the Facebook post. “The Domus Aurea once again moves [us] and restores the brilliance of the colors used by the painters who skillfully decorated the rooms of this precious and refined imperial palace.”

The amphora containing yellow ocher.

The archaeologists unearthed two tubs that, among other things, were used to process the colorful pigments while the palace was under construction. Presumably from within the tubs, they recovered an amphora containing yellow ocher, tiny jars with red pigments such as realgar and red ocher, and an ingot of Egyptian blue.

Unlike yellow and red ocher, Egyptian blue is a synthetic color achieved by heating a mixture of limestone, chemical compounds, and copper-containing minerals. Its earliest production and use dates back over 5,000 years ago to ancient Egypt; in Roman times, the pigment was produced in southern Italy. In fact, it’s the oldest synthetically-made color known to scientists. Archaeologists typically discover the ancient remnants of Egyptian blue pigment in the form of powder or tiny spheres, but the rarity of the recent specimen lies in its size: a whopping 5.29 pounds (2.4 kilograms).

Remnants of Egyptian blue previously uncovered in Pompeii suggest that the pigment was used in spaces of luxury and wealth, according to the Colosseum Archaeological Park. The context of the recent discovery within Nero’s imperial residence further affirms this suggestion, and provides insight into the refinement and specialization of the artisans who were employed to decorate it.

Scientists previously thought that the recipe for Egyptian blue was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire and only truly rediscovered in the early 1800s by the British chemist Humphry Davy. A 2020 study, however, revealed that Italian Renaissance painter Raphael used the pigment in his 1512 fresco, Triumph of Galatea. Perhaps the recipe hadn’t been lost after all.

Either way, the brilliant color connects artists and artisans across the vast annals of human history. Even some modern shades of blue used by artists today are called Egyptian blue in homage to the ancient pigment.

By Margherita Bassi.