From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Domus Aurea (Latin for "Golden House") was a large palace built by the Roman emperor Nero after the fire that devastated Rome in 64. It was made of marble and covered in gold.
In the centre was a man-made lake. Nero also commissioned a bronze statue of himself, dressed in the garb of the Roman sun-god Apollo.
Vespasian later tore down most of the Domus Aurea, and filled the lake with concrete, in order to build the Flavian Amphitheatre. This amphitheatre's more famous name, the Colosseum, comes not from its size but from the size of the colossal statue that had stood beside it previously.
In recent years, parts of the Domus Aurea have been discovered underground, and some sections are open to the public.
