Nero's Golden House is also known as the Domus Aurea(Tuck). It was built in 64-68 AD, and it was partially destroyed and built over in 104 AD(Wheeler). In 64 AD, there was a fire in the old house that stood before Nero's, so Nero built his palace over it in 64 AD(Wheeler and Platner). Nero said this about the Domus Aurea "Now at last I can begin to live like a human being"(Platner). The construction of the Domus Aurea was very unpopular(Tuck). The architects were Severus and Celer(Tuck). It was made out of brick faced concrete(Tuck). The Domus Aurea was built “between the Palatine, Caelian and Esquiline hills amidst an artificial landscape of which a lake on the site of the subsequent Colosseum was a central feature”(Wheeler). No order was specified in my 4 sources. Its highest estimated size is 370 acres(Platner). The east wing is fairly well preserved, but the west wing has been poorly preserved(Platner). The vestibule was large enough to house a statue of the emperor 120 ft tall(Scarre). The dining rooms were decorated with ivory on the ceilings(Scarre). Panels could turn and shower down flowers(Scarre). Pipes were used to sprinkle down perfume, and the main banquet hall was circular and revolved day and night(Scarre). Artists during the renaissance visited the paintings in the east wing(Platner). Nero's Golden House is a tourist spot.
Sources used for the blog post:
Roman Art and Architecture by Mortimer Wheeler
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Domus_Aurea.html, Samuel Ball Platner
A history of Roman Art, Steven L. Tuck
Chronicle of the Roman Emperors, Chris Scarre
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