You have entered the Basilica. Above you a long barrel vault runs forward for the length of the hall, ending in a semi-circular apse. To your left and right colonnades of Corinthian columns flank your ninety foot march to the marble balustrade separating the raised seat of judgment from the audience hall. From this position the emperor may have dispensed justice, or held audiences with his senatorial advisors. Rich in texture, yet austere, this hall captures some of the qualities of the law as administered by Domitian.
Behind the apse you catch a glimpse of a staircase leading to a dark underground passageway; proceed down to see where it leads and find out what happened there.
Domus Flavia facade