The Platform of the Temple of Venus and Rome

The Temple of Venus and Rome at the Roman Forum was allegedly designed by the emperor Hadrian himself and was inaugurated in 135 AD. Its construction upon the Velia hill and precedent structures required an exceptional design and execution, including the provision of a massive 167x 100 m artificial platform. Distinct historical developments on the site like the Vestibule of Nero's Golden House and the later construction of the medieval church and monastery of Santa Maria Nova as well as the Mussolinian operations of Sventramenti in the first half of the 20th Century have influenced the construction and altered the presentation of the platform. This paper intends to discuss the strategy, design, construction and current condition of this example of a lesser-known field of Roman structural technology. Foundations and platforms of this kind can offer invaluable information on the function of a temple, its history and structural performance, but theirs study is often neglected.