Peopling Roman Palaces

Unveiling the Hidden Spaces of Power and Innovation

Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli, one of the most iconic UNESCO World Heritage sites, has long been admired as a masterpiece of imperial architecture—an enduring symbol of imperial power, luxury and architectural ingenuity. Yet behind the splendour of the emperor’s palaces and gardens lay another story: that of the many people who lived and worked within the estate, ensuring its daily operation.

Shifting the Focus

Traditional scholarship has centred on the spaces designed for the emperor and his court. Peopling Roman Palaces broadens this perspective, approaching the villa as a complex social organism. Here, architectural innovation was not only a stage for imperial representation but also a response to the needs of a permanent, diverse, and often overlooked community.

The Hidden Architecture of Daily Life

From servants and administrators to artisans and guards, the mid and low-ranking population played a vital role in the villa's functioning. They inhabited and animated spaces designed with logistics, control, and practicality in mind—areas that were often more enduringly occupied than the emperor's own residences. By investigating these buildings, the project highlights how architectural design supported movement, security, sanitation, and the everyday running of the estate.

The Hundred Chambers

Central to this investigation are the Cento Camerelle (“Hundred Chambers”), a vast complex deliberately separated from the villa’s elite quarters. Their study reveals how architectural design addressed the requirements of a resident workforce, offering new insights into how imperial power was not only displayed but also sustained.

Understanding an imperial residence in context: geophysical investigations at Hadrian's Villa

Geophysical investigations extend the study of Hadrian’s Villa beyond its walls, uncovering how the estate was integrated into the surrounding landscape. These surveys shed light on how access and movement towards the monumental vestibule were organised and controlled, while also revealing how wider environment and infrastructure sustained the villa's daily life. 

Redefining Imperial Villas Design

Research on imperial residences has long emphasised how architecture reflected the authority of the emperor and the ceremonial life of his court (Kelly et al. 2022). Yet the daily realities of housing and organisation within these vast estates remain less visible. Evidence from sites such as the Horti Spei Veteris in Rome shows that imperial residences accommodated a diverse population of administrators, servants, artisans, and guards whose lives and work were integral to their operation (Ravasi et al., forthcoming).

By weaving the experiences of these overlooked groups into the celebrated architecture of the villa, Peopling Roman Palaces challenges traditional narratives of imperial luxury and self-representation. It demonstrates that architectural innovation at Hadrian’s Villa was as much about efficiency, organisation, and human needs as it was about splendour and power display.

This research offers a new perspective on imperial residences: not just as monuments of power, but as dynamic, inhabited environments—complex worlds where architecture, social organisation, and daily life converged.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Ministero della Cultura, Villa Adriana e Villa d'Este, Massimo Osanna (Direttore Generale Musei and Direttore, Istituto Autonomo Villa Adriana e Villa d'Este), Elisabetta Scungio (Dirigente Delegato), Sergio Del Ferro (Funzionario Archeologo, Responsabile di Villa Adriana), and Sabrina Pietrobono (Funzionario Archeologo) for granting permission for our research and for their invaluable support.

Thea Ravasi