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First ever grotto found under Palatine Hill
• Italian archaelogists claim to have found original Lupercale cave
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By
Mayzee Krakatoa, Grotto Fanatic
Wednesday,
21 November, 2007
My favourite "folly" buildings are the artificial grottoes, decorated with shells, which were “reinvented” during the Renaissance in Italy in the 16th century, as copies of the grottoes of ancient Rome.
Now comes startling news that the original Lupercale cave, built by Romulus, under his palace on the Palatine hill in Rome, may have been found by archaelogists.
A remote control camera lowered into the cave, over 50 feet below the hill, revealed a crypt shaped ceiling decorated with shells and marble with a she wolf relief ("lupa") in the centre. Now archaelogists are searching for the original entrance.
There are early reports that the grotto, together with Nero’s famous frescoes, maybe open to the public next spring. Given the speed of Roman excavations I’ll believe that when I see it but whenever it does open I will be one of the first in line for a viewing.
How Exciting - I can’t wait.
UPDATE 18 February 2008
“Palatine Cave not Romulus grotto” says Professor Filippo Coarelli
A grotto recently discovered under Emperor Augustus’s house is not the legendary cave where a she-wolf suckled Rome’s twin founders, according to one of the world’s leading authorities on Roman topography.
In a long article in Rome daily La Repubblica on Friday, Perugia Professor of Roman Antiquity Filippo Coarelli claimed there was not ”a shred of evidence” that the grotto was the so-called Lupercal where Romans worshipped the cult of Romulus, Remus and the she-wolf (’lupa’ in Latin).
He said the site under Rome’s Palatine Hill was most likely a nymphaeum - a monument dedicated to water nymphs - or a fountain belonging to a patrician house built ”in the first few decades of the imperial era”.
On November 20, to great media clamour, Calandrini said his team had found a 9m-high, 7.5m-wide, part-natural, part-artificial cave with a ceiling decorated with shells, mosaics and marble of various colours.
Here is a press report about the original find written by Ariel David of the Associated Press Agency:
20th November 2007
"Archaeologists on Tuesday unveiled an underground grotto believed to have been revered by ancient Romans as the place where a wolf nursed the city’s legendary founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus.
"Decorated with seashells and colored marble, the vaulted sanctuary is buried 52 feet inside the Palatine hill, the palatial center of power in imperial Rome, the archaeologists said at a news conference.
"In the past two years, experts have been probing the space with endoscopes and laser scanners, fearing that the fragile grotto, already partially caved-in, would not survive a full-scale dig, said Giorgio Croci, an engineer who worked on the site.
"The archaeologists are convinced that they have found the place of worship where Romans believed a she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of the god of war Mars who were abandoned in a basket and left adrift on the Tiber.
"Thanks to the wolf, a symbol of Rome to this day, the twins survived, and Romulus founded the city, becoming its first king after killing Remus in a power struggle.
"Ancient texts say the grotto known as the “Lupercale”_ from “lupa,” Latin for she-wolf — was near the palace of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, who was said to have restored it, and was decorated with a white eagle.
"That symbol of the Roman Empire was found atop the sanctuary’s vault, which lies just below the ruins of the palace built by Augustus, said Irene Iacopi, the archaeologist in charge of the Palatine and the nearby Roman Forum.
"Augustus, who ruled from the late 1st century B.C. to his death in the year 14, was keen on being close to the places of Rome’s mythical foundation and used the city’s religious traditions to bolster his hold on power, Iacopi said.
“The Lupercale must have had an important role in Augustus’ policies,” she said. “He saw himself as a new Romulus.”
"Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology at Rome’s La Sapienza University and an expert on the Palatine, said the grotto is almost certainly the “Lupercale.”
“The chances that it’s not are minimal,” said Carandini, who did not take part in the dig. “It’s one of the greatest discoveries ever made.”
"Most of the sanctuary is filled with earth, but laser scans allowed experts to estimate that the circular structure has a height of 26 feet and a diameter of 24 feet, Croci said.
"Archaeologists at the news conference were divided on how to gain access to the “Lupercale.”
"Iacopi said a new dig would start soon to find the grotto’s original entrance at the bottom of the hill. Carandini suggested enlarging the hole at the top through which probes have been lowered so far, saying that burrowing at the base of the hill could disturb the foundations of other ruins.
"The Palatine is honeycombed with palaces and other ancient monuments, from the 8th-century B.C. remains of Rome’s first fledgling huts to a medieval fortress and Renaissance villas. But the remains are fragile and plagued by collapses, leaving more than half of the hill, including Augustus’ palace, closed to the public.
"Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said the first area to benefit from an extensive, $17.5 million restoration of the hills’ ruins will be Augustus’ palace, scheduled to reopen in February after being closed for decades.
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