Included on this site are the following areas of the villa: page 1: the Pecile and the Heliocaminus Bath page 2: areas of or near the Imperial Palace, including the Building with Doric Pillars page 3: Maritime Theater page 4: Philosophers' Chamber and Greek and Roman Libraries page 5: Piazza d'Oro page 6: Building with Fishpond and Large Baths page 7: Praetorium, Small Baths and Vestibule, Nymphaeum with three Exedra page 8: the Canopus page 9: the Serapeum and the Temple of Venus | ||
Maritime Theater | ||
| This unique building consists of a circular Ionic portico, probably once barrel-vaulted, then a moat that surrounds a small circular island. Marine friezes were discovered here, thus the modern name of this structure. This was a sort of villa within the villa and provided a retreat from daily life. | 
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From the external portico, one could go to the Courtyard of the Greek library or, on the opposite side, to the Philosophers' Chamber. |
| The photograph to the right shows the cement bridge (one of two) crossing the moat; however, in Hadrian's time wooden ramps, which could be removed, were used; thus the island retreat appeared inaccessible. | 
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Several rooms have been identified on the island--bedrooms, a small bath complex, and a latrine. |
| Several researchers have also suggested that this unique structure had cosmological significance with the central island representing earth, surrounded by water--an image for the primordial ocean. With the concentric circles the building becomes an image of the cosmos--the imago mundi. See especially Henri Stieren, noted below. | ||
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