Domitian's Palace (the Domus Augustana) in Rome (A.D. 81-92). The palace consisted of three main blocks: at the left the official palace including
the state rooms; in the centre the Emperor's private residence; at the right the so-called Stadium, a sunken garden in the form of a hippodrome. The
detailed planning shows a new facility in the integration of curvilinear and rectilinear shapes.
Domitian's conviction of his own divine status is further emphasized by one of the reliefs from the Papal Chancellery, where he sets out for war in
the exclusive company of deities. There can be no doubt that this relief was carved in the Emperor's lifetime, as his head was later reshaped with the
features of his successor Nerva. No earlier relief indisputably shows a living Emperor in such divine company; but the almost contemporary relief
from the Arch of Titus, erected by Domitian in his brother's memory, is an equally frank glorification of the Emperor, showing him accompanied by
Rome and other personifications rather than by ordinary mortals. From now on this elaborate allegorical shorthand became a fully fledged part of
the grand tradition of historical relief sculpture, and by the time of Trajan a generation later the conventions are fully established, without hubristic
overtones.
Relief Of Domitian's Departure From Rome (profectio). Between A.D. 81 and 96. The Emperor is seen off on a military campaign by an assortment
of deities and personifications, including Mars, Minerva (or the Goddess Roma), Virtus (Courage), the Roman Senate, and the Genius (Spirit) of the
Roman People. The mixing of historical event and allegory is typical of Roman state relief.