 Panorama of the ruins of the Regia | |
   Regia Shown within Rome | |
| Location | Regio VIIIForum Romanum |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′31″N12°29′11″E / 41.89194°N 12.48639°E /41.89194; 12.48639 |
| Type | Ancient Type of Domus |
| History | |
| Builder | Unknown builder |
| Founded | Archaic through Imperial periods |
TheRegia ("Royal house")[1] was a two-part structure inAncient Rome lying along theVia Sacra at the edge of theRoman Forum that originally served as the residence or one of the main headquarters ofkings of Rome and later as the office of thepontifex maximus, the highest religious official of Rome.[2] It occupied a triangular patch of terrain between theTemple of Vesta, the Temple ofDivus Julius and Temple ofAntoninus andFaustina. Only the foundations of Republican/Imperial Regia remain. Like the Curia it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, as far back as the Roman monarchy. Studies have found multiple layers of similar buildings with more regular features, prompting the theory that this "Republican Regia" was to have a different use.[further explanation needed]
According to ancient tradition it was built by the second king of Rome,Numa Pompilius, as a royal palace.[3] Indeed, the Latin termregia can be translated asroyal residence. It is said that he also built theTemple of Vesta andthe House of the Vestal Virgins as well as theDomus Publica. This created a central area for political and religious life in the city and Kingdom. WhenCaesar becamePontifex Maximus, he exercised his duties from the Regia.
The archives of the pontifices were kept here, the formulas of all kinds of prayers, vows, sacrifices, etc., the state calendar of sacred days, theAnnales — the record of events of each year for public reference — and the laws relating to marriage, death, wills, etc.
The Regia was the place of assembly of theCollege of Pontiffs and at times of theFratres Arvales. It was burned and restored in 148 BC[4] and again in 36 BC, eight years after the death of Julius Caesar, when the restoration was carried out in marble byGnaeus Domitius Calvinus, on the regal foundation.
The rebuilt structure (which seems to have been transformed into a private residential building sometime during the 7th or 8th centuries) had an irregularly formed enclosed courtyard that was paved intuff with a wooden portico. The interior was divided into three rooms with entrance from the courtyard into the middle room.
The West Room was the shrine ofMars,sacrarium Martis, in which theancilia (shields) of Mars were stored. Here, too, stood thelances that were consecrated to Mars, thehastae Martiae. According to legend reported byAulus Gellius, if the lances started vibrating something terrible would happen.[5] According to Cassius Dio (XLIV.17.2), they are said to have vibrated on the night of 14 March 44 BC when, in spite of the vibrating lances, Caesar,Pontifex Maximus at the time, left the Regia to attend a meeting of theSenate, where he was assassinated.[6]
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The East Room contained a sanctuary ofOpsConsiva, so sacred that only the pontifex maximus and theVestal Virgins were allowed to enter it.
The site of the Regia has been investigated via archaeological excavation for some time, although a comprehensive publication of the site is still forthcoming. The site was first cleared between 1872 and 1875.[4] In 1876 F. Dutert discussed the site in his volume on the Forum Romanum,[7] and, subsequently, Nichols identified the site as being the Regia in 1886.[4] The site was explored again byHülsen in 1889. The Italian archaeologistGiacomo Boni[8] conducted excavations at the site in 1899. The American archaeologistFrank Brown dug at the site in the 1930s and again in the 1960s.[4] The architectural terracottas from the Brown excavations were published in 1995.[9]
