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Hannah Barnes
CLA3793
Dr. Nichols
7/29/24
Piazza Navona and the Stadium of Domitian
Piazza Navona, the well-known public square in Rome, was not always such a modest,
everyday structure. The original structure that the Piazza Navona now sits on top of was the
Stadium of Domitian, hence the oval shape of the piazza. Commissioned by Emperor Titus
Flavius Domitianus, who was also known as Domitian, in 80 AD, the Stadium served as Rome’s
first permanent stadium for athletics and games. The Greek name, in agones, translates to “the
place or site of the competitions”. This name was given to the Stadium because of its Greek-style
layout as well as the fact that its construction was inspired by Greek athletics. The Stadium
would be used for a variety of sports during its use, and it was even at one point used to hold
gladiator shows. Although the Stadium of Domitian is no longer standing above ground, its
legacy stands as a testament to Rome’s dedication to athleticism and yet another example of their
adoration for Greek architecture, which has now lent space for its predecessors to make the
largest square in Rome.
The Stadium of Domitian was commissioned by the emperor at the time, Domitian, in 80
AD and was inaugurated and opened in 86 AD. Domitian ordered the Stadium to be built not
only because he loved Greek style athletics, including discus and javelin throwing, but also
because he planned to celebrate the Capitoline Games, a set of competitions inspired by the
Greek Olympic games. Technically a re-institution of the Capitoline Games established in 387
BC by Camillus, these games were to be played in honor of Jupiter Optimus Maximus or Jupiter
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Capitolini.” (Abdale) In the establishment of these games, and subsequently the creation of the
Stadium, Domitian wanted “to raise awareness and involve the Romans in practicing more
athletics, sport par excellence, and non-violent sports in the Greek way.” (Turismo Roma) The
Capitoline Games as designed by Domitian were to be held every four-five years and included
competitions for athletes from different parts of the world or Roman empire, as well as
challenges for musicians and poets. The artistic part of the competitions was held in the Odeon, a
Roman theater, right near the Stadium (Abdale).
The different sports played in the Stadium of Domitian during the Capitoline Games
consisted of discus and javelin throwing, running, wrestling, boxing, pankration — a fight where
anything goes aside from biting and scratching — and more (Turismo Roma). These games were
typically played naked, though it is believed that athletes would at least wear a laurel palm and
crown (Bennett). In exchange for their bravery and show of athleticism, the top athletes would be
awarded with tokens, tax privileges, and even Roman citizenship.
Although it was used for athletic competitions for most of the time, the Stadium was
briefly used to host gladiator shows after the 217 AD fire in the Colosseum presumably halted
activity for several years (Platner and Ashby). In addition, the Stadium’s arcades “were occupied
by brothels” (Platner and Ashby). According to Christian legend, Saint Agnes was killed in one
of these brothels and thereafter a church, Sant ’Agnese in Agone, was built in her honor.
The Stadium in its original state would have had a semi-circular shape with one round
end and one flat end. It seated between 20,000-30,000 people and its support frames consisted of
brick and concrete. The front of the Stadium was made up of a series of arcades surrounded by
either Ionic or Corinthian half-columns and was built inside a travertine apparatus (Bernard and
Rossetto). In addition, the Stadium was named in agones after its Greek layout. In fact, the Greek
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architectural influences can be found in the layout as well as the size of the structure. “The
building of vast dimensions (275 x 106 m) consists of three ambulacres and a series of rooms,
parallel to each other on the long sides and radiating in the hemicycle.'' The size of the Stadium
itself took inspiration from the one used in Greece for their Olympic competitions, which further
demonstrates Domitian’s intentions to raise awareness about Greek sports and cultural aspects.
As the Roman Empire fell, in about 476 AD, the Stadium too fell into disuse
(Milwaukee). Toward the end of the 15th century, however, the area where the Stadium of
Domitian had stood was declared a public space, and thus the Piazza Navona was created.
During the early-mid 17th century, also known as the Baroque period, Pope Innocent X
commissioned artist and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to build the Fountain of the Four Rivers
(1651), which, similar to the Stadium of Domitian, was built using travertine (ArcheoRoma). In
addition to this request, Bernini brought in materials/artifacts from the Circus Maxentius, most
notably the Obelisk of Domitian, which inadvertently ensured Domitian’s legacy in the space
would shine through even in an unexpected way (Chaney).
Architect Francesco Borromini, along with Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi, was asked to
oversee the construction of the Church of Sant ‘Agnese in Agone in 1653, which further
contributed to the revitalization of the Piazza. This church was created in honor of the alleged
martyr St. Agnes who is believed to have been killed in the former Stadium. In addition, from the
17th century to the late 19th century, the piazza was flooded on the weekends in August to
celebrate the Pamphili papal family.
Other fountains in the Piazza Navona include the Fountain of the Moor and the Fountain
of Neptune, both of which were present before Bernini added the structure in 1651 (Finestre
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Sull’Art). Today, the square is a tourist attraction and at Christmastime, is used to host the
Befana market.
Understandably, not all tourists to Rome and the well-known Piazza Navona are aware of
the significance of the structure that lies below it, which is not surprising considering that the
original Stadium of Domitian is now hidden about 15 feet below street level (Turismo Roma).
However, the importance of the Stadium and the Capitoline Games that were played in it still
inform us about that era of Rome, both politically and socially. One could posit that Domitian’s
fervor for these games could have been a form of propaganda. By bringing in Greek influence,
even showing up to the games held at the Stadium in “half-boots, clad in a purple toga in the
Greek fashion”, Domitian would contribute to the growing Greek cultural tie-ins that were
increasingly starting to seep into Roman culture and lifestyle (Alexander). Moreover, Domitian
made it a regular practice for gifts to be distributed to commoners during the competitions
(Turismo Roma). Perhaps Domitian using the Stadium’s design and competition style as vessels
to spread Greek culture was his way of not only setting a precedent for more of that to come but
also his way of asserting power. Just by virtue of his position as emperor, he was able to
incorporate elements of Greek culture wherever he pleased. All in all, the Stadium of Domitian
and its successor, Piazza Navona, epitomize the variety in which Roman architecture and artistry
took form in, while similarly reflecting the state leaders of their respective eras.
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What the Stadium of Domitian would’ve looked like in its day
Stadium of Domitian vs. Piazza Navona
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Works Cited
Abdale, Jason R. “October 15 – the Ludi Capitolini: The Capitoline Games of Ancient Rome.”
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS, 20 Apr. 2022,
dinosaursandbarbarians.com/2020/10/05/october-15-the-ludi-capitolini-the-capitolinegames-of-ancient-rome/.
“All the History of Piazza Navona, the Most Roman of Rome’s Squares.” Finestre Sull’Arte,
www.finestresullarte.info/en/works-and-artists/all-the-history-of-piazza-navona-themost-roman-of-rome-s-squares. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Alexander, Radu. “Domitian - Power-Hungry Madman or Victim of Ancient Propaganda? Biographies by Biographics.” Biographics, 20 Sept. 2023, biographics.org/domitianpower-hungry-madman-or-victim-of-ancient-propaganda/.
Bernard, Jean-François, and Paola Ciancio Rossetto. “Le Stade de Domitien: Situation
topographique, étude Architecturale et réflexions concernant la localisation de l’église
Sainte-Agnès.” Mélanges de l’École Française de Rome - Moyen Âge, no. 126–1, 3 Apr.
2014, https://doi.org/10.4000/mefrm.1862.
Bennett, Martin. “Rome: Piazza Navona’s Underground Stadium.” Wanted in Rome,
17 Jan. 2020, www.wantedinrome.com/news/rome-piazza-navonas-undergroundstadium.html
Chaney, Edward. “Roma Britannica And The Cultural Memory Of Egypt: Lord Arundel And
The Obelisk Of Domitian.” Roma Britannica and the Cultural Memory of Egypt: Lord
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Arundel and the Obelisk of Domitian, British School at Rome, London, 2011, pp. 147–
170.
“The Roman Empire: A Brief History.” Milwaukee Public Museum, www.mpm.edu/researchcollections/anthropology/anthropology-collections-research/mediterranean-oillamps/roman-empire-briefhistory#:~:text=The%20western%20empire%20suffered%20several,Empire%20came%2
0to%20an%20end. Accessed 30 July 2024.
“Piazza Navona. the Most Famous Baroque Masterpiece in Rome.” ArcheoRoma,
www.archeoroma.org/sites/piazza-navona/. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Platner, Samuel Ball, and Thomas Ashby. “Stadium Domitiani.” A Topographical Dictionary of
Ancient Rome, Oxford University Press, London, 1929, pp. 495–496,
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rom
e/_Texts/PLATOP*/Stadium_Domitiani.html.
Turismo Roma. “The Stadium of Domitian Archaeological Area.” Turismo Roma, 1 Mar. 2024,
www.turismoroma.it/en/places/stadium-domitian-archaeological-area.