Fundamental element of the construction system, consisting of a single block of wood or stone, placed horizontally. Its function is to unload the weight of the brickwork above, on two lateral parts of the brickwork, creating an open area. In a similar way the architrave is placed on imposts or col...

Large space running lengthways, used as a passage and connection between the various rooms overlooking it. The corridor also takes on the role of a reception antechamber in private villas such as Casale, when it is located in front of the basilica....

The legend of the cyclops had various versions, even in antiquity. Homer classified them as giant wild beings dedicated to sheep farming, and Hesiod identified them as the Titans, sons of Uranus and Gaea. The most common tradition considers the cyclops to be giants, Vulcan’s assistants in the forg...

Vertical architectural structure with a semicircular shape. It is built in the context of a wall to widen the space externally. The apse is covered by a brickwork vault, called a dome or semi-dome; in some cases the roof is made of wood with supporting beams placed like the rays of the sun....

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, over 2900 metres above sea level. The mountain is located in the northern part of Greece, between Thessaly and Macedonia. Surrounded by clouds, through which its summit appears, often covered with snow, Olympus is identified in Greek mythology as th...

The armilla is a particular bracelet, usually silver and sometimes even gold, used as a decoration for military valour and given to Roman soldiers for acts of heroism in battle. Its shape varies, flat with an inscription of the conquered merit and sometimes decorated in the shape of a snake. Later...

The nymphaeum is a characteristic construction of classical architecture, rectangular or semicircular, with an apse enriched with columns in the façade. The nymphaeum is built for scenic use, for indoor or outdoor environments, and usually contains a fountain embellished with statue groups....

The niche is a cavity or recess in the wall, usually semicircular in shape, concluded by a segmental hemisphere. It is an architectural decorative element that can contain a fountain or statue....

Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, commonly known as Maximian Herculius, because he was protected by Hercules, was originally from present-day Serbia. He was born in 250 AD and died by suicide in Marseilles in 310 AD, at the instigation of Constantine, during the period of the wars for supremacy o...

Hercules was the son of Jupiter, king of the gods who, together with other deities, lived in a palace surrounded by clouds and built on top of a mountain called Mount Olympus. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, had been seized with hatred for the child since its birth, since he was the result of her husband’...