Roma Universalis. L’impero e la dinastia venuta dall’Africa is the catalogue of the exhibition of the same name held between the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum (opening 15th November 2018), but it is also a book that retraces the history of the Severian dynasty (from 193 to 235 A.D.) without omitting any detail: from an analysis of the reforms and their impact on society, to innovation in the arts and architecture of Rome and throughout the whole empire.
The exhibition, which is explored in detail in the catalogue, bears witness to “the Roman Empire’s last period of greatness, ruled by emperors which left a strong and lasting legacy in many fields, despite the start of the inevitable decline” in the words of Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum’s Archaeological Park. Over 100 archaeological finds and pieces of art are showcased on the Colosseum’s first floor, illustrating the historical and political development and the artistic and architectural evolution that the Roman Empire underwent during their reign. The remains of the so-called Baths of Elagabalus on the Palatine Hill are open to visitors for the first time, and a series of fine marble statues and busts that were found here has been assembled in the Temple of Romulus. The itinerary on the Palatine continues through the places important to the Severian dynasty. A part of the Vicus ad Carinas in the Roman Forum is open to the public for the first time, leading to the popular “Carinae” neighbourhood located on the Esquiline Hill. Today it leads to the Templum Pacis, where visitors can admire the magnificent opus sectile cut into the floor, open for the first time after a long restoration project.