The Most Powerful and Notorious Address on Earth - Domus Augustana Part 1

by Liisa Eyerly

by1 #1 AI image  #2 https://romeitaly.ca/images/domusaugustana.jpg

Today, the Domus Augustana is one of the most impressive ruins on the Palatine Hill, but only a fraction of the palace remains standing. Perched atop Rome's famous hill, the private residence of the emperors was one of the most powerful addresses in the ancient world. In 96 A.D. when my Secrets of Ephesus murder series takes place, Domus Augustana was the Heart of an Empire, and the palace would have looked vastly different than today. The first image reimagines what it could have looked like two thousand years ago.

 The first image reimagines what it could have looked like two thousand years ago.

• White marble columns lining the peristyles
• Pools reflecting sunlight
• Cypress trees, roses, box hedges, and topiary
• Colorful frescoes covering walls
• Bronze and marble statues
• Water flowing through fountains and channels

From the Palatine Hill, emperors ruled with seemingly unlimited power; adopting the title of Principate instead of emperor or king, to enforce the illusion that they were not dictators. During the period from Augustus in 27 BC through the reign of Marcus Aurelius in AD 180—the emperor, supported by alliances within the army, the Senate, and the Praetorian Guard, was essentially untouchable. There was no legal impeachment, voting him out, or forcing him from office. 

If an emperor became egotistical, unstable, cruel, or simply unfit to rule, Rome had only two practical remedies: a military coup or assassination. As a result, the imperial throne was both the most powerful seat in the world and one of the most dangerous. Assassination of Julius Caesar By Vincenzo Camuccini - Own work, user:Rlbberlin, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145037989

The palace Domus Augustana was the perfect setting for murder. Thirty-seven emperors are documented as having been murdered—not including Nero, who died by suicide after the military turned against him. The palace’s vaulted chambers, stairways, and multi-level terraces descended the hillside, while subterranean rooms and passageways used by servants, guards, and maintenance workers still survive today. It offered countless hiding places for an assassin, escape routes for a guilty servant, or opportunities for a Praetorian bodyguard to abandon his post.
 

1. Nero's suicide, 2. Caligula assassinated, 3. Claudius poisoned, 4. Galba assassinated, 5. Domitian assassinated. As fascinating as the palace itself is, its most enduring legacy may be the assassination that occurred within its walls—an event that launches Powers of Death, the third book in the Secrets of Ephesus series.

Galba CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Domitian I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Claudius Naples National Archaeological Museum, CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons
Caligula Sergey Sosnovskiy from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Nero Glyptothek, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Step into the shadowy streets of 96 AD Ephesus, where danger lurks around every corner, and the line between friend and foe is razor-thin. Fortunes of Death, plunges you into a world where faith is tested, alliances are shattered, and one woman's courage could be the difference between life and death.

Sabina, a fierce young Christian widow, is thrust into a deadly game when a wealthy citizen is murdered. With her friend’s life hanging in the balance, Sabina must unravel a web of lies, deceit, and hidden motives. Every clue she uncovers brings her closer to the truth—and closer to becoming the next victim.

This isn't just a murder mystery. It's a gripping tale of faith, resilience, and the power of one woman standing against the darkness.

Visit me at https://liisaeyerly.com/ on my Author Facebook page

or purchase my books at:

Fortunes of Death

Obedient Unto Death

My Amazon book page 

Mystery, murder, and mayhem aren’t your typical Christian themes—but why should secular authors have all the fun solving crimes in ancient Rome? My love of history, scripture, and whodunits led me to blend faith with intrigue, bringing the world of the early Christians to life. Writing from my home in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I also draw inspiration from my travels to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, where I’ve walked the same streets my characters once did. Through historical mysteries, I explore a time when faith was a matter of life and death—literally.

How a Nineteenth-Century School House Became an Icon

By Donna Wichelman

Have you ever observed a house or building in the town where you live and instinctively could identify the period in which it was built? Historians and history aficionados know that they can place the era of a building by it's architecture. This principal of architecture applies to every era across the millennia, and it particularly pertains to school houses built in the United States during the nineteenth century. 

According to the Georgetown Trust for Conservation and Preservation, the brick building known as the Georgetown School built in 1874 and operated as a school until 1938—is considered “the iconic structure in the Georgetown Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District.” Reputed to be the oldest brick building in Colorado, its historical significance can’t be overstated, especially its contribution to the greater story of Colorado’s mining boom of the nineteenth century.

Georgetown School, Georgetown, Colorado: Donna's Gallery 2018

The school house’s architecture was both modern for its time and classic in its design. Similar school houses can be found across America with their Italianate elements. Features include low pitched or flat roofs, overhanging, double-bracketed eaves, emphasis on a vertical structure, tall narrow windows, a boxy symmetry, campaniles—an Italian bell tower--and decorative ornamentation. In every way, the Georgetown School fits the classic design that also includes carved keystones on both round and flattened arches and pilasters that marked the structure’s corners and flanks the central entry bay, which lies under a large gable dormer in the truncated hipped roof.

Italianate structures began to appear throughout the United States in the 1840s, reaching their zenith in the 1850s and began to disappear in the 1880s. Their architecture, especially in school design, mimicked Italian farmhouses and villas and were characterized by vertical and decorative detailing. They were normally two to three stories high, though more elaborate houses and government buildings could be four to five stories.

The hallmark of Italianate architecture can be identified by tall, narrow windows. Many have a crown that is typically in the shape of an inverted “U”. Other window crowns frame the entire window and often have some amount of ornamentation. At times, the crowns may be flat rather than round, but rectangular windows will normally be topped with ornamented pediments.

Cook-Rutledge Mansion in Chippawa Falls Wisconsin
ID 21935463 | Italianate Architecture © Joe Ferrer | Dreamstime.com

Albert Buildings on Queen Victoria Street in London EC4

ID 195238286 | Italianate Architecture © Nicoleta Raluca Tudor | Dreamstime.com

LaFox School, LaFox, Illinois in Kane County, 1871
C/O Dreamstime.com

During the Italianate period, the interior of the schools would have a series of cellular classrooms. Multi-story schools displayed symmetrical stairways or central open stairways with atriums. Another component was the assembly hall in which students would gather for morning announcements or special events.

Once again, the Georgetown School displayed iconic structure of this period. A student would enter through a set of double doors into a small vestibule, then ascend a short flight of stairs to the first floor central hallway. Tall four-paneled doors lined the corridor, each with a transom at the stop. Straight ahead she would view a symmetrical stairway of wood plank stairs leading to an an atrium and the second floor where she would find classrooms and a large assembly hall.

Entrance Vestibule, Georgetown School

Tall Door with Transom

Atrium from the Second Floor

The building was sold to a machine shop but fell into disrepair in the latter part of the twentieth century. In 2007, Georgetown Trust applied for grants to restore the building to its original glory. Eight years later, Georgetown saw its dream come true through generous grants, individual donations, and the Colorado State Historical Fund.

Today, the building operates as the Georgetown Heritage Center, serving the community in many ways, including housing the local history archive. If you happen into the Heritage Center on any given day, you might find Ms. Christine Bradley, local historian and author of The Rise of the Silver Queen doing more research and adding her contribution to the museum. She’s always happy to answer any questions you have about Georgetown, Clear Creek County, and Colorado’s rich mining history. 

For more information, go to www.georgetowntrust.org/heritage-center.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released in December 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.