IMPORTANT NOTICE
The maps on this document are just made
to show the approximate collocation of the ancient
monuments in relation with the modern city.
Due to an editorial consideration, this maps are designed
with an intentional approximation and with no
reproduction to scale.
COPYRIGHT
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and thei came from documents or places opened to public.
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2 THE THERMAE ERCULEE
frammenti delle terme erculee
3 THE SAN LORENZO COMPLEX
The pics show the romans colums, taken away from some other monument more antique, and posted here to build a courtyard in front of Basilica di San Lorenzo (end of IV or beg. of V century DC).
This basilica is very large (the main room is 45 m) and had an enormous cupola. This cupola collapsed during an earthquake and was rebuilt in baroque style.
THE
MAP BELOW
.......................................
-blue/black=
Modern names
..brown
=......
the earl city
-yellow
= . antiquities (I - III
Century DC)
-orange
= monuments of imperial (from Maximinian, end of III
C) and
.........
......christian period of St.Ambrose (IV Century DC).
-light
blue=some
rivers or water channels (before the wall was built)
THE WALL The area delimited
by the walls was smaller than the real town, because many houses, streets,
importants monuments and civic services (i.e. the wide amphitheatre and 1-mile
long colonnade) were outside.
All
around the wall, there was a ditch , supplied by an appropriate channel network.
The Maximinian's wall was approx. 4,5 Km long, 11 m high, and equipped with
a number of 24-sided towers and almost 8 monumental doors (see bottom).
1
THE CIRCUS The circus ( 470 x
85m, III C DC.) was on the West side.
2
THE IMPERIAL PALACE Close to
the circus, the Imperial Palaces area, with many
different buildings dedicated either to Emperor's private and pubblic life,
or his court and the imperial burocracy. Like in other cities, there was a
direct access from the Imperial palaces to the circus.
3
THE AMPHITHEATRE
Outside the wall, on the South-West area, between two roads (towards Habiate
and towards Ticinium one) there was a large amphitheater,
built on the I century DC. Meanwhile at this time Milan was not at the top
of its importance, this amphiteater was the third largest of the ancient world,
after the Colosseum in Rome and the Capua one (the Milanese one was 155 x
125 meters).
4
THE BASILICAS
The Christian area (The Bishop's
area) arose just at N-West, but inside the city, very close to centre,
approx on the same area of the actual Duomo. But around the city, at the times
of Sant'Ambrogio, a number of basilicas was built, in particular 4 basilicas
in corrispondence of the 4 cardinal points, in a sort of magic square to preserve
the city either from the devil or from the physical ennemies.
5
THE MAUSOLEUM
Outside the map and outside the wall ( because the tumulation inside the cities
was prohibited by the roman law) there was the monumental Maximinian's Mausoleum.
(West side)
6-
7 As in other main roman cities,
there were also a theatre, and a forum.
8
Right now we found the place of legendary
Thermae Erculee.
9
Outside the wall, towards Rome, there was a monumental street gifted on the
both sides with a porch and colonnade. At the ending of this steet (1 mile
long) there was an enormous 4-sided triumphal arch.
10-11
Close
to Basilica di San Lorenzo (IV or V C) probably there was a port, some water
channels and a river linking Milan with the Padum (the actual Po river)
THE DUOMO AREA
Sant'AMBROGIO
This single roman column outside the basilica was used to proclame the Germanic Emperors "king of Romans" following an curious rite: the emperor embraced this column.
Galvano
Fiamma (ab. 1300 DC) says:
Quando
il re dei Romani vuole ricevere la corona del regno italiaco nella basilica
Ambrosiana, l' Imperatore deve andare prima presso la colonna di marmo che
sorge presso la basilica Ambrosiana stessa, e uno dei conti di Angera deve
presentare all'Imperatore un messale. L'Imperatore giurerà che sarà
obbediente al Papa e alla Chiesa Romana nelle cose temporali e spirituali
... (cut) ...
Quindi l'Arcivescovo o l'Abate di S.Ambrogio deve incoronarlo con la corona
ferrea come Re d'Italia.
Cio' fatto l'Imperatore deve abbracciare quella colonna dritta di marmo per
significare che la giustizia in lui sarà diritta...
The altair is covered by an precious
A bronze made snake (probably caming from some pagan temple).
the imperial palace
4
- THE AMPHITHEATRE
THE WALL AND THE DOORS
ABOUT THE ANCIENT DOORS
The
doors on the Maximinan's wall were at list (in counterclock wise):
1 - Porta Ticinensis (South-West, towards Ticinium, now Pavia)
2 - Porta Romana (close to actual piazza Missori, towards Placentia and Rome)
3 - Porta Argentia
(close to actual piazza S.Babila, towards Bergamo, Aquileia and Eastern Countries)
4
- Porta Nova or "Erculea", so called in honour of Maximianus (North-East,
close to actual Porta Venezia)
5 - Porta Comacina (North, towards Comum and Lario lake, and passes across
the Alps),
6 - Porta
Giovia (so called in honour of Diocletianus) and Vercellina, towards Novarium
(Novara), close to actual Castello Sforzesco.
7 - Porta Vercellina (towards Novarium)
These doors are monumentals, equipped with towers, arcs, etc.
The dimension of this building were 155 x 125 m (major and minor axes). Also, 38.40 m high, the arena was 71 x 40.5m.
THE MAUSOLEO
Maximianus built also an mausoleum, for his own tumulation.
The stucture is the exactly the same of the mausoleum built in the Diocletian palace in Spalato. Around, an octogonal eclosure, and on the core, the sarcophagus (Made in Aegyptian marble, because his color is close to purpura one). This sarcophage, after some differents uses, now is the baptisthere of the Duomo of Milano.
