Temple of Claudius

The eastern wall was transformed into a grand nymphaeum, or elaborate fountain, to embellish the view from Nero's new palace, the Domus Aurea, on the adjacent Oppian Hill.

Archaeological excavations confirm that the water cascaded from the top of the nymphaeum down into 4 basins, which in turn fed into the huge pool in the valley now occupied by the Colosseum, which was in the time of Nero the centrepiece of the gardens belonging to the Domus Aurea.

This branch, known as the Arcus Neroniani, accessed the Claudia at Porta Maggiore and ran 2 kilometers west to the southern side of the Caelian Hill, where it terminated at a structure called the Aqueductium.

The temple stood on a great rectangular platform (180 x 200 meters), supported by powerful retaining walls of 15 metres or more, that are still partly visible.

[9] A marble capital from the Temple of Claudius was reused in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri when it was constructed in the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian in the 1560s.

The statue of Agrippina shows her with her head covered and wearing a crown, possibly depicting her in the role of priestess to the cult of her deceased husband.

[2] There are also two marble thrones found close to the site of the Claudium, now in the Glyptothek in Munich, which are presumed to have decorated the temple, possibly as honorific seats for the established Roman gods to 'visit' the deified Claudius in his sacred space.