Varro's Aviary

While the building itself is long gone, Varro's very detailed description of the aviary is preserved in his book de Re Rustica.

[5] The focal point of the design was a small island, surrounded by a circular pond with ducks, intended for dining.

[2] The dining area (triclinium) was covered with a dome made of wood, and equipped with a revolving table, so that the food can be "moved around to all the guests".

[1] The aviary housed birds "of every kind", but primarily the songbirds, including nightingales and blackbirds.

[6] At the time of Varro the idea of keeping birds for pleasure (Latin: delectationis causa), not just for profit, was novel in the Ancient Rome.