one of the famous seven hills of Rome, and, according to tradition, the site of the earliest Roman settlement. On its northwest slope was the Lupercal, the cave where Romulus (legendary founder of Rome) and his twin brother Remus were said to have been suckled by a she-wolf. Several temples and some of the finest private homes in Rome stood upon the summit of the Palatine or on its slopes. Under the Roman Empire, the hill became the site of imperial residences and the emperor Nero included the entire hill within the precincts of his aurea domus ("Golden House"), erected after the disastrous fire of a.d. 64. From a.d. 222, the Palatine Hill ceased to be the official place of residence of the emperors. —PDC Volume 4 Approved Glossary