The short curved northern side is constituted
with a mixtilineal architecture; among the spaces of the
intercolumni there are statues symbolizing Atena, Ares,
Hermes,
dated back to the Severa age, and two wounded Amazons,
reproducing those of Fidia and Policleto, made for the
temple of Artemis at Efeso (also in this case you can
see the chalk copies, instead the original statues are
in the said museum).
Serapeo
We don't know instead the exact locations, along the border
of the swimming pool, of two statues, Nile's and Tevere's
personifications; elements characterizing them are a Sfinge
and the Lupa with the twins.
Then there is another statue,
of uncertain location: a crocodile, of onion marble to reproduce
the variegated skin of this animal in whose jaws was located
a lead tube from which the water gushed. In the south the
channel finishes with a rectangular swimming pool, behind
which an exedra, with concave and plans gores in alternation,
surmount by a dome opens. In the center of this exedra there
is a corridor with barrel vault, on the bottom of which gushed
a cascade, destined to feed the channel.
In the exedra's circular niches there were statues, while in the rectangular niches there were cascade fountains; the bed used for the banquets was at the center of the exedra and it was constituded by a seat with an arched plan; a big coenatio, therefore, that was destined to the summery dinners, because of the cool created by the presence of many jets of water and cascades. The nymphaeum to exedra is called Serapeo from the temple of Serapide situated in the city of Canopo. The digs gave back a great amount of statues, currently conserved in the Antiquarium of the Canopo, gained in the '700 in ancient places and recently restored and furnished again.
