The Roman writer Suetonius mentioned the Emperor Neros revolving dining-room, but up till now most historians believed this was a figment of his imagination. However, archaeologists digging on Romes Palatine hill have recently found traces of this very construction. The large circular base, which is believed to have supported the rotating wooden walls of the banqueting-hall, is dated to just after 64 AD when much of the city was destroyed by the fire that gave Nero his excuse to persecute the Christians. The construction is believed to be part of a larger pavilion belonging to the Emperors famous Golden House (the Domus Aurea) on the Colle Oppio hill opposite. The valley between the two hills, where the Colosseum now stands, contained a lake in Neros day.