The map above shows a large island in the rectangular pond. This was the dining area (or triclinium). Twenty-two brick columns supported a pergola which shaded the diners who reclined on three couches as they looked into the grotto.
At the ending of the dining area, opposite the grotto, there are four fishtanks. Many Roman fishponds have this characteristic. These tanks allowed pond owners to have collections of fish which would eat each other if kept in one large pond.
The tanks at the end of the dining area have amphorae set into their walls; this was not unusual. Many archeologists think that the these amphorae were intended for eels to hide in. Eels are very predatory and cannot be kept with other fish. We should probably picture eels in the tanks, while schools of fish swim freely in the surrounding pond.
The grotto of Tiberius is a natural cave which was converted into an ornamental grotto. Within the cave was a circular pool which was 21.2 meters in diameter. The map shows how the rectangular fishpond and the circular pond were connected. The reconstruction below shows the sculptures which ornamented the interior of the grotto. I wrote about these sculptures in my article Gardens of Nudes - Part Three.
The irregular pond shown on the map is known as the "small grotto"; this is separated from the large pond by a large rock which has been shaped to represent the prow of a ship (this is marked by the letter "D" on the map). The villa of Tiberius is on the hillside above the small grotto.
The photo below shows the ruins of the villa of Tiberius. The grotto is in the cliff on the left and you can see part of the rectangular fishpond. There is an ancient path which modern visitors still take from the villa's peristyle down to the fishpond. The villa has a peristyle and I assume that this was planted as a garden, but I also see the fishpond and grotto as a garden. The rectangular fishpond with its island and fishtanks reminds me of the Villa Lante's water parterre. A number of ancient fishponds feature fishtanks arranged in geometric patterns, so I expect that the ancient Romans understood the visual concept of water parterres, I just don't know what words they used to describe them.
For years I have been curious about the saltwater fishponds of ancient Rome, so I was thrilled to discover James Higgenbotham's book Pisicinae, copyright. 1997, published by the University of North Carolina Press. This book explains how Roman fishponds were constructed and how they functioned. I really appreciated the way that Professor Higgenbotham placed these fishponds in their social context. There is a chapter devoted to the various fish which the ancient Romans kept in their ponds. Over 150 pages are devoted to detailed descriptions of archeological sites in Italy where Roman fishponds have been found and there are many maps and photographs. This book is excellent. I strongly recommend it.
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