The Domus was loaded of architectural invention, and was a more splendid palace than had ever been seen previously. However, Nero's successors attempted to bulldoze all hint of his egotism. Vespasian drained Nero's fancy lake and, in a symbolic gesture, fabricated the Colosseum in its place. This entombment of the palace preserved it; the section that has been excavated lies underneath Oppian Hill. During the Renaissance, artists lowered themselves into the demolition, climbing across the tallest point of Trajan's rubble to study the frescoed grottoes. Indeed, Raphael reproduced some of their motifs in his work on the Vatican.