Mausoleum of Augustus
( mausoleo di augusto
)
This
is a tomb which Augustus had built for
himself and his family after the victorious
campaign in Egypt which ended in the
Battle of Actium.
As
recounted by Suetonius, Augustus had
visited the tomb of Alexander the Great in
Alexandria, and this was probably what inspired
him in the construction of a dynastic tomb
for the Julio-Claudian gem, immortal
symbol of his family and dynastic power,
The place chosen for the construction of
the mausoleum was the northern tip of the
Field of Mars, which was not yet a built-up area
and where there were already a few tombs of
famous men.
The monument consisted of a cylindrical drum
faced with blocks of travertine limestone, in the
centre of which was a door fronted by a short flight
of steps and flanked by two piers supporting the
bronze plaques upon which were inscribed the
resgestae, or imperial autobiography.
Nearby stood two granite obelisks which were
later reused as decoration on the Fountain
of the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux)
in Piazza del Quirinale and in Piazza
dell'Esquilino, behind S.Maria Maggiore.
Structurally, the monument consisted of a
series of rings of walls of which the
outermost, united by seven radial walls
formed a series of adjacent chambers, while the
innermost formed circular corridors.
The
long entrance passage led directly to the two
circular corridors which went around the
burial chamber, which was circular and
contained three rectangular niches.
In
the centre of the chamber, a cylindrical
pillar faced in wedge-shaped blocks
of travertine limestone formed the central
nucleus of the building. The monument is
currently at the centre of an important project to
upgrade Piazza Augusto Imperatore, which will
also involve the restoration and study of
the monument in order to increase its
appreciation.
Information and Addresses
Address Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Price € 3,00; concessions € 1,50
For
Tours information
– private guided tours – special entrances, no waiting in
line - VIP services
www.tourinrome.com
www.vaticanmuseuminformation.com
www.vaticanmuseumticket.com
