The Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis
The Mausoleum of Augustus
Near the Tiber and not far from Piazza del Popolo, the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis both date from the time of the emperor Augustus (whose real name was Octavian).
Getting there : Flaminio metro station or by bus (lines 70, 81, 87, 224, 280, 590, 628…)
Address : Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Opening hours : Exterior visit only.
Ticket prices: free
Octavian, great-nephew and adoptive son of Julius Caesar, set out to seize power after Caesar's assassination. After eliminating his opponents through civil and military wars, he obtained the titles of Imperator, Princeps Senatus (first of the Senate) and Augustus (meaning sacred). He thus became the first emperor and has remained known as Augustus.
The Mausoleum of Augustus:
After conquering power and Egypt, Augustus returned to Rome and had a monumental tomb built in the Campus Martius for himself and his family. The form of the mausoleum draws on that of Alexander the Great in Alexandria and on Etruscan architecture.
The circular monument was 85 metres in diameter and was surmounted by a mound planted with trees.
A statue of Augustus stood at the summit of the mausoleum.
Two obelisks framed the entrance of the monument but have been moved (to the Quirinal square and behind the church of Santa Maria Maggiore).
Converted into a fortress in the Middle Ages, it has come down to us badly damaged and unfortunately little enhanced.
The Mausoleum of Augustus nevertheless remains impressive and interesting to see.
The Ara Pacis
Getting there : Flaminio metro station or by bus (lines 70, 81, 87, 224, 280, 590, 628…)
Address : Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Opening hours : Open every day from 9:30 to 19:30. Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. On 24 and 31 December open from 9:30 to 14:00.
Ticket prices: €14.00 full price, free for under-6s and reduced price of €8.50 for ages 6 to 25. Audioguide €4 and videoguide €6. Supplement in the event of a temporary exhibition.
The Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) was consecrated in 9 BC in honour of the emperor Augustus, who had restored peace in the empire after the assassination of Julius Caesar, and had also completed the conquests of Gaul and Spain.
The monument itself, built on the order of the Senate, is a rectangular enclosure in white marble, adorned with bas-reliefs and pierced by two doors that give access to the sacrificial altar at the centre of the monument.
On the longer exterior walls is shown the procession celebrating the return of the victorious emperor, followed by priests and his family.
The short sides are adorned with mythological scenes. The interior bas-reliefs are simpler, imitating a palisade surmounted by garlands.
The sacrificial altar itself is also very sober, with a few bas-reliefs.
