(Translated by Google Translate) Mausoleum of Augustus The Emperor Augustus , after visiting the tomb of Alexander the Great in Alexandria , decided to build a magnificent tomb for himself and his family in Campo Marzio . Work on the mausoleum began in 30 B.C. on his return to Rome after the war against Antony and Cleopatra, which led to the conquest of Egypt . The Mausoleum of Augustus is the largest known tomb circular , with a diameter of about 87 meters. It was composed of a base outside, now entirely disappeared , and an internal cylindrical body , the center of which there was another cylindrical building on top of which was placed a bronze statue of Augustus. At the entrance of the mausoleum were placed two obelisks which today are found respectively in Piazza del Quirinale and Piazza Esquilino . The entrance to the mausoleum is via a short flight of steps flanked by two pillars on which were fastened the brass plates on which was engraved the autobiography of Augustus. At the end of a long corridor you come to a circular cell with three rectangular niches , where they were the tombs of the imperial family , and a large central cylindrical pillar containing a small square room , probably the tomb of Augustus. After being abandoned and looted during the Middle Ages , the mausoleum underwent numerous transformations. It was used as a fortress by the Colonna family (XII century ) , garden, amphitheater as in the eighteenth century and, finally, as a theater and concert hall at the beginning of 900 . In the years 1936-1938 , with the demolition of the surrounding neighborhood and the construction of Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the mausoleum was renovated and restored to its original state .
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:30:47 +0000
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