Multi-Million Dollar Restoration of Roman Emperor Augustus’ Mausoleum Begins

Augustus may have initiated the era of the Pax Romana, but there has been little peace at his gravesite in the centuries following his death.

The mausoleum holding the remains of the founder and first emperor of Rome has withstood a series of rowdy events and interlopers, including a group of invaders who sacked the tomb in 410, a bullfighting ring, a cat colony, and present-day prostitutes. However, archaeologists and the city of Rome have furnished funding and plans to restore the mausoleum to its former glory.

Archaeologists have secured €2m ($2.8 million) to renovate the Mausoleo di Augusto, while the city of Rome is planning to spend €12m ($16.5 million) on a piazza for pedestrians to access the site.

About the Mausoleum of Augustus

The mausoleum of Augustus was built in 28 BC and was renowned as one of Rome’s sacred monuments. It once stood 35 meters high and featured a 4.5-meter bronze statue of Augustus at the top. Augustus was cremated on a pyre close to the site of the mausoleum. His ashes and the ashes of his successors Tiberius and Claudius were interred in the burial site, but the ashes were stolen and dumped during the Sack of Rome in 410. Following centuries of the mausoleum’s destruction, building over, and repurposing, Benito Mussolini had the building stripped to its original masonry to mark the 2000th anniversary of Augustus’ birth.

About Augustus

1. Augustus, whose birth name was Octavian, was adopted posthumously by Julius Cesar following the latter’s assassination.
2. He formed the Second Triumverate with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus to defeat Caesar’s assassins.
3. Augustus was Rome’s first emperor, and he kept the Roman Empire free from conflict for over two centuries (known as the Pax Romana).
4. Augustus famously defeated Cleopatra and Mark Antony, having his predecessor Julius Caesar’s son by Cleopatra assassinated. He later annexed Egypt to the Roman Empire.
5. Augustus famously bragged on his deathbed, “I found a Rome of bricks; I leave to you one of marble.”
6. Augustus has been depicted many times in popular culture, including Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the 1963 film Cleopatra, HBO’s Rome, Night at the Museum, and the video game Civilization.
7. Augustus had many Roman monuments built before his death, including the mausoleum in his honor. He had his deeds inscribed in marble to be placed on his tomb.
8. The eighth month of the Roman calendar is named after Augustus.

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