Mausoleum of Augustus

A funeral monument with a circular layout (87 meters in diameter and 44 meters high) begun in 27 B.C. following the models of those of Alexander the Great and the Mausoleum of the King of Caria. Octavian Augustus was buried in 14 B.C., but the structure holds many other tombs of the gens Julia. It fell into ruin in late antiquity and throughout the centuries acted as a vineyard, an amphitheatre and an auditorium. From 1936-38, it was restored to its original form. Originally, the complex was made up of a series of concentric circles; the central part contained cypresses with a bronze statue of Augustus at the center, while the entry was flanked by two obelisks.