(Mausoleum of Augustus. Drawing by Etienne Du Pérac from 1575)
The heat was almost unbearable in the mid day
sun. As the sun beat down mercilessly, the two men walked through the
well—kept promenades and groves, leading to the Mausoleum, . Whilst the
younger man commented on the beautiful day, and the beauty of the gardens, Musa
grunted and mopped his head of sweat. The
heat was not helping his current state of mind.
He felt rough and tired and dreamt of the baths that would revive him,
and the cool shade of the theatre, that they would later visit, where he could
relax, and perhaps dose off, without the young man chattering next to him.
"Like what?" Asked the young man.
"Well, Augustus built this tomb when he was only in his thirties. It was one of his earliest building projects. Rather than a simple tomb, it shows how attached Augustus is to the future of Rome." He did not explain anymore aloud. Some things were better off kept quiet, especially when the Emperor was concerned. Augustus had built the Mausoleum during the war with Marcus Antonius. Octavian had managed to get hold of Antonius ' will had had made it publicly known; his rival had wanted to be buried next to his beloved Cleopatra back in Egypt. (1) The people were convinced that the previous rumours about Antonius were true. He wanted to move the city of Rome to Alexandria, and he was a traitor to Rome, forming an alliance with the enemy. If Antonius had won the war, they would have been ruled by foreigners! Musa shuddered at the thought. Augustus' building had been erected in time to show the world who the victor was, and to demonstrate the shift of power. "It was called the Mausoleum from the beginning," commented Musa, "because of its sheer size. It's the biggest in the world!" He said proudly. They both looked upwards, noting the huge cylindrical base (2) made from travertine, with ever green trees planted on the top surrounding a smaller cylindrical base, so that it looked like a tower. A statue of Augustus on a chariot could be seen placed at the very top. "His nephew Marcellus, his son in law Agrippa and Drusus the Elder are buried here. It really is a first of its kind to be built." (3)
"So this is where Augustus will finally rest. The Emperor is to stay here forever, no wonder he is so dedicated to the future of Rome!" the young man said.
"As the Emperor, everything that Augustus does is for the good of the Roman future. You can see it in the way he's always building and investing in the city. And look how he saved us from become invaded by Egypt, it was gods' will that Cleopatra lost the war to Augustus at Actium."
looking up at the Mausoleum, they felt very small indeed in comparison. The huge tomb, although did not breathe peace and tranquility as the Ara Pacis had done, radiated a sense of dignity and authority, and the closer you were to it, the more you wanted to bow your head and whisper. With a final look at the Mausoleum, which demonstrated perfectly the majestic power of Rome, Musa turned and led the way back to the city with the young man following, his eyes reluctant to tear themselves away from the tomb. .
FROM THE ARA PACIS HOME HORTI Back to the top
(2) The original appearance of the Mausoleum is disputed. Below are the pictures of popular reconstructions of the great tomb. We are unsure whether Augustus was a lone figure on the top of the Monument, or whether, he was on a chariot. It is also a possibility that the second base was not smaller that the lower one, rather, they were fitted together like a two storey building (see picture B).
A)
B)
(4) Actium
For Dio Cassius' account of the Battle of Actium click here
For Suetonius' account of the Battle of actium click here