Mausoleum of Maxentius explained

Mausoleum of Maxentius
Location:Regio IX Circus Flaminius
Built:28 BC
Builder:Augustus
Type:Mausoleum
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The Mausoleum of Maxentius was part of a large complex on the Appian Way in Rome that included a palace and a chariot racing circus, constructed by the Emperor Maxentius. The large circular tomb was built by Maxentius in the early 4th century, probably with himself in mind and as a family tomb. When his young son Valerius Romulus died, he was buried there. After extensive renovation the mausoleum was reopened to the public in 2014.

History

Maxentius may have decided to build the mausoleum on the Appian Way because, according to Roman custom, all bodies had to be buried outside the city. The complex is very close to several catacombs. The mausoleum is believed to have been a two-story, cylindrical rotunda with a diameter of around 35 metres, but only its semi-underground floor survives. There is a central octagonal pillar with a diameter of more than nine meters and this is circled by a seven-meter-wide, vaulted corridor with open niches for the sarcophagi.[1] There is no trace of floor or wall decoration, suggesting that the building was never completed.[2]

An 18th century home largely obscures the mausoleum from the Appian Way and stands where a columnar porch once framed the tomb's principal entrance.[3] This was originally a farmhouse and was later converted into a home by the Torlonia family, who owned it until it was taken over by the Fascist government in 1943.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mausoleum of Romulus reopens after 20 years. The History Blog. 9 June 2014 . 11 June 2015.
  2. Book: Claridge. Amanda. Rome. 2010. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0-19-954683-1. 2nd.
  3. Web site: Wheeler. Ginny. Channeling the Past and Structuring the Future:The Versatile Architectural Vocabulary of Maxentius' Villa on the Via Appia. 11 June 2015.