Welcome to this massive pyramid known as the Pyramid of Cestius.
It has a long history and is today one of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome.
The pyramid was built on request by Gaius Cestius Epulo; a rich magistrate, praetor
and a member of one of the four great religious corporations at Rome.
It is believed to have been built around year 15 BC as an extraordinary tomb.
One might think it is strange to find an old pyramid in the center of Rome and in a sense
-- it is.
However, after the Roman conquest of Egypt in year 30 BC, Rome was going through a fad
for all things Egyptian.
Several obelisks were taken from Egypt and placed at Circuses and Forums all around Rome.
There was also another pyramid raised in Rome, the pyramid of Romulus, which was demolished
in the 16th century.
Despite the Egyptian craze and in contrast to popular belief, this pyramid is not based
upon the famous pyramids in Giza.
If you think about it, the Giza pyramids are all much shallower than this rather steep
pyramid.
No, the Pyramid of Cestius is instead believed to have been based upon the more pointy Nubian
pyramids.
One Nubian kingdom was attacked shortly before the construction of this pyramid, which suggests
that Gaius Cestius possibly served in that campaign and became inspired.
Historians suggest the purpose of the tomb's pyramid-shape was to serve as a commemoration
to the Roman victories in Africa.
The pyramid stands an impressive 37 meters high and almost 30 meters wide.
It was built using concrete and brick on a travertine foundation and covered with marble
blocks.
Today, the pyramid is located in the city but during the time of its construction, it
stood in open countryside.
During this period, large tombs were not allowed within the city walls.
However, Rome grew at a rapid and by the 3rd century, the pyramid had been surrounded by
buildings and thus becoming a part of the city.
The pyramid was even incorporated into the city wall during the construction of the Aurelian
Walls towards the end of the 3rd century.
The inclusion of the pyramid into the wall is the main reason why it is so well preserved.
This made it hard to demolish without also destroying the Aurelian Wall.
If you take a close look at the pyramid, you will see that two of the sides have inscriptions
which dedicate the pyramid to Cestius.
It reads; "Gaius Cestius Epulo, son of Lucius, praetor,
tribune of the plebs, septemvir epulonum "-- with the latter referring to his religious group.
Below, you can see a smaller inscription stating: "The work was completed, in accordance with
the will, in 330 days, by the decision of the heir Pontus Mela, son of Publius of the
Claudia and Pothus, freedman"
There is also an additional inscription on the east side, added in the 17th century.
This inscription commemorates the excavation and restoration work carried during the time
on orders of Pope Alexander the 7th.
The tomb of Gaius Cestius was located inside the pyramid within a small burial chamber.
The chamber was rediscovered in year 1660, during the pope's restoration.
They discovered that the small room was decorated with several detailed wall paintings - so
called frescoes.
They were however in bad condition and only parts of them remain today.
These paintings are some of the first examples in Rome of the so called Third Style Roman
painting.
They found no traces of any other contents in the tomb, as it most likely had been plundered
in the past.
During the excavations, they also found traces of several columns and statues outside the
pyramid -- remains which today can be found at Musei Capitolini.
Inscriptions on the bases of the statues imply that the burial chamber, despite its small
size, served as a family tomb for several members of Cestius's family.
The pyramid has been much admired by architects throughout history and it became the primary
model for pyramids built in the West during the 18th and 19th century.
Today, it is the only ancient roman pyramid standing in Rome, making it a truly unique
sight.