Ara Pacis

They have housed this archaeological puzzle in a very nice building. Not a must see but impressive it's own singular way. The Romans were certainly fascinating and busy people!

In 13BC the Roman Senate had the Ara Pacis Augustae erected on the Field of Mars in honor of the Emperor Augustus who had returned victorious from battles in Gaul and Spain insuring peace in the Roman Empire. Augustus fulfilled the prediction made in the Roman epic: The Aeneid to "bring back the golden years to the field of Latium." Anchises predicted that Augustus would "govern the peoples of the world" and Virgil wrote "…it is a god who gave us this peace – for a god he shall ever be to me." Over the years the altar was buried by floods and silt from the River Tiber and it was Mussolini who instructed Giuseppe Moretti to reconstruct and restore the masterpiece. Today a protective building houses the restored altar.
The square, four sided altar is decorated with mythological figures and historical scenes of peace and prosperity which were intended to remind people of the ruler's achievements, competence and the importance of piety and peace. The stone reliefs on the structure depict women and children symbolizing Augustus' pro-family stance; processions show men in togas which represent Roman citizenship and one of the processions is led by Augustus himself. Romulus, Remus and the she-wolf are also depicted. An allegorical scene shows the Goddess Roma sitting on a pile of foreign armor representing the peace Augustus brought following war.

Article:
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