 The Mausoleum of Augustus is one of the greatest monuments from Augustus's reign. On the occasion of the ongoing restoration project, we'll examine the history of this monument, what it originally looked like, its original setting, who was buried inside, and its reuse in Rome from the Middle Ages until the 20th century. Now the precise construction date for the Mausoleum of Augustus is debatable. According to Suetonius, the building was already completed by 28 BC, and definitely it was in use with its first burial of Marcellus in 23 BC. Now its dimensions were huge, roughly 150 Roman feet in diameter, that's 89 meters, and its height? Possibly up to 50 meters. Today it's only preserved to a height of 30 meters. Now its construction was consistent throughout. Rubble core of concrete, faced with opus reticulate work, little cobbilia portions of the facing are visible throughout the structure today. When you do see brickwork, that's modern. There's a lot of restoration that's taken place here. It was faced afterwards with travertine blocks and plenty of carved Carata marble. Some of the remains are visible now inside the Mausoleum when you make a visit when it's open to the public. It consists of a series of rings of concrete walls joined by buster-sing radial walls. It has a single entrance to the center, and recent studies show that at the center there then started a spiral staircase that would have ascended to the top burial chamber in a sort of tholas or round temple-like tomb, ultimately topped by a statue of Augustus. It was lined with trees that had been replanted in the Fascist era reconstruction on the site. And outside it was originally flanked by two Egyptian obelisks brought from Egypt, and they now stand one in front of Sentimentia Majorae and the other on the Quirinal Hill in front of the Palace of the President of Italy. It was also flanked at the entrance by two large bronze tablets that were the Raised Gesti, the biography of Augustus that detailed his record of his life and accomplishments, legislation, building programs, gifts to the population and more. Now the setting is in the Northern Campus Marshes and Strabo in 7 BC describes the monument, the so-called mausoleum he says, as a great mound by the river on a lofty platform topped by popular trees within a large sacred grove and promenades behind it. So this was a large structure, a defining structure in the northern part of the city of Rome in the Campus Marshes, the large flood plain, and its entrance face due south exactly 5,000 feet away from the entrance of the Agrippin Pantheon. So initially there was a grand relationship between these two structures and the idea was it was all geared toward the deification of the Emperor. In the central part of the Campus Marshes there was the Pantheon, inside the Pantheon there were many gods including Divus Julius, the DFI Julius Caesar, and in the porch of the original Pantheon there was a statue of Agrippa, the builder of the Pantheon, and Augustus. He was not yet worthy to be inside the Pantheon structure, he was not yet a god. But if you stood in the Pantheon and faced you north, there you saw an unconstructive view in the distance, the entrance of the mausoleum of Augustus, and when Augustus died in 8014 he became a god. So everyone could understand that relationship, they could understand what was going on with these two impressive building projects in the reign of Augustus. With the death of Augustus, parks surrounding the mausoleum were also inaugurated to be enjoyed by the public. So Tonius records that the eulogy of Augustus was delivered not once but twice in the Roman Forum, in front of the temple of the DFI Julius Caesar by Tiberius, and on the old rostra by Drusus, son of Tiberius. Then the body was carried on the shoulders of senators into the Campus Marshes and it was there that he was cremated. Then even an ex-predor took an oath that he had seen the form of the Emperor ascend to the heaven after their cremation and then his ashes were gathered up by the leading men of the equestrian order and they placed those remains inside the mausoleum and ultimately then you have the celebration by opening up the groves and the walks that surrounded the mausoleum now open and accessible to the public. There were other monuments in the Campus Marshes that were created in the reign of Augustus including the nearby Arapakis and the large sundial the Horologium. Now was there a model for the mausoleum? By the name alone, mausoleum, Augustus was attempting to rival an ancient wonder of the world the mausoleum of Hala Cronassus and you have a description by Strabo that talked about a large mound on a high base covered with trees and so we can think of the Tumuli tombs of the Etruscans, the Heroine tombs honoring city founders. We can even think of the original appearance of the tomb of Alexander in Alexandria as a potential model but we still have lots of questions on the original appearance of the mausoleum of Augustus. Now who was buried inside? It's a who's who of the Julio-Claudians. We'll also talk about who's not buried inside. So let's take a look at who were the famous people interred in the mausoleum of Augustus. The first burial is of Marcus Claudius Marcellus son of Octavia, sister of Augustus. He's buried there in 23 BC and the theater of Marcellus is named after him. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippo who was the right hand man of Augustus. He died in 12 BC and was placed inside. Nero Claudius Brusus son of Livia husband of Aventonia Minor and the father of Claudius died in 9 BC and was placed inside followed by Octavia Minor Octavia the Younger the sister of Augustus in 11 BC then in quick succession we have the sons of Agrippa that is the grandsons of Augustus and his heirs that were unfortunately ill-fated. Lucius Ingaeus Caesar died in AD 2 and AD 4. Augustus himself died in AD 14. Drusus Julius Caesar son of Tiberius died in AD 23. The wife of Augustus Livia died in AD 29 and the successor of Augustus Tiberius his stepson died in 37. Germanicus whose sons included Caligula was buried here in AD 19. Julia Livila daughter of Germanicus sister of Caligula died in AD 41. Caligula himself died and was buried here in AD 41 even though he was brutally assassinated on the Palatine hill but previously in AD 37 he brought the ashes of his mother Agrippina the elder and brothers Nero and Drusus who had died in exile accused of heinous crimes and treason of Agrippina died in AD 33. Drusus died in AD 33. Nero died in AD 31. Julia Drusilla daughter of Caligula died in AD 41. Antonia the Younger mother of Claudius died in AD 37. Claudius the Emperor died in AD 54 possibly poisoned by his wife Agrippina. Britannicus son of Claudius died in AD 55 probably poisoned by Agrippina and Nero. Popeia the wife of Nero died in AD 65 and Nero had her embalmed after her state funeral she was given divine honors and was placed in the mausoleum of Augustus. Finally Nerva is the last emperor to be placed inside the mausoleum he died in 98 and we're told by Cassius Dio that Julia Domna who died in 217 was first placed in the mausoleum of Augustus and then transferred to the mausoleum of Hadrian. So why do you stop the burials in the mausoleum of Augustus? Well it seems that eventually it becomes too full and the sequel is modeled after the mausoleum of Augustus and it is the mausoleum of Hadrian of the Antonine period that fulfills the same role for subsequent centuries. Now we can also ask who's famously missing? Well Nero who committed suicide in 68. He's buried on the Pinchot Hill and his tomb was visible in antiquity so this is a family mausoleum of the Dmitri Ahinobardwe family. You have two famous Julius banned by Augustus in his will that's his daughter Julia the Elder who died in 8014 accused of treason despite the fact that she's the mother of his two heirs Lucius and Gaius and then you have Julia the Younger the daughter of Agrippa and Julia the Elder also exiled for conspiracy exile for having an affair. She dies in AD 29. What happens to the mausoleum in its later life? In 962 we're told that there's the church of the holy angels placed on top of the mount probably where that Tholos tomb was originally located in the 12th century it's the Kelowna palace of fortification but then they're driven out by 1241 then it was heavily quarried in 1471 it became a new quarter for this Kelowna family in 1512 the Soderini family set up gardens inside but by 1780 it was bought by the Marquis Correa and it's known as the Correa amphitheater used for bullfights and hunts by 1810 it's a theater and also a place for circus events in 1883 it's covered with a glass dome and finally it's known as the auditorium augustale from 1907 until the excavations commence in 1935 in the fascist era when the remains of the mausoleum are revealed. Look at the skyline today there's the dome of the hadronic pantheon right in line with the mausoleum of augustus it is an impressive job site because the restoration work is taking place still today funded by the Tim foundation inside and out you can see that the arrangement of the material is ready to accommodate the public public is more than ready to come and explore this site but it's not open on a daily basis just yet and there's going to be a magnificent piazza out on the front you can see the construction lots of progress and pretty soon it's going to be open to the public if you want to take a tour right now the mausoleum of augustus go over to youtube.com slash darius aria to take an exclusive walk thanks for watching