Augustus and the Mausoleum: Rome's Great Tomb

When Augustus built his tomb in 28 BC, he wasn't just planning his own burial—he was making a political statement. The Mausoleum of Augustus on the Campus Martius was a colossal drum of concrete and marble, designed to outshine the pyramids of Egypt and the tombs of Hellenistic kings. Inside, it held the ashes of Augustus himself, along with family members like Marcellus, Agrippa, and Germanicus, whose deaths became public dramas. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the mausoleum's construction, its design echoes of Etruscan and Eastern tombs, the famous funerals and eulogies (laudationes) held there, and how the building was later used by emperors from Tiberius to Nerva. They also unravel the mystery of the twin obelisks and the bronze inscription of the Res Gestae that once flanked the entrance. The tomb's later history is just as surprising: it became a fortress, a garden, a bullring, a concert hall, and now a monument, recently restored. A single thread connects it all: Augustus wanted to anchor his dynasty in stone, and he succeeded beyond measure. #MausoleumOfAugustus #Augustus #RomanHistory #CampusMartius #RomanFuneral #ResGestae #AncientRome #ImperialCult #RomanArchitecture #Princeps #JulioClaudianDynasty #RomanEmperors #Archaeology #RomanArt #Tomb #History #FexingoHistory #AncientHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo