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Monument

ARA PACIS This religious monument was erected in 13-9 B.C. to celebrate the peace established in the Roman empire by Augustus. Originally it was located on the site of present Palazzo Fiano. The altar was partly excavated beneath the palace in 1568 and in the 19th century, and its fragments went to different collections and museums of Europe. The basement and last pieces of Ara Pacis were extracted in 1937-1938 thanks to a new technique of ground freezing, which permitted to excavate under a palace without bringing any damage to it. The altar was recomposed of numerous pieces close to Mausoleum of Augustus. For this aim the area  was cleaned from houses. A big relief belonging to the monument and located in Vatican Museums was granted by Pius XII for the reconstruction of the altar. It was surrounded by a glass container and unveiled on September 23, 1938. The monument itself consists of marble enclosure decorated with the finest sculptures, which covers the altar. The enclosure is circa 10m x 11m, and it is composed of a simple base, two horizontal bands with leaves, on which are swans with outstretched wings, and a frieze with the figures. Its height is 4,80 meters. The sculptured panels represent a procession of the members of the imperial family with Augustus at the head of it, State officials, and priests. Close to the south entrance were represented the Magna Mater and Dea Roma with the other divinities. On the sides of the north entrance are scenes illustrating origins of Rome: Lupercalia and Aeneas sacrificing the white sow. The altar is an exact reconstruction of all recovered fragments.