Following its conquest of Egypt, Rome became enthralled with everything Egyptian. Many artifacts from Egypt were collected and displayed throughout Rome. Others were copied and reconstructed here. One such reconstruction copy is the Pyramid of Cestius. It is located near the Porta San Paolo and next to the Protestant Cemetary (where Shelly and Keats are buried). There was a second, and much larger, pyramid, the Pyramid of Romulus, which had been placed between the Vatican and the Mausoleum of Hadrian. However, this one was dismantled by Pope Alexander VI, so that the marble could be used to construct the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. The Pyramid of Cestius was constructed between 18 BCE and 12 BCE as a tomb for Gaius Cestius. Later, it became part of the defensive Aurelian Walls, forming a triangular bastion between Via Ostiensis and another road that approximates today's Via Della Marmorata. Because of this, the Pyramid is one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome.
The Pyramid of Cestius is located near the Circus Maximus and the church that houses the Mask of Truth.
A Japanese businessman, Yuzo Yagi, spearheaded restoration of the Pyramid in 2013 raising nearly 17 million euros
RSS Feed
