Tomb of Caesar Augustus (Built 28 B.C.)

The victor in the Roman Civil Wars was Octavian, the nephew of Julius Caesar. Octavian won through careful, meticulous planning. In fact, Octavian could be said to have been a monster of planning. There is no evidence that he had plotted out his life by age 12, but it certainly seemed that way to his contemporaries. One of his favorite sayings was: festina lente, “make haste slowly.” Aided by his BFF Agrippa, Octavian slowly, methodically, wrapped himself around his enemies—much like a python— and squeezed the life out of them. Then he proclaimed himself Emperor, took a new name (Augustus), and ushered in an era of peace and prosperity.

After achieving his major ambitions in life, Augustus had two more goals. First, he wanted to be loved. Free food and peace for all (Romans) took care of that.  His last goal was a little trickier. He wanted to become one of the immortal Gods.  As a first step, he made sure that his uncle Julius got his own temple. A few bribes to the Roman Priesthood, and Julius got his god-head ratified. Next, Augustus encouraged the common people to sacrifice to his personal genius--or guardian spirit--within his own lifetime. All took notice that, during Augustus’ funeral, when his body was cremated, an eagle flew out of the pyre and soared towards heaven. This was considered a sure sign of divinity. We can be sure that somewhere in the written funeral plans were instructions to obtain an eagle.

         This is the tomb that Augustus built for himself and his family. He started it 35 years before he eventually died. I TOLD you he liked to plan ahead! It is now a popular spot for Romans to take their dogs walking. As the Latin expression says, Sic Transit Gloria, which roughly translates as something like: “Yesterday you were a big shot, and today, dogs piss on your grave.” Something for all of us to ponder.

The Pantheon (built 118 A.D.)

The reason this is such a stereotypical picture is that this is the only spot from which one can get a decent shot of this famous landmark. The best preserved of all ancient temples, the Pantheon was dedicated to all (pan) gods (theon). The inscription on the façade translates: “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three times consul, made this.” Herein lies a tale.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was Caesar Augustus’ BFF. They grew up together, went to school together, fought in a murderous civil war against Antony and Cleopatra together, and formed the Imperial Roman Empire together. Marcus assisted Augustus in creating the office of Emperor and ably helped to administer the state. They were so close that eventually Marcus married Augustus’ daughter Julia. Now that is a close friendship! One of Augustus’ proudest boasts was that he found Rome a city of brick, and left it a city of marble. In other words, he liked to build. Marcus got on board with the program and, after winning the Battle of Actium, he took his share of the spoils and built the Pantheon in 27 B.C.

I can just hear you. Wait, you say! At the top of the page it says 118 A.D! How can this be? What’s the answer?  How long do you think buildings last without maintenance? They wear out, get run-down, and need expansion. The Emperor Hadrian also liked to build things. There’s still a wall separating Scotland and England that bears his name.  The Romans had a lot of good ideas that have

stood the test of time. Keeping the Scots and the English apart is one great example. Anyway, Hadrian decided to rebuild and expand Agrippa’s Pantheon, but—modest guy that he was—he kept the original inscription and gave credit to the long-dead Marcus Agrippa. What a guy!  Not all these Roman Emperors were egotists.

       So, Hadrian liked to dabble in architecture.  It’s unclear to this day who actually designed this building: the Emperor, or his architect Apollodorus of Damascus. This building is so magnificent that there’s plenty of credit to go around. The dome is 142 feet across. It has been the model of all subsequent domed buildings since. Michelangelo and Brunelleschi both came here to study this structure before attempting domes of their own.  It’s made of tapering concrete, with ornamental coffers that also serve to lighten the structure. A hole in the roof (the oculus) provides interior lighting.

Given that Hadrian was a liberal (a Democrat), he thought that the beliefs of all the inhabitants of the Empire should be respected. As part of this recognition, he expanded this temple to honor every manifestation of the divine. In 609 A.D. Pope Boniface IV put his own spin on religious toleration. He tore out all the pagan stuff, made it into a church, and named it Santa Maria ad Martyrs—Mary and all the martyrs of the Christian faith. It did serve the useful purpose of preserving the building for future generations. Even the floor—a lovely marble design—is basically as it was when the temple was new.

Since the 1870’s, it has been a museum and a tomb. Raphael is buried here, and there are shrines to various Italian heroes. I’ve tried to put this off as long as I could, but here goes. There is another person buried in the Pantheon. You probably knew this was coming didn’t you? That worthless, so-

and-so, King Victor Emmanuel II also has his tomb here. I’m telling you, this guy must have sold his soul to the freakin’ devil! So now he gets to rest for all eternity (or what passes for it), in one of the most beautiful, best preserved, architectural marvels on earth, in one of the best-loved cities on the planet.  I wish I knew that guy’s secret. The old saw is right.  It really is better to be lucky than to be good. A sobering thought. Ok, I promise, this is the last time I mention that wildly successful, lucky boob.