8/13/2019 Pyramid of Cestius

1/4

Pyramid of CestiusFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Learn more about using Wikipedia for research Jump to: navigation , search The Pyramid ofCestius (in Italian ,

Piramide di CaioCestio or PiramideCestia ) is an ancient

pyramid in Rome , Italy near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Ce metery It stands in a !or" #et$een t$oancient roads, the %ia &stiensis and another road that ran $est to the Ti#er along the appo'imate line o! the modern%ia della armorata ue to its incorporation into the city*s !orti!ications, it is today one o! the #est+preservedancient #uildings in Rome

Contentshide -

. Physical attri #utes / Inscriptions 0 1istory 2 Re!erences 3 4'ternal lin"s

[edit ] Physical attributesThe pyramid $as #uilt a#out .5 6C +./ 6C as a tom# !or 7aius Cestius 4pulo , a magistrate and mem#er o! one o!the !our great religious corporations at Rome, the Septemviri Epulonum It is o! #ric"+!aced concrete covered $ith

sla#s o! $hite mar#le standing on a travertine !oundation, measuring .88 Roman !eet (// m) s9uare at the #ase andstanding ./3 Roman !eet (/ m) high .-In the interior is the #urial cham#er, a simple #arrel+vaulted rectangular cavity measuring 3 ;3 metres long, 2 .8$ide and 2 58 high

8/13/2019 Pyramid of Cestius

2/4

?nother inscription on the east !ace is o! modern origins, having #een carved on the orders o! Pope ?le'ander %II in.==0 Reading I'S )!&) !( )' +#(I'I (+C"*III , it commemorates e'cavation and restoration $or"carried out in and around the tom# #et$een .==8+=/ .-?t the time o! its construction, the Pyramid o! Cestius $ould have stood in open countryside (tom#s #eing !or#idden$ithin the city $alls) Rome gre$ enormously during the imperial period and #y the third century ? , the pyramid$ould have #een surrounded #y #uildings It originally stood in a lo$+$alled enclosure, !lan"ed #y statues, columns

and other tom#s /- T$o mar#le #ases $ere !ound ne't to the pyramid during e'cavations in the .==8s, complete$ith !ragments o! the #ronAe statues that originally had stood on their tops The #ases carried an inscription recorded #y 6artoli in an engraving o! .=; :

B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo + Piramid Cestius JP7 B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo + Piramid Cestius JP7

B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo + Piramid Cestius JP7 B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo + Piramid Cestius JP7 The

pyramid $as incorporated into the ?urelian

8/13/2019 Pyramid of Cestius

3/4

This identi!ies Cestius* heirs as arcus %alerius essala Corvinus , a !amous general> Pu#lius Rutilius Dupus, anorator $hose !ather o! the same name had #een consul in ;8 6C> and Ducius Junius Silanus, a mem#er o! thedistinguished gens Junius The heirs had set up the statues and #ases using money raised !rom the sale o! valua#lecloths ( attalici ) Cestius had stated in his $ill that the cloths $ere to #e deposited in the tom#, #ut this practice had

#een !or#idden #y a recent edict passed #y the aediles .-

[edit ] istory

B$i"iBImage:PiranesiPyramid Epg B$i"iBImage:PiranesiPyramid Epg

B$i"iBImage:PiranesiPyramid Epg B$i"iBImage:PiranesiPyramid Epg Pyramid o! Cestius #y 7iovanni 6attista Piranesi (.5th century)

B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo+%asi.. Epg B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo+%asi.. Epg

B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo+%asi.. Epg B$i"iBImage:Porta San Paolo+%asi.. Epg Pyramid o! Cestius and environs #y 7iuseppe %asi (.5th century)The sharply+pointed shape o! the pyramid is strongly reminiscent o! the pyramids o! Fu#ia , in particular o! the"ingdom o! eroG , $hich had #een attac"ed #y Rome in /0 6C The similarity suggests that Cestus had possi#lyserved in that campaign and perhaps intended the pyramid to serve as a commemoration 1is pyramid $as not theonly one in Rome> a larger one o! similar !orm #ut un"no$n origins stood #et$een the %atican and the ausoleum

o! 1adrian , #ut $as demolished in the .=th century .-Some $riters have 9uestioned $hether the Roman pyramids $ere modelled on the much less steeply pointed4gyptian pyramids e'empli!ied #y the !amous pyramids o! 7iAa 1o$ever, the relatively shallo$ 7iAa+type

pyramids $ere not e'clusively used #y the 4gyptians> steeper pyramids o! the Fu#ian type $ere !avoured #y the

http://wiki/Marcus_Valerius_Messala_Corvinushttp://wiki/Publius_Rutilius_Lupus_(consul_90_BCE)http://wiki/Publius_Rutilius_Lupus_(consul_90_BCE)http://wiki/Consulhttp://wiki/Consulhttp://wiki/Junius_(gens)http://wiki/Junius_(gens)http://wiki/Aedilehttp://w/index.php%3Ftitle=Pyramid_of_Cestius&action=edit&section=3http://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Piranesihttp://wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Piranesihttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Giuseppe_Vasihttp://wiki/Giuseppe_Vasihttp://wiki/Nubian_pyramidshttp://wiki/Mero%C3%ABhttp://wiki/Mero%C3%ABhttp://wiki/Vatican_Hillhttp://wiki/Vatican_Hillhttp://wiki/Mausoleum_of_Hadrianhttp://wiki/Mausoleum_of_Hadrianhttp://wiki/Mausoleum_of_Hadrianhttp://wiki/Egyptian_pyramidshttp://wiki/Egyptian_pyramidshttp://wiki/Gizahttp://wiki/Marcus_Valerius_Messala_Corvinushttp://wiki/Publius_Rutilius_Lupus_(consul_90_BCE)http://wiki/Consulhttp://wiki/Junius_(gens)http://wiki/Aedilehttp://w/index.php%3Ftitle=Pyramid_of_Cestius&action=edit&section=3http://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Image:PiranesiPyramid.jpghttp://wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Piranesihttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Image:Porta_San_Paolo-Vasi11.jpghttp://wiki/Giuseppe_Vasihttp://wiki/Nubian_pyramidshttp://wiki/Mero%C3%ABhttp://wiki/Vatican_Hillhttp://wiki/Mausoleum_of_Hadrianhttp://wiki/Mausoleum_of_Hadrianhttp://wiki/Egyptian_pyramidshttp://wiki/Giza

8/13/2019 Pyramid of Cestius

4/4

Ptolemaic dynasty o! 4gypt that had #een #rought to an end in the Roman con9uest o! 08 6C The pyramid $as, inany case, #uilt during a period $hen Rome $as going through a !ad !or all things 4gyptian The Circus a'imus $as adorned #y ?ugustus $ith an 4gyptian o#elis" , and pyramids $ere #uilt else$here in the Roman 4mpirearound this time> the Halicon pyramid near Fice in Hrance is suspected #y some to have #een constructed #y Romanlegionaries $ho !ollo$ed an 4gyptian cult 0-

uring the construction o! the ?urelian