Probably everyone who has visited Rome at least once wondered where the ancient Egyptian pyramid came from here, absurdly built into the Aurelian wall on the east side of Porta San Paolo - the ancient gate that preceded the entrance to the city. Such an atypical building for Rome is a monumental tomb, erected in 12 AD. BC. according to the will of Kai Cestius - one of the prominent ancient Roman politicians. Named after his name, the Cestius pyramid has always attracted special attention and is often depicted in engravings and paintings by many medieval artists, symbolizing the Eternal City. A witness to the military battles and numerous sieges of Rome, this monument nevertheless escaped destruction and became an integral part of the cityscape.
After the conquest of Egypt by Octavian in 31g. BC, it became another province of the Empire. Many Romans were fascinated by some aspects of ancient Egyptian culture, an obvious indication of which is the number of obelisks that were brought to Rome.
Following the newfangled trends, one of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa's close associates, Caius Cestius, wished in his will to have a pyramidal-shaped tomb as his future tomb, in contrast to the semicircular burials traditionally erected for centuries for eminent persons. The noble Roman was one of the members of the Collegio Sacerdotale, a group of priests who organized and conducted the annual sacred festivities to commemorate the opening of the Temple of Jupiter at the top of the Capitol Hill. Obviously, such a high position occupied by him in society, and economic viability gave the right to such a non-traditional arrangement of his resting place. Roman law prohibited burials inside the pomeria, the sacred border of the city, so the burials were placed along the roads. The Pyramid of Cestius was erected at the most honorable place - at the fork of two ancient consular routes. One of them led to the Tiber (modern Via della Marmorata), and the second connected the city with the sea and coastal Ostia (modern via Ostience). Unlike the Egyptian pyramids of Giza, the huge mausoleum, about 37 meters high, was made of concrete, faced with slabs of white Carrara marble. By the will of the deceased, the construction was ordered to be completed within 330 days, otherwise the heirs risked losing all the wealth of the rich priest. This fact is evidenced by the inscription carved on one of the faces of the tombstone.a huge mausoleum with a height of about 37 meters, made of concrete, faced with slabs of white Carrara marble. By the will of the deceased, the construction was ordered to be completed within 330 days, otherwise the heirs risked losing all the wealth of the rich priest. This fact is evidenced by the inscription carved on one of the faces of the tombstone.a huge mausoleum with a height of about 37 meters, made of concrete, faced with slabs of white Carrara marble. By the will of the deceased, the construction was ordered to be completed within 330 days, otherwise the heirs risked losing all the wealth of the rich priest. This fact is evidenced by the inscription carved on one of the faces of the tombstone.
In 271-275. AD, during the construction of a new city wall by the emperor Aurelian, the pyramid of Cestius was included in the general structure of the fortification being erected and was used as one of the observation towers. At the same time, about four meters of its base was covered with soil.
From the records of Francesco Petrarca, who visited Rome in 1337, it is known that for centuries the pyramid of Cestius, despite the clearly visible carved monogram, was mistaken for the tomb of Remus - one of the legendary brothers fed by a she-wolf, and was called Meta Remi. Perhaps this saved the ancient structure from destruction, shrouded in an aura of sacredness and veneration. The myth was debunked only in the middle of the 17th century. In 1656, Pope Alexander VII Chigi, who wanted to get to the burial room of the pyramid, made the first excavations here. At the same time, on both sides of the walled entrance, the remains of two small marble columns were found with bronze statues of the deceased mounted on them. From the inscriptions engraved on their plinth, the identity of Cestius was reliably established. As it turned out,he was the brother of another eminent resident of Rome - Lucius Cestius, who designed and built the Cestius bridge across the Tiber, which is still active and one of the oldest in the Eternal City.
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But the pyramid's biggest surprises were hidden inside - the burial room was completely empty. The small room, contrasting with the enormous size of the monument, was decorated only with modest colored frescoes depicting female figures, captured in the performance of various ritual actions.
The Maltese archaeologist and specialist in the history of the ancient church, Antonio Bosio (1575-1629), who carried out the first studies of the Cestius pyramid, suggested that such structures in Rome were collective monuments for wealthy clergymen belonging to the Epulonian order. His theory is still dominant in explaining the appearance of the pyramids in the Eternal City.