Rome - Altar of Peace Ara Pacis Augustae

Between the Mausoleo di Augusto and the Tiber stands the Ara Pacis Augustae, Augustus' Altar of Peace. After the troubled period of civil war and his defeat of his opponents Augustus brought peace to the Roman Empire and made possible the glories of the Augustan age. Accordingly, we are told in Res Gestae, the inscription recording Augustus' career which is reproduced on the outside of the building housing the Altar of Peace, "the Senate resolved to erect the Altar of the Augustan Peace as a votive offering on the Field of Mars". The Altar, constructed between 13 and 9 B.C., was brought to light again in the 16th and 19th centuries.

It gives consummate expression to the Imperium Romanum of Augustus, the Roman world empire with its assertion of Roman power, its religious ceremonies, its Imperial house and the institutions on which it was based. The lower part of the screen enclosing the altar, of Carrera marble, is richly decorated with reliefs of foliage ornament (acanthus, ivy, laurel, vines), with birds and reptiles interspersed among the leaves. The upper part is occupied by a sculptured frieze, running round all four sides - mythological scenes on the ends, historical scenes on the long sides. A flight of 10 steps leads up to the platform (11.62x10.60m/38x35ft), in the center of which stands the altar. The altar itself, guarded by lion-sphinxes, was decorated with reliefs (only about a third of which have survived) representing sacrificial ceremonies.