Meta Romuli
The Meta Romuli was a tomb pyramid built in the Egyptian style in ancient Rome . It was located between the Nero Circus and the mausoleum of Hadrian (today's Castel Sant'Angelo ), near the Vatican Hill . Its builder is unknown.
The pyramid
In terms of its construction, the Meta Romuli was very similar to the Cestius pyramid that still exists today , but according to descriptions it was somewhat larger than the latter. It cannot be said whether it is older or younger than the Cestius pyramid. Blocks of marble were used as building material, some of which were already removed in the 10th century and used in the previous building of today 's St. Peter's Basilica . In 1499, most of the pyramid was demolished when Pope Alexander VI. had a new, wider street built. The last remains of the pyramid had to give way to a new building for the church of Santa Maria in Traspontina in 1564 .
Surname
The first part of the name Meta was given to the building, as its shape was reminiscent of the turning marks ( metae ) in Roman circuses . Romuli is the genitive of Romulus and stems from the fact that the building was believed to be the tomb of the legendary Roman city founder in the Middle Ages. At the same time, the Cestius pyramid was also believed to be the grave of his brother Remus and was therefore given the name Meta Remi .
Another name for the pyramid is Meta des Borgo , after the district in which it was located. During the Renaissance it was also mistakenly called Sepulcrum Scipionis , as it was mistaken for the tomb of Scipio Africanus .
See also
literature
- Carla Alfano: Pyramids in Rome. In: Göttinger Miscellen . Vol. 121, 1991, ISSN 0344-385X , pp. 7-17.
Web links
- Samuel Ball Platner, Thomas Ashby: A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome
- Model photos of Roman tombs
- Meta Romuli at Virtual Roma
Coordinates: 41 ° 54 ′ 10.2 ″ N , 12 ° 27 ′ 44 ″ E