Mausoleum (round tomb)

History What it was

Roman law forbade burials inside the city, so tombs were built outside the walls, often lining the main roads. Travelers on the Via Appia passed mile after mile of tombs, from simple markers to huge monuments. Wealthy families built impressive tombs so that their names would be seen and remembered.

A mausoleum is a large, grand tomb. The word comes from the tomb of Mausolus, a ruler in what is now Turkey, which was so famous that its name became the general word.

History Round tombs

Some of the grandest Roman tombs were round drums of stone, sometimes topped with earth and trees. The emperor Augustus built a vast round mausoleum for himself and his family in Rome, begun in 28 BC. On the Via Appia, the round Tomb of Caecilia Metella still stands, built for a woman from a noble family in the late 1st century BC.

The emperor Hadrian built an even larger round mausoleum beside the river Tiber. Later it was turned into a fortress and then a castle for the popes, and today it is known as Castel Sant'Angelo.

History Remembering the dead

Romans believed it was important to keep the memory of the dead alive. Families visited tombs on special days, bringing food, flowers and offerings, and held a festival for the dead each February.

Think about it

1. Why might Romans build tombs along busy roads?
2. How do people remember those who have died today?
3. Why do you think a tomb became a castle?

Key words

Mausoleum

A large, grand tomb.

Necropolis

A "city of the dead", a large cemetery.

Epitaph

Words written on a tomb.