Pyramid of Cestius

The Piramide Cestia, or Pyramid of Cestius, was a landmark in Rome. From the early 16th century, it concealed an entrance to a Lair of Romulus, the Catacombe di Roma.

History

Built between 18 and 12 BCE for Caius Cestius, a magistrate and a member of the Roman religious corporation known as Septemviri Epulonum, which was in charge of creating religious feasts for the gods and distributing bounty during parties. The pyramid was of brick-faced concrete, covered with slabs of white marble standing on a travertine foundation, measuring 100 Roman feet (29.6 m) square at the base and standing 125 Roman feet (37 m) high.

It was also built into the bulwark, forming a triangular bastion in an effort to cut costs on the snowballing wall project between 271 and 275, during the construction of the Aurelian Walls. The faces of the pyramid were far steeper than its Egyptian ancestor, due to erroneous sketches of the Egyptian pyramids, which acted as the chief reference for its construction.

Trivia

• The pyramid could be bought as a territory in Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy.

Gallery

• 
  Entrance to Catacombe di Roma
• 
  Panoramic view of the Piramide Cestia area