Pyramid of Cestius: No, it's not in Egypt, it's the untold wonder of Rome...

Happy Friday folks,

You’ve heard of the Great Pyramid of Giza and its Necropolis, but what if I told you that Rome had its own pyramid: the Pyramid of Cestius?

The first question that comes to mind is: Why?

First of all, it was built as a tomb for the famous, ancient magistrate, Gaius Cestius, 12 BC.

And second, Rome was going through an era that was obsessed with all things Egypt—obelisks, pyramids, and even temples. But how did two ancient civilizations manage to become so interconnected?

Well, the story starts 2071 years ago, with Julius Caesar’s conquest of the Nile...

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By the 1st century BC, Egypt had captivated the Roman imagination.

The Battle of the Nile in 47 BC, where Julius Caesar triumphed and entangled himself with Cleopatra, symbolized Rome’s growing obsession with Egyptian culture. Following the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, in 30 BC, Roman floodgates had opened to a wealth of Egyptian culture, artifacts, and ideas.

Romans adopted obelisks and sphinxes; to put it in today’s terms, they became the new viral trend. Egyptian religion found a foothold in Rome too, and this exchange of ideas laid the groundwork for one of Rome’s most unusual marvels.

But it begs the question: why a pyramid?

Well, we don’t know for certain, but the answer might lie somewhere in the Roman fascination with Egyptian funerary architecture. In other words, that’s because the Pyramids of Giza, already ancient in the Roman imagination, symbolized eternity and the divine.

To the Romans, who had witnessed the splendor of Alexandria, the mystique of the Nile, and now Giza, Egypt was a land of wonders. After all, the Pyramids of Giza were much more ancient to the Romans than the Romans are to us.

(The pyramids were the works of the Old Kingdom, sometime around 2500 BC.)

At 37 meters high, it was built of brick-faced concrete and clad in white Carrara marble, and the whole design was rather interesting—Egyptian on the outside and Roman on the inside…

The pyramid served as Cestius’ tomb, a display of wealth and power inspired by Egypt’s grandeur.

The interior of the pyramid holds a small burial chamber, about 23 square meters, which was originally decorated with frescoes. We can’t see them (as clearly) today, but we think that they reflected a Roman interpretation of Egyptian motifs, perhaps matching those that they found in ancient tombs over there.

No traces of Cestius’ remains or grave goods were found when the tomb was opened, likely plundered in antiquity.

But did you notice something rather peculiar?

Notice how the sides of pyramids are much more slanted compared to those that you would find at Giza…

That’s because this design of the Pyramid of Cestius, with its steeply pointed structure, bears a striking resemblance to the pyramids of Meroë, in ancient Nubia.

Rome had engaged in military campaigns in Nubia around 23 BC, and it's plausible that Cestius, possibly involved in these campaigns, chose this design instead to commemorate Rome's presence in the region.

While many Roman monuments fell victim to time and repurposing, the Pyramid of Cestius held up quite well. Its survival owes much to its incorporation into Rome’s Aurelian Walls in the 3rd century AD. Emperor Aurelian, seeking to fortify the city against barbarian invasions, integrated the pyramid into his defensive circuit, effectively keeping it protected for centuries.

Among the most fascinating imports from Egypt were obelisks. In fact, Rome has the most in the world: 8 out of its 13 were originally built for Pharaohs and Kings, including the famed, Ramases II.

These ancient monuments, originally erected by pharaohs to honor the sun god Ra, were transported across the Mediterranean (on a ship powered by 300 oarsmen) and then re-erected in Rome. Keep in mind that some weighed hundreds of tons…

In Rome, obelisks were often placed in public spaces. For instance, the Flaminian Obelisk, originally from Heliopolis, was brought to Rome by Augustus and placed in the Circus Maximus.

These obelisks were deeply symbolic. The hieroglyphs inscribed on their surfaces often proclaimed the divine authority of the pharaohs who commissioned them. In Rome, however, these inscriptions took on new interpretations to reflect the grandeur of the emperors who transported and displayed them.

Centuries later, the Renaissance sparked a renewed interest in ancient Rome, and especially the Pyramid of Cestius. It happened to catch the attention of Pope Alexander VII, in 1660, when he ordered excavations to be carried out: he found two bronze statues.

It didn’t stop there…the pyramid inspired a wave of fascination with Egypt, influencing architects and artists across Europe.

And that’s the untold story of the Pyramid of Cestius.

When you first think of Rome, you don’t think of the Pyramids, and when you first think of Pyramids, you don’t think of Rome. But maybe this small wonder may have changed your mind…

Rome has wonders. Some old, some new. Yet, all are timeless.

Until Next Time,

World Scholar