Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace)

Rome. 13–9 BCE. View of west side. Marble, approx. 34'5" × 38' (10.5 × 11.6 m).

The Ara Pacis Augustae
The Ara Pacis Augustae commemorated Augustus's triumphal return to Rome after establishing rule in Gaul.
It consists of a walled rectangular enclosure surrounding an open-air altar made entirely of marble panels carved with elaborate sculpture.

The monument presented powerful propaganda, uniting portraiture and allegory, religion and politics, the private and the public.
Once the monument had been unearthed, Mussolini had it reconstructed and commissioned a special building to house it, close to the Mausoleum of Augustus.