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Overview
The Meta Romuli (Latin for the “Pyramid of Romulus”, also named the Piramide vaticana or Piramide di Borgo in Italian) was a pyramid built in ancient Rome that was important for historical, religious and architectural reasons. It stood in today's Borgo district of Rome, between Old Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and the Mausoleum of Hadrian, and by the 16th century it was almost completely demolished.
It was a monumental burial of the Roman age, and the man who could afford to build it was presumably a prominent figure of the Roman state, but his name remains unknown.
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Where it sits in time
The site's dated range, placed against world reference points.
The scale is logarithmic: each step to the left is about ten times older than the last.
Article
Meta Romuli
Directly to the south stood another large mausoleum, the so-called Therebintus Neronis, which had a circular plan and the shape of a giant tumulus tomb.
SettingSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
The Meta Romuli stood on the right bank of the Tiber, near the intersection of two Roman roads, the Via Cornelia and the Via Triumphalis, in an area outside the pomerium, the religious boundary around Rome. This area, named Ager Vaticanus, hosted numerous cemeteries, such as the nearby Vatican Necropolis, and its proximity to the Campus Martius made it an ideal area for the monumental tombs of the Roman upper class. Directly to the south stood another large mausoleum, the so-called Therebintus Neronis, which had a circular plan and the shape of a giant tumulus tomb.
DescriptionSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
The pyramidal shape for sepulchral monuments was popular during the Augustan period, in the context of cultural influences from Egypt. The Vatican pyramid dated presumably to the same age or to the first imperial age, and according to evidence it was larger than the pyramid of Cestius. According to accounts of the 15th century it had a square plan with sides 25 metres (82 ft) long and was between 32 and 50 meters high. The Mirabilia Urbis Romae, a 12th-century guide of the city, says that the monument was sided with wonderful stone, and that Pope Donus (r. 676–8) dismantled its siding to pave the quadriporticus and the stairs of Saint Peter's church.
The construction was very robust. Michele Ferno, an eyewitness of the demolition, could visit the burial chamber, which was reachable through a long tunnel; its walls had four niches to keep the ashes of the dead, and with a side of 7 m and a height of 10.5 m it was almost as big as that of the Mausoleum of Hadrian.
HistorySources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
The Meta survived the changes brought by the construction of Old Saint Peter's Basilica and became an important element of Rome's topography. The cella was used for centuries as a granary by the Chapter of Saint Peter, which owned it from the 13th century until its destruction. At the beginning of the 15th century the pyramid's pinnacle was demolished, and soldiers of the nearby castle were garrisoned on the resulting platform.
Pope Alexander VI ordered its demolition on 26 November 1498 to open the new Via Alessandrina, later known as Borgo Nuovo, a road connecting the Vatican area with the bridge over the Tiber. Because of the difficulty of the undertaking, the pope granted a plenary indulgence to the men willing to help. The demolition took place between April and 24 December 1499, and the concrete of the building was so hard that it had to be broken with a trip hammer. It was not complete, however, since Raphael, who arrived in Rome in 1509, wrote in a letter to Pope Leo X in 1519 that he could still see remains of the monument. In 1511 Pope Julius II claimed ownership of the monument, and in several documents of the 16th century until 1568 the Meta was cited as the end of the Palio race.
NameSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
The first mention of the Meta is in a comment to Horace by the Pseudo-Acron, a writer of the 5th century AD, who mentions that the ashes of Scipio Africanus were taken from a pyramid in the Vatican; for this reason the monument was also called the “Sepulcher of the Scipions”. The name Meta Romuli instead came from a popular belief that linked it with the pyramid of Cestius, then called Meta Remi, and identified the two with the tombs of Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome. It was traditionally believed that the site of the martyrdom of Saint Peter lay near the Meta, and for centuries the pyramid was shown in depictions of that martyrdom and in many representations of the city in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
ArchaeologySources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
In 1948–49, during works for the first block of the north side of Via della Conciliazione, a northwest–southeast-oriented foundation of concrete conglomeration made of tufa quarry waste came to light, surrounded by a large pavement of travertine slabs. These remains fully confirm the description of the Meta in the Mirabilia and those given by eyewitnesses. The foundations lie under the first north block of Via della Conciliazione, which now includes the Auditorium della Conciliazione and the Palazzo Pio.
Tradition and region
About this kind of monument
Other prehistoric stone monuments
The Atlas uses the heading "other" for stone monuments that fit none of its other types, and the same article serves for underground chambers that have no regional article. The records are varied. Many are ziggurats, Egyptian temples and pyramids, and Maya and Andean sites, which are treated in their own articles. What remains is a scatter of single sites in many countries whose descriptions do not allow a closer classification.
Several of these are underground. A hypogeum is literally an "underground" temple or tomb, often with niches for cremated remains or loculi for buried remains. An early example is found at the Minoan Bronze Age site of Knossos on Crete, a beehive-shaped vault cut into soft rock. The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni in Paola, Malta, is the oldest example of a prehistoric hypogeum, with its earliest phase dated to 3600 to 3300 BCE. It is a complex of underground chambers, halls and passages covering about 500 square metres on three levels, partly carved to imitate temple architecture and containing extensive prehistoric art.
A rock-cut tomb is cut into an existing rock formation, usually a cliff or sloping rock face, and was a common burial form for the wealthy in several parts of the world. Famous clusters are in Egypt, Iran, Lycia in Turkey, Petra in Jordan and Sicily. Phrygian rock-cut tombs such as the Midas monument date to about 700 BCE, and Etruscan ones to about 500 BCE.
The general rule for these records is that the type tells you how a monument was made, not who made it or when. Dating is taken from the source for each site where a source gives one, and otherwise left as a broad range.
When visiting, read the site's own description first, since the Atlas can offer only a general frame.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia: Megalith, Wikipedia: Hypogeum, Wikipedia: Rock-cut tomb, Wikipedia: Stele · CC BY-SA 4.0
From the article
Dated moments in the story
- 676 CE
676–8) dismantled its siding to pave the quadriporticus and the stairs of Saint Peter's church.
Source - 1498
Despite its importance for the city and for the church, Pope Alexander VI ordered its demolition on 26 November 1498 for the opening of the new Via Alessandrina (later known as Borgo Nuovo), a road which connected the Vatican area with the bridge crossing the Tiber.
Source - 1499
On 24 December 1499, the pope blocked all the old roads between Saint Peter and the Tiber, forcing the people to use the new thoroughfare; however, the demolition of the pyramid was not complete, since Raphael, who arrived in Rome in 1509, in a letter to Pope Leo X written in 1519 about the antiquities of the city,...
Source - 1499
Ferno writes also that during its demolition, which took place between April and 24 December 1499, the concrete of the building was so hard that it had to be demolished with a trip hammer; the bangs which resulted were so loud like those produced by beating a mountain of iron.
Source - 1948
In 1948–49, during the works for the construction of the first block of the north side of Via della Conciliazione, it came to light a northwest–southeast-oriented foundation of concrete conglomeration made by tufa quarry waste, surrounded by a large pavement made with travertine slabs.
Source
Photographs
2 photographs, each with its author and licence
More photographs
Lore
Evidence & Lore
What the sources actually support — and, kept apart, what has been claimed.
What the evidence supports
Dates
Est. 4000 BCE–600 CEHow this date was established: Type comparisonTypological estimate, not a date for this site: a other in Italy is normally dated between 4000 BCE and 600 CE (Atlas typological table).Source for this date
Measured facts
- Mainstream position
- The source describes the Meta Romuli as a Roman monumental burial in the Ager Vaticanus, but does not identify its builder or establish the legendary associations.Source: Mainstream position
- Location
- Right bank of the Tiber, near the Via Cornelia and Via TriumphalisSource: Location
- Function
- Monumental burialSource: Function
- Builder
- UnknownSource: Builder
- Later use
- Granary owned by the Chapter of Saint PeterSource: Later use
- Demolition order
- 26 November 1498Source: Demolition order
- Location of temple
- Temple of Romulus in the Roman ForumSource: Location of temple
Alternative claims
Alternative claims about this site, kept in their own block and labelled with where they stand.
The pyramid was linked to the tombs of Romulus and Remus and was regarded as the tomb of the founder of Rome.
The site of Saint Peter’s martyrdom was located between the Meta Romuli and the pyramid of Cestius.
Where it stands
Italy
The pin marks the monument itself — its exact point.
- Coordinates
- 41°54′10″ N, 12°27′49″ EFor a GPS or map app: 41.90266, 12.46360
Access is as our sources describe it; we have not visited the site to check.
Nearby
The closest sites in the Atlas, by straight line.
Milliarium Aureum
Lapis Niger
Colossus of Constantine312–315 CE
Colossus of Nero64–68 CEPhoto: Gallery: Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-23): CC-BY-4.0 · CC BY 4.0
Hypogeum of via Livenza
Pyramid of Cestius- Megalithic mound (tumulus with integral stones)Vigna Cavalieri tomb
- Hypogeum (rock-cut)Hypogeum of the Aurelii
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Sources
Every record behind this page, with the link it came from.
2 sources behind this page
- 01Wikidata Q165815wikidata.org
- 02Wikipedia (en)en.wikipedia.org
Image files
- Cimabue, crocifissione di pietro.jpgCimabuePublic domain
- Meta Sizilien.jpgLudvig14, bearbeitet von Matthias HolländerCC0
Report a correctionWrong date, name, photograph or source? Tell us and it will be put right.
Lore, kept apart
Legends and claims
These are stories and claims reported by the sources. They are not evidence, and they never stand in for the dating above.
- Tradition
The Meta Romuli was a monumental burial erected in the Roman age on the right bank of the Tiber, near the intersection of two Roman roads, the Via Cornelia and the Via Triumphalis, in an area outside the pomerium (the religious boundary aro
The Meta Romuli was a monumental burial erected in the Roman age on the right bank of the Tiber, near the intersection of two Roman roads, the Via Cornelia and the Via Triumphalis, in an area outside the pomerium (the religious boundary around Rome); this area, named Ager Vaticanus, hosted at that time numerous cemetery areas such as the nearby Vatican Necropolis and, due to its proximity to the Campus Martius represented an ideal area to build the monumental tombs of the members of the Roman upper class. It was directly south next to another large mausoleum, the so-called Therebintus Neronis, whose demolition started during the 7th century, which had instead a circular plan and the shape of a giant tumulus tomb. While both monuments survived the great changes due to the construction of the old St. Peter's Basilica, the latter was destroyed already during the Middle Ages, while the former survived until the Renaissance age becoming an important element of Rome's topography. It is clear that the man who could afford to build such a monument could only have been a prominent figure of the Roman state, but his name remains unknown. The first mention of the Meta can be found in a comment to Horace by the Pseudo-Acron (a writer of the 5th century AD) who mentions that the ashes of Scipio Africanus were taken from a pyramid in the Vatican; due to that, the Meta Romuli was also named "Sepulcher of the Scipions". The name Meta Romuli instead was due to a popular belief, which linked it to the pyramid of Cestius (named Meta Remi in the Middle Ages and lying near the Basilica of Saint Paul), identifying them with the tombs of Romulus and Remus, the two mythical founders of Rome, and making them the object of various legends, based upon the analogy between the founders of the city and the apostles Peter and Paul. It was traditionally believed that the site of the martyrdom of Saint Peter, described as ad Therebintum inter duas metas...in Vaticano, was placed either between the Therebintus and the Meta Romuli, or between the latter and the obelisk of the Circus of Nero, or - in a larger context - in the mid-point between the Meta Romuli and the pyramid of Cestius, that is the place on the Janiculum hill called Montorio, where in the Renaissance Donato Bramante built the Tempietto di San Pietro; consequently, the pyramid was represented for centuries in the depictions of St. Peter's martyrdom. The tomb had also a great importance for the pilgrims who reach Saint Peter, since on their way to the Basilica they met the tomb of the founder of the city before that of the founder of the church. Due to that, the Meta Romuli was a popular subject in the representations of the city in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Some examples are the Stefaneschi Polyptych by Giotto; a polyptych by Jacopo di Cione; one tile of Filarete's Bronze Doors in Old St. Peter's Basilica; the fresco of The Vision of the Cross in Raphael's Rooms in the Vatican; and the frescoes on the vaults of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi by Cimabue. The cella of the pyramid was used for centuries as a granary by the Chapter of Saint Peter, which owned it from the 13th century until its destruction. At the beginning of the 15th century, the pyramid's pinnacle was demolished; on the platform which resulted were garrisoned soldiers of the nearby Castle, who got their supplies thorough a system of ropes hanging to the fortress. Despite its importance for the city and for the church, Pope Alexander VI ordered its demolition on 26 November 1498 for the opening of the new Via Alessandrina (later known as Borgo Nuovo), a road which connected the Vatican area with the bridge crossing the Tiber. Due to the difficulty of the undertaking, the pope conceded a plenary indulgence to the men willing to help. On 24 December 1499, the pope blocked all the old roads between Saint Peter and the Tiber, forcing the people to use the new thoroughfare; however, the demolition of the pyramid was not complete, since Raphael, who arrived in Rome in 1509, in a letter to Pope Leo X written in 1519 about the antiquities of the city, writes that he could still see the remains of the monument. In 1511, Pope Julius II claimed ownership of the monument, and in several documents of the 16th century until 1568 the Meta was cited as the end of the Palio race.
Source - Tested: not supported
The pyramid was linked to the tombs of Romulus and Remus and was regarded as the tomb of the founder of Rome.
Source - Tested: not supported
The site of Saint Peter’s martyrdom was located between the Meta Romuli and the pyramid of Cestius.
Source
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Credit
Text, licence and sources
Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Meta Romuli" (English), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; authors are listed in the page history. Reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikipedia · Edit history and authors
- Wikipedia (English): Meta RomuliCC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q165815CC0