On August 19, 14 A.D., Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, died in Nola. To mark the 2,000th anniversary of his death, Rome has planned a series of initiatives, including, for the night of the 19th, the special opening of the Ara Pacis Museum and the exhibition “The Art of Command. The Legacy of Augustus," from 9 pm until midnight. Visitors will also be able to admire the monument in its original colors thanks to a polychrome digital projection on the marble decorative surfaces.
An extensive philological and historical research conducted on ancient sculptures and architecture will make it possible to display the monument’s original colors, both on the western and eastern fronts of the altar, with panels depicting Aeneas, Tellus, and the goddess Roma among others.
The Ara Pacis is an altar dedicated to Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor the return of Augustus to Rome after his three years in Hispania and Gaul; it was consecrated in 9 B.C. in celebration of the peace brought to the Roman Empire by Augustus' military victories.
