 Tomb of Cecilia Metella The Tomb of Cecilia Metella, a massive circular tower built during the Augustan period, is the most famous landmark on the Via Appia. Cecilia Metella was the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus, a consul in 69 BCE, and the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, son of the famous Marcus Crassus, a general and politician, who was described as the 'richest man in Rome'. The tower, which is 100 Roman feet (29.5 m) in diameter, is extremely well preserved, with much of its marble facing still intact. The whole area around the tomb was once known as the Capo di Bove, from the classical frieze, which is decorated with garlands of fruit and bucrania (ox-heads/capi di bove).  Tomb of Cecilia Metella Comments are closed.
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Blogging about Rome,
its art, history and culture. My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
small-group walking tours of Rome. Search Walks in Rome:
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January 2021
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