The Ara Pacis Augustae – The Altar of Augustan Peace

Another important work of Roman art is the Ara of Pacis Augustae, commonly known as Ara Pacis, or the Altar of Augustan Peace. On Rome's Campus Martius, the Altar was located in the northeastern corner. In honor of Augustus's return to Rome from Hispania and Gaul after around three years of successful campaigning and in homage to Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace, the altar was constructed circa 13 BC. Unfortunately, a flood near the Tiber River in Rome submerged the altar. The shape and original arrangement of the remains were altered when some of them were put back together in 1938.

During the reassembling process, the altar's placement was also altered. It was initially facing west; in 1938, the direction was changed to face north. The original monument was constructed with a conventional open-air altar at its center, encircled by precinct walls made of Luna marble. The legislation governing ceremonies conducted was portrayed in the altar's exquisite carvings of diverse figures.

The sculptures and artwork were some of the most sophisticated produced during the Roman era employing bucrania, an ox skull. Its two-way entrances in the East and West directions were another factor in its notoriety. The external precinct walls, which were constructed in a rectangular shape with a height of around 35 feet, were, however, this monument's most amazing feature.