Rome Empire Tour: Pantheon & Teatro Marcello

With the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, Rome entered a period of political upheaval settled only when Caesar's nephew Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra, took control of the Empire, and claimed the title of Caesar Augustus. This is what the history books have told you. In this three-hour Ancient Rome tour, you’ll go beyond the history books, setting foot where this narrative took place: places of power and legacy like the Pantheon, the Theater of Marcellus, and Largo Argentina.

An eagle carved into acanthus leaves? Not just decoration, but Augustus claiming divine approval. A Greek column order on a Roman monument? Proof that Rome styled itself as Greece’s heir, not just its conqueror. Your guide, who is an experienced archeologist or classicist, has excavated and studied these very sites throughout their career, and with you, they will look closely at this period and how the ancient rulers and first emperors have used monuments as deliberate instruments to shape memory and project their power, often in ways not unlike modern politics and propaganda. This tour isn’t a checklist of monuments: it’s a chance to decode how emperors crafted their image, and how the city itself became their stage.

You will begin at the Theater of Marcellus, originally conceived by Julius Caesar as a statement of prestige in his war of status with Pompey, but built by his nephew Augustus after his death. As one of the largest Roman theaters still standing and an amazing testament to Rome's ability to adapt and reuse its buildings throughout history, we'll use this monument as a jumping-off point to lay the groundwork of our time together. 

The path will follow, roughly, a kind of monumental way envisioned by Augustus when remaking the old Field of Mars into a new center for the city. You'll pass many of the structures that played a key role in this, including the Pantheon, one of the best-preserved buildings of the ancient world. Wondering under its vast concrete dome and oculus, your guide will explain both Roman engineering brilliance and the enduring ambition to connect the earthly with the divine. 

The tour will end in the vicinity of the Ara Pacis, the modern museum built around the great altar of peace commissioned by Augustus to signal the Pax Romana. In the shadow of Augustus' own mausoleum, you'll discuss the legacy of the Caesars, both real and imagined, and how successive rulers down to the Fascists of the 20th century drew on the narrative of Julius and Augustus Caesar to validate their own rule. You'll emerge with a new sense of Rome and its relevance to issues today.