Mausoleum of Augustus. Drawing by Etienne Du Pérac from 1575
Among unique memorials, famous monuments and other numerous landmarks of Rome, there is a place that we know under the name Mausoleum of Augustus. This large tomb complex was one of the first projects started by Roman Emeror Augustus after his victory over combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BC. Mausoleum construction began soon after the Battle of Actium and was completed in 28 BC. This large tomb complex was 295 feet in diameter by 137 feet in height. Mausoleum had circular shape with concentric rings and a conical roof upon which Romans set up a huge status of Augustus.
Even by standards of past and present mausoleum pricing was enormous. Roman viewed this mausoleum as a place of respect and prestige. No wonder, that, eventually, the final resting place of Augustus and imperial family of the time became a burial site of members of Julio-Claudian dynasty. Golden urns with ashes of Roman emperors, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius were enshrined in the burial chamber deep inside the mausoleum. Emperor Nerva who did not even belong to that family was the last prominent ruler whose remains were brought there.
Time and people turned the landmark and its mausoleum into a place of impressive ruins. During the sack of Rome in 410 AD, barbaric Goths stole the golden urns and scattered the ashes. They did not destroy, though, the structure of the mausoleum itself. However, in Middle Ages a powerful Roman noble family Colonna turned the place into a castle. The family lost its power and was banished from the city in 12 century. Former mausoleum of Augustus, then castle was dismantled and became a ruin.
Today the landmark is closed to tourists and Italian authorities make serious attempts at restoration of the Mausoleum of Augustus. They face certain difficulties like the mausoleum cost of restoration and lack of architectural plan of the original memorial park.
There is a beautiful family mausoleum complex surrounded by statues and top monuments in Hangzhou, China. This beautiful memorial park has tombs of a father and a son who lived in the 12the century. The entombment is dedicated to the famous Chinese poet and general Yue Fei who serves as a model of loyalty and patriotism in Chinese culture.
Famous sculptors, craftsment and architects worked on this priceless mausoleum. However, it is not an actual burial site and the final resting place of a famous general and his son Yue Yun. It is a place where Chinese people come to pay their respect to their hero.
In fact, throughout the centuries a lot of legends and myths were added to Yue Fei. Some of the describe him as a man of supernatural strength who was blessed by immortals. But we do know that Yue Fei was from a humble background and concisously patterned his life after famous Chinese heroes of the past.
General Yue Fei was an avid reader of military classics a scholar and a true gentleman. He won many military campaigns for the Chinese Song Kingdom fighting against invaders for many years. New emperor Gaozong paid him back for all his bravery by treacherously murdering Yue Fei and his son on false charges.
Later general’s honor was restored and people gave him the name Loyal Hero. A famous quote from his poetry known to every Chinese person says “Return my rivers and mountains”.
The private mausoleum of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses The Great is located in the Valley of the Kings. This final resting place of a God-King bears the cryptic for a burial site name - Tomb KV7.
There is not really much left of the burial chamber - flash floods damaged it badly destroying much of the decoration beyond repair. None of the famous monuments erected by mausoleum architects survived either.
However, Ramesses II still lucked out because his mummy is still safe and sound. It is exhibited in the Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. How did it happen?
It turns out that Tomb KV7 did not have pharaoh’s body for thousands of years. In fact, the mummy was found by archeologists in another location quite by chance.
Several centuries passed after Ramesses died. The looting of the ancient tombs was on the rise. Egyptian priests decided to take drastic measures in order to preserve mummies of the great pharaohs. They developed a big plan that can easily be used as a plot of a great detective story.
Priests removed pharaoh from the tomb, rewrapped it all over again and transferred it to the tomb of the queen Amhose Inhapy from the 17th dynasty of ancient Egypt. But, obviously, it was not good enough, as within 72 hours priests removed Ramessess from that burial site and placed it in the tomb of High Priest of Amun at Thebes, named Pinedjem II who died in 10th century B.C.
We learned about these multiple reburials because priests recorded them in hieroglyphics on the linen covering the mummy of Ramesses. Yet, this is not the end of the story. Driven by unknown to us events, priests gathered the whole pile of other mummies and left it in the same tomb. When it was discovered in 1881 archeologists discovered other famous pharaohs of 18th and 19th dynasties, including the mummy of Ramesses’ own father.
The discovery of this unintentional family mausoleum led to the largest studies of famous pharaohs. Thanks to this massive entombment we know how the most powerful pharaohs looked like and even establish the cause of death.
One of the most beautiful places to see in Ordos City located in Chinese Inner Mongolia province, is a great private mausoleum with colorful towers and monuments. This architectual construction is called Genghis Khan Mausoleum. However, this is not the last resting place of the great conqueror. And he does not end his days in Ordos city either. The mausoleum serves more as a memorial building dedicated to Mongol foiunder who created the largest contiguous empire in the history of mankind. Thus, Mongols consider Genghis Khan their national hero, although other nations may have completely opposite opinion about him.
The real burial place of the ruthless ruler is the unmarked grave located somewhere in the steppes of Mongolia. Genghis Khan. Up to our present days its location is unknown. Truly speaking, we don’t even know why Genghis Khan died at all. Some chronicles state that he died in the land of Egypt, others mention that he passed away from pneumonia after defeating rebellious Tangut tribes in China. There is even a romantic version about the captured Tangut princess who killed Genghis Khan as a revenge for his invasion.
The only real fact that we know is the time of death. Genghis Khan died in 1227 and before his death asked to be buried without markings to his grave, according to the funeral rituals of his native tribe. His body was returned to Mongolia to the vicinity of Onon River. The rest of the details become rather vague as the legend takes place of the real story. According to it, funeral escort killed anyone and anything across their path to his last resting place. This merciless act was done to conceal the place of the grave where Genghis Khan was finally buried.
Other legends go even further and tell us the stories of additional efforts to hide Genghis Khan’s final burial place. One of them tells us that even the river was diverted over his grave to conceal the grave completely. Another one states that Mongol funeral escort organized a stampede of horses over Genghis Khan’s grave and then even planted the trees at that place.
Many archaeological tried in vain to find the Genghis Khan’s burial place but in vain. Many years later the luxurious mausoleum was built to honor the conqueror and create a memorial but not the burial site.
Everybody in the world heard about Arlington National Cemetery - the largest military cemetery in the United States. It was established during the Civil War and since that time over 290,000 people were buried there. It may come as news, but there are also two family mausoleums in Arlington National Cemetery.
These are the only two mausoleums located in the borders of the cemetery. The first family mausoleum is the final burial place for many descendants and members of the Miles Family. And the second one belongs to the Sullivan Family.
Lieutenant General Nelson Appleton Miles served for 42 years in the United States Army. He fought in the Civil War, Indian Wars and Spanish-American war. He was already old when the World War 1 began but he still volunteered to serve in the army. President Wilson turned Miles down due to his age. General Miles died in 1925 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery at the first mausoleum confined within this area.
Brigadier General Thomas Crook Sullivan whose final resting place is in the second mausoleum in the confines of Arlington National Cemetery land a long lasting military career too. He was a guard for president Abraham Lincoln during his inauguration. Then Sullivan served during the Civil War participating in many decisive battles. General Sullivan died in 1908 and after the cremation his remains were buried in the mausoleum of the Arlington National Cemetery.
It seems that both personal mausoleums are destined to be the only ones on this famous cemetery. Since 1925, none of other deceased American war heroes and veterans ever received such a prestigious burial place.
Somehow when people mention pyramids that served as tombs or mausoleums for royalty, we tend to think of Ancient Egypt and its monumental structures. However, this is not the case: it seems that ancient pyramids were built in different parts of the world and served as memorials and monuments to people.
For example, in ancient Nubia - ancient land that was located in the present day Sudan, there were 220 pyramids built for kings and queens. This number tremendously exceeds 120 pyramids constructed in the ancient Egypt for the period of three thousand years!
Nubia was always heavily influenced by the traditions of ancient Egypt. Its kingdoms located in the Nile valley even competed strongly with Egypt and at some point conquered it. The Nubian kings unified Egypt and became pharaohs of the 25th Dynasty and ruled until the powerful Assyrian kingdom conquered Egypt in 656 BC.
Nubian pyramids built with stone blocks range from 6 to 30 meters high. Their width is relatively small and narrow comparing to their northern neighbors that were up to five times larger.
All Nubian pyramids were all plundered long time ago but archeologists have strong proof that royalty in mausoleums were mummified and wore lots of jewelry. 14 pyramids were built for Nubian warrior queens who successfully ruled their kingdom and added new territories to their land. And the largest pyramid is the final resting place for one of the last Nubian pharaohs of Egypt named Taharqa.
Mausoleum is a building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person. Its plural form is mausolea, although in America we commonly use for plural - mausoleums. What is the origin of the word? It was derived from the name of King Mausollos, ruler of ancient kingdom of Caria. His tomb - Mausoleum - was such an architectural marvel that it was considered to be the greatest aesthetic triumph. Ancients thought of it as the highest achievement and called it one of the Seven Wonders of the Word.
