Summer Tues-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-1pm; winter Tues-Sat 9am-4.30pm, Sun 9am-1pm; L3750. On the far side of Piazza del Augusta Imperatore square, enclosed in a glass box between the river and the mausoleum, the Ara Pacis Augustae or “Altar of Augustan Peace” is a more substantially recognizable Roman remain, built in 13 BC to celebrate Augustus’s victory over Spain and Gaul and the peace it heralded. Much of this had been dug up piecemeal over the years, but the bulk of it was found during the middle half of the last century. It was no cushy task to place it back together: excavation involved digging down to a depth of 10m and freezing the water table, after which many other parts had to be retrieved from museums the world over, or plaster copies made. But it’s a superb example of Imperial Roman sculpture and holds on its fragmented frieze the likenesses of many familiar names, most shown in the victory procession itself, which is best preserved on the orient side. The first part is almost completely gone, but the shape of Augustus is a little more complete, as are the figures that follow - first Tiberius, then the priests with their skull-cap headgear, then Agrippa. The women are, respectively, Augustus’s wife Livia, daughter Julia, and niece Antonia, the latter caught simply and realistically turning to her husband. Around their feet run various children clutching the togas of the elders, the last of whom is said to be the young Claudius.