Cestius

Cestius is a Latin nomen associated with the plebeian gens Cestia in ancient Rome. The name is most prominently linked to the Pyramid of Cestius, an elaborately shaped tomb that stands in Rome and has become one of the city’s recognizable monuments. The pyramid is traditionally associated with a member of the Cestia gens, likely a Roman magistrate named Gaius Cestius Epulo, and it was constructed in the late Republic or early Empire, between roughly 18 and 12 BCE.

The Pyramid of Cestius is a brick-faced concrete structure faced with white marble, designed as a tomb. It rises to about 27 meters (roughly 90 feet) and sits on a square base. The outside is a steep, pyramidal cliff that mirrors Egyptian architectural form, but its interior is a modest Roman funerary chamber. The pyramid was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls in the late 3rd century CE, which helped ensure its preservation within the city’s defenses.

In historical and architectural terms, the pyramid illustrates how Romans adapted Egyptian-style symbolism to their own funerary and urban contexts. It is among Rome’s best-preserved non-temple monuments from the period and remains a notable site for study of ancient mortuary practices, Roman brickwork, and early imperial urban development. The structure today sits near the Pyramid Park area, close to the gate known as Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery, and it continues to be a visible reminder of the gens Cestia and Roman funerary art.