Introduction:
(Public Domain Image ¨C the Modern Castel SantĄ¯Angelo)
The site of the Mausoleum of Hadrian has long been one of the most evident reminders of ancient Rome. Over the course of its history, the building has seen use as a fortress, a prison, a palace, and most recently as a museum (Boatwright 161). Yet despite (or perhaps due to) its post-classical prominence, very little is known for sure about the details of its construction and structure (Boatwright 161). Broadly speaking, the Mausoleum seems to have been inspired by that of Augustus, and thus is of similar form and usage. However, one of the major challenges to detailed reconstruction has been that much of the ancient remains have been lost in the MausoleumĄ¯s conversion into the renaissance Castel SantĄ¯Angelo (Pierce 81).
(Boatwright ¨C Pons Aelius)
Based on brickstamps used during the original construction and some scant literary evidence, it is known that construction began sometime in the late 120s AD and continued beyond HadrianĄ¯s death in 138 (Boatwright 162). A closely related structure is the nearby Pons Aelius, which has proven to be the more archaeologically transparent and better studied part of the complex (Boatwright 161-2).
