Title	Sepulchre of Caecilia Metella
Description	William Strickland's watercolor sketch of the Sepulchre or Tomb of Caecilia Metella. The sketch shows part of the Appian Way. Strickland gives a short description of the tomb.
Historical note	The sketchbook details sketches made by William Strickland during a visit to Europe in 1838. Although he traveled in England, France, and Italy, he was especially interested in Roman antiquities. The Sepulchre of Caecilia Metella is the Appian Way's most famous funerary monument. The Roman noblewoman to whom the monument is dedicated was related by birth and marriage to two of the most illustrious families of the Republican era. Her father, Quintus Caecilius Metello had been a consul, defeated the pirate fleets and conquered the island of Crete. Also, her husband had served with Caesar in Gaul from 57 to 51 B.C., and held important high offices. Inside the mausoleum, the funeral chamber is circular and rises from the floor to ceiling in the form of a cone. This is where the urn containing the ashes of the deceased were kept, of which nothing is known. It was converted into a tomb by the Caetani family, who added the pinnacle and built a palace.
Date	1838
Place	Rome (Italy)
Creator	Strickland, William, 1787-1854
Collection name	William Strickland Sketchbook, 1838
Subject	Antiquities Forts & fortifications
Accession number	2005-014
Owning Institution	Tennessee State Library & Archives
ID#	32944
Digital type	Still Image
Format	Image/jp2
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