Tomb of Caecilia Metella

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

Caecilia Metella (fl. 69 B.C.) was a daughter of the consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus and the wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus. Her elaborate tomb was later used as a fortress, at which time battlements were added. The tomb stands on the top of a hill on the Appian Way. It was built in c. 25 B.C. It is a masonry cylinder on top of a square base. Great Buildings Online says it has a square podium 30 m (100 feet) square with the cylinder only slightly smaller in diameter.