Great place to bring your lunch and look over the Acropolis. If you have a chance to go up latter in the afternoon or early evening, bring with you a snack and some wine. Don't forget your camera!

The Philopappos Monument, crowning the Mouseion Hill to the southwest of the Acropolis, is the tomb of Caius Julius Antiochos Philopappos, a member of the royal family of Commagene, a small Hellenistic kingdom in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The Roman emperor Vespasian annexed the kingdom to the Roman empire in 72 A.D., and the royal family was sent into exile.  

Philopappos lived in Athens and became an Athenian citizen. He was also a Roman citizen and held several very important offices during the reign of the emperor Trajan, including that of consul. A Latin inscription on the tomb referring to specific titles of the emperor Trajan allows us to date the construction of the monument (and the death of Philopappos) to between 114 and 116 A.D. Since the Athenians allowed him to be buried in this very elaborate mausoleum right opposite the Acropolis -- and within the formal boundaries of the city -- we suspect that he also must have been an important benefactor of the ancient city of Athens.

From caption
Philopappos Monument (Tomb of Caius Julius Antiochos Philopappos). Built between 114 and 116 A.D. Detail of the northern side of the tomb. The foundations of the monument ware of limestone, covered with slabs of Hymettian marble on the exterior (visible) sides. Above the foundations, the monument was made out of Pentelic marble. On the lowest level you can see a relief depicting Philopappos in a 4-horse chariot as he was being installed as consul in Rome (109 AD) -- the high point of his political career. In the level above, there were three niches with portrait statues. In the central niche with the curved top, is a seated portrait of Philopappos himself. In the left niche, is a seated portrait of Philopappos' grandfather, King Antiochos IV (the last king of Commagene). In the right niche (now missing) was a portrait of Philopappos' ancestor, King Seleukos I of Syria. Each portrait was identified by inscriptions below. There were also Corinthian pilasters between the niches. The 2 pilasters on either side of Philopappos listed his various titles in Latin (left) and Greek (right).

The text and photographs are courtesy of the The Stoa Consortium