The Ara Pacis is an altar in Rome dedicated to the goddess of peace. The monument was made by order of the Roman Senate in 13 BC to honor the return of Augustus from three trips in Roman Spain and Gaul. Consecrated in 9 BC, during the celebration of the peace brought by Augustus of the Roman Empire as a result of numerous military victories.

The Ara Pacis consists of a small altar in the center and four surrounding walls. Along the walls are two-level curbs on which visible images of peace and prosperity as a result of the dominance of Rome. In addition, the altar had to remind the Romans about the achievements of the dynasty of the Julio-Klavdiev.

The Ara Pacis stood within an elegant marble fence, which depicts scenes of traditional Roman virtues, and the Emperor himself, with his wife at the time of sacrifice. It also shows men, women and children, referring to the gods, " it is interesting that the image of children at that time was a novelty, if not an unprecedented phenomenon. And today, the Ara Pacis is a masterpiece, the most famous sculptural work of the Augustan age. Two-thirds of the upper scenes on the monument are covered with images of priests, and the remaining space is located figures from Roman mythology – Romulus, Remus, king NUMA, Aeneas, etc. Probably August believed himself a descendant of Aeneas, so the choice of pieces was determined. In the lower part of the monument depicts scenes of nature.

Initially, the Ara Pacis was located on the Northern outskirts of Rome – he stood on the northeast corner of the Champs de Mars, the territory that August has turned into a kind of open air Museum. In the 2nd century A..e. the altar was protected with a wall, and he was gradually immersed in the layer of the earth. The first fragments of the monument were discovered in 1568 under the building of the Palazzo Chigi – they were placed in storage at the Villa Medici, the Vatican and the Uffizi gallery and the Louvre. In 1859 still some fragments were found on the same territory under the Olympia Theatre building, which was part of the Palazzo Peretti. Half a century later, after the detected fragments were identified as part of the Altar of Peace, in the Ministry of national education sent a request to conduct further excavations. The permission was granted, but when half of the monument was excavated and 53 of the fragment carefully studied, the excavations had to stop. Only in 1937, the 2000-year anniversary of the birth of August, it was decided to resume work with the latest technology. And in 1938 on the orders of Benito Mussolini to protect the altar of the World a special building was built near the Mausoleum of August – this was an attempt by Mussolini to create a theme Park of Ancient Rome in honor of fascist Italy.

Today, the site of the building erected on the orders of Mussolini, is a new building, designed by American architect Richard Meier. It was opened in 2006. Municipality of Rome plans to create a pedestrian zone along the banks of the Tiber leading to the monument.