The Tropaeum Alpium (; ) is a Roman trophy ('' tropaeum'') celebrating the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

's decisive victory over the tribes who populated the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. The monument's ruins are in La Turbie (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

), a few kilometers from the

Principality of Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a semi-enclave borde ...

Construction

The Trophy was built in honor of Augustus to celebrate his definitive victory over the 45 tribes who populated the

. The Alpine populations were defeated during the military campaign to subdue the Alps conducted by the Romans between 16 and 7 BC. The monument was built of stone from the Roman quarry located about away, where traces of sections of carved columns are visible in the stone. The monument as partially restored is high. When built, according to the architect, the base measured in length, the first platform in height, and the rotunda of 24 columns with its statue of an enthroned Augustus is high.

Inscription

One of the stones of the tower contained the names of the tribes. The inscription was only preserved in fragments, but could be reconstructed thanks to the transcription of

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

, albeit with minor corrections. It reads: · TRUMPILINI
·

CAMUNNI The Camuni or Camunni were an ancient population located in Val Camonica during the Iron Age (1st millennium BC); the Latin name ''Camunni'' was attributed to them by the authors of the 1st century. They are also called ancient Camuni, to disting ...

· VENNONETES
· VENOSTES
· ISARCI
· BREUNI
· GENAUNES
· FOCUNATES
·

VINDELICI The Vindelici (Gaulish: ) were a Gallic people dwelling around present-day Augsburg (Bavaria) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as by Horace (1st c. BC), as (; var. ) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), as and (var ...

:
·· COSUANETES
·· RUCINATES
·· LICATES
·· CATENATES
· AMBISONTES
· RUGUSCI
· SUANETES
· CALUCONES
· BRIXENETES
· LEPONTII
· UBERI
· NANTUATES
· SEDUNI
· VERAGRI
· SALASSI
· ACITAUONES
· MEDULLI
· UCENNI
· CATURIGES
· BRIGIANI
· SOGIONTI
· BRODIONTI
· NEMALONI
· EDENATES
· VESUBIANI
· VEAMINI
· GALLITAE
· TRIULLATI
· ECDINI
· VERGUNNI
· EGUITURI
· NEMATURI
· ORATELLI
· NERUSI
· VELAUNI
· SUETRI.

Later life

The monument originally served no military purpose and contained no fortress. Rather, it marked the boundary between Italy and

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first ...

, later moved to the Var River. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, however, the Trophy did become a fortress, with locals building houses around its walls. In 1705, when war broke out between

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

and

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

ordered the destruction of all fortresses in the region, including this one. The partially destroyed Trophy then became a quarry and its stones were used, among other things, to build the nearby church of Saint-Michel. The monument was partially restored in 1929 with funds from American philanthropist

Edward Tuck Edward Tuck (August 24, 1842 – April 30, 1938) was an American banker, diplomat, and philanthropist. He is known for funding the establishment of the Tuck School of Business at his alma mater, Dartmouth College. The son of Amos Tuck, a foun ...

Nearby Roman remains

The Tropaeum is located on the

Via Julia Augusta The Via Julia Augusta (modern Italian Via Giulia Augusta) is the name given to the Roman road formed by the merging of the Via Aemilia Scauri with the Via Postumia. History The Via Julia Augusta was begun in 13 BC by Augustus, and its engineering ...

, a Roman road named after Augustus which was built as an extension of the Via Aurelia, and which linked the settlements of Album Intimilium (modern

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

) and Cemenelum (present-day Cimiez in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionBeausoleil and

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (; or ; ; ), simply Roquebrune until 1921, is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region, Southeastern France, betw ...

are also said to be Roman.

Museums

The Edward Tuck Museum on the site of the Trophy includes fragments, plaster molds, old photographs documenting the monument and its reconstruction. It was built in 1929 and renovated in 2011.Visitor information card
(in French) It also includes a 1:20 scale model of the reconstructed Trophy. Another 1:20 scale model is found in Room IX of the Museo della Civiltà Romana in Rome."Room XI: Augustus", ''Museo della Civiltà Romana''
/ref>

References

External links

Official web siteLivius.org: La Turbie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trophy Of Augustus 6 BC Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC Ancient Roman buildings and structures in France Victory monuments History of the Alps Buildings and structures in Alpes-Maritimes 1st-century BC establishments in Roman Gaul Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux History of Alpes-Maritimes