An exceptional circular mausoleum modeled on Augustus' tomb has been unearthed at Saint-Romain-en-Gal near Lyon. The monument is the only well-preserved circular example among 18 tumulus-style mausoleums found in France and dates to around 50 AD. It measured 15 m internal diameter and exceeded 6 m in height to be visible across the Roman colony of Vienne, especially from the Rhone. The scale and Augustan model indicate burial of an aristocratic elite member with significant political role and ties to imperial power. Vienne was founded in 47 BC by Julius Caesar and became an early example of Romanization of Gaul. The tomb was found during excavations near where the Rustic Calendar Mosaic was discovered.
Built around 50 AD, with an internal diameter of 15 m [50 feet], it had to be more than 6 m [20 feet] high to be visible to all those passing through or arriving in the Roman colony of Vienne, particularly from the Rhone River. This shows the importance of the person whose burial place it was, who, even in death, must still have been present in the world of the living.
Most certainly a person belonging to the aristocratic elite, with an important political role and linked to imperial power, explains Giulia Ciucci, archaeologist and scientific director of the [Gallo-Roman Museum's] archaeological sites. The mausoleum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal was in fact built on the model of that of Augustus in Rome (27 BC-14 AD), the first Roman emperor. The Roman city of Vienne (Colonia Julia Viennensis) was founded in 47 B.C. by Julius Caesar, converting the Gallic oppidum into a colony for the veterans
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