The historical identities of the Ara Pacis Augustae, the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Colosseum, and the Imperial Forums have just resurfaced from the dust of the past and, with them, their multiple, ever-changing messages and symbols. Imbued with the inevitable passage of time, these monuments tell us of the Rome that was, of the characters who followed one another in ruling and managing it, of the bloodthirsty spectators of gladiatorial shows and bullfights, of triumphant emperors buried at the base of dedicatory columns, and of rising early medieval aristocrats who occupied the ruins.