Aurelian Walls

Built in the third century AD under the emperors Aurelian and Probus, this defensive circuit ringed the entire city with more than eighteen kilometres of brick-faced wall, punctuated by towers and monumental gates. Large stretches survive remarkably intact, still following the ancient line and in places rising to their original height. The walls shaped Rome's growth for well over a thousand years and incorporated earlier monuments such as the Pyramid of Cestius.