The Trophy of Augustus

The Tropaeum Alpium, or Trophy of Augustus, dominates the village of La Turbie. This Roman monument was built more than 2000 years ago by the Empereur Augustus to celebrate his victory over the Ligurians, a people living in the mountains who attacked merchants and tried to control the trade routes. 

Originally, this monument was 49 metres high, the main base was 35 metres wide and the rotunda had 24 columns, all surmounted by a gigantic statue of the emperor, a veritable symbol of power. The limestone used to build it came from the quarry 500 metres away. This quarry on the Mont Justicier is the only Roman quarry to still be exploited today. On the trophy's west façade is an engraved dedication in homage to the emperor and with the names of the 44 tribes that he vanquished.

In the 17th century, the Trophy served as a fortress before being dismantled by Louis XIV in the 16th century and transformed into a quarry.

In the 1930s, thanks to a donation from the American philanthropist Edward Tuck, the Trophy was restored. Today, a part of the tower with its columns and the niches that held the statues still remain and it has a height of 35 metres.

As an aside: in the Middle Ages, it was believed that the Apollo of Antiquity resided in the tower of the trophy. If a man doubted his wife's fidelity, he just had to go ask and the insouciant oracle cheerfully denounced the unfortunate woman. Spiteful tongue!