Message #248849

[Krystal Coenen]

Although the tomb collapsed in antiquity because of floods, its marble columns, carvings and friezes remained perfectly preserved, sealed by the Tiber's mud.

Rome's officials had planned to fully reconstruct the monumental tomb as the centerpiece of a new archaeological park, but the project failed due to a tight budget and a lack of private sponsors.
"It is a painful choice, but we cannot risk losing the monument. The marbles can't face another winter, we must bury the site in order to preserve it," Mariarosaria Barbera, Rome's archaeological superintendent, told the daily La Repubblica.

Born in Brescia in northern Italy in 138 A.D., Macrinus was one of Marcus Aurelius's favorite men. His life is believed to have inspired the fictional character Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott's film.

In the movie, Meridus is also a general and a favorite of Marcus Aurelius, but this is where the similarities end.