The tomb of Aulus Hirtius: a hidden treasure in the heart of Rome

October 05, 2026

The Tomb of Aulus Hirtius and the underground Euripus form a unique site accessible through the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition, combining history, archaeology and the wonders of hidden Rome.

The Tomb of Aulus Hirtius is one of the most surprising and well-hidden sites in underground Rome. Hidden from view for centuries, it is now accessible only through the special tour offered by the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition at Palazzo della Cancelleria. Its history dates back to the final years of the Roman Republic: Aulus Hirtius, consul and close associate of Julius Caesar, died during the Battle of Mutina in 43 BC, and the Senate ordered the construction of a funerary monument in his honour in the Campus Martius. The discovery of the tomb in 1938 also brought to light a section of the ancient Euripus, an ornamental canal dating from the Augustan period that has since become a fascinating underground lake. Finds of great historical value were discovered beside the tomb, including casts of the Cancelleria Reliefs. The visit therefore brings together history, archaeology and hydraulic engineering in a unique experience, enriched by Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific and visionary perspective.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Who was Aulus Hirtius?
• The discovery of the tomb and the underground Euripus
• What the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius looks like
• The works discovered beside the tomb
• What is the connection between Leonardo and the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius?
• A unique experience: visiting the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius

Who was Aulus Hirtius?

Aulus Hirtius was a prominent political and military figure during the final years of the Roman Republic. He served as consul in 43 BC alongside Vibius Pansa and was one of Julius Caesar’s closest associates, remaining at his side during both military campaigns and the most unstable period of Roman political life.

Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Rome descended into a web of rivalries, ambitions and fragile alliances, and Hirtius sided with the Senate against Mark Antony. His position was a complex one: on the one hand, he sought to preserve Caesar’s political legacy within a constitutional framework; on the other, he soon became involved in armed conflict.

In 43 BC, during the Battle of Mutina, Hirtius was killed while fighting against Antony’s troops. A few days earlier, his fellow consul Vibius Pansa had also been mortally wounded during the same military campaign.

The deaths of both consuls within such a short time were an exceptional and shocking event, and the Senate honoured them by ordering the construction of public funerary monuments in the Campus Martius.

It was in this context that the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius was built. Unique within Rome’s archaeological landscape, the tomb has now been restored and can be visited only by following a special tour through the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition at Palazzo della Cancelleria.

The discovery of the tomb and the underground Euripus

The Tomb of Aulus Hirtius has not always been visible and remained hidden beneath the layers of the modern city for centuries. In 1938, work carried out inside Palazzo della Cancelleria unexpectedly brought a series of archaeological remains to light, including ancient walls, funerary structures and a large underground basin filled with water.

Subsequent studies identified the site as a section of the Euripus, an artificial canal built in the first century BC as part of the major urban development programme undertaken during the Augustan period. Fed by the Aqua Virgo, it formed part of the complex hydraulic system of the Campus Martius.

The Euripus did not serve a merely practical purpose. It was also an ornamental feature that ran alongside porticoes, temples, public monuments and promenades, crossed by small bridges and surrounded by buildings reflected in its waters.

Today, as a result of changes in the ground and the construction of the embankments along the River Tiber during the nineteenth century, the Euripus has become a kind of underground lake, an underground basin in which water filters through and accumulates.

The Tomb of Aulus Hirtius stands within this space suspended between light and darkness, creating a striking sight made even more evocative by the water reflecting around part of the ancient structures.

The site is normally closed to the public but can be accessed through the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition, with admission included in the same ticket.

What the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius looks like

The Tomb of Aulus Hirtius consists of a rectangular funerary enclosure with brickwork walls and a tuff base, typical of monuments dating from the late Republican period.

The funerary inscription was placed on the main side and identified the monument with certainty as being dedicated to Aulus Hirtius, in accordance with the decree issued by the Senate.

Despite the effects of time, the surviving structure still displays clearly identifiable perimeter walls, a base that once supported the funerary aedicule or main memorial stone, and several travertine elements that probably formed part of the roof or crowning structure.

The waters of the Euripus surround part of the walls, creating the impression of a monument almost emerging from the water and making the tomb one of the most fascinating archaeological settings in underground Rome.

Archaeological studies suggest that the tomb of Vibius Pansa, the other consul who died during the same military campaign as Hirtius, must also have stood nearby, although its precise identification is still debated.

The works discovered beside the tomb

In addition to the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius, the archaeological investigations uncovered a series of finds of extraordinary importance. These included casts of the Cancelleria Reliefs, now displayed along the underground route, parts of the Altar of the Vicomagistri, dedicated to the magistrates responsible for the cult of the Genius Augusti, and architectural fragments connected with the buildings that once stood along the Euripus.

The original Cancelleria Reliefs, now held in the Vatican Museums, are works from the Flavian period depicting official scenes of the Roman Empire, with magistrates, soldiers and allegorical figures. The casts preserved at Palazzo della Cancelleria are considered among the most accurate reproductions of the reliefs before their modern restorations.

These finds demonstrate that the area was rich in public monuments, sacred sites and prestigious architecture. The tomb therefore did not stand in isolation but occupied a highly prominent setting in one of the most important areas of the Campus Martius.

The fact that all these remains now lie beneath the floor of Palazzo della Cancelleria, partially submerged and surrounded by the darkness of the Euripus, creates a striking visual stratification in which the Republic, the Empire, the Renaissance and the present day overlap in the same place.

What is the connection between Leonardo and the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius?

At first glance, the connection between the exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius may seem somewhat tenuous. Leonardo, however, was fascinated by water, its laws, movements and behaviour in both natural and artificial settings. He designed canals, dams and harbours, and drew vortices and currents that closely resemble the water dynamics of the Euripus.

The Euripus is a major hydraulic work dating from the first century BC that has survived beneath modern Rome. Visiting it offers an opportunity to encounter subjects that Leonardo studied throughout his life: hydraulic engineering and the ability of water to transform space, shape matter, create and destroy.

Moreover, Palazzo della Cancelleria is a Renaissance masterpiece where the aesthetics of Leonardo’s time coexist with the legacy of the Greco-Roman world, creating a remarkable dialogue between the ancient and the modern. Leonardo may have known the building, although there is no evidence that he ever visited it in person.

The Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition draws on this setting to offer a unique immersive experience in which visitors can not only observe models based on Leonardo’s designs but also encounter the ancient world through water, light and layers of history.

A unique experience: visiting the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius

Visiting the Tomb of Aulus Hirtius means gaining access to one of Rome’s most hidden and fascinating sites, which is normally closed to the public.

Access through the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition allows visitors to descend beneath Palazzo della Cancelleria, walk beside the remains of the Augustan Euripus, view the structures of the tomb at close range as the water reflects the natural light, and admire the casts of the Cancelleria Reliefs in an evocative setting.

It is an experience that brings together archaeology, engineering, history and visual wonder. This journey through underground Rome is very different from visiting catacombs or religious hypogea, as it reveals the civic soul of the city: the world of the consuls, magistrates and engineers who shaped the Campus Martius.

The opportunity to see a public monument dating from the first century BC still surrounded by the same water that once flowed through the original canal also creates a sense of continuity with history that is difficult to experience elsewhere.

For this reason, the underground route is considered one of the exhibition’s most distinctive features: a place suspended in time, where Leonardo is not merely a pretext but the key to understanding how art, science and ingenuity have always belonged to the same story.

This article was originally published in Italian on 03 December 2025

You can read the Italian version of this article here >