Portrait Bust of Agrippa

bust of Marcus Agrippa

Artist: Unknown
Date: About 20 B.C.
Location: Library, Second Level

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was born in Rome in 63 B.C. and died there in 12 B.C. He is known today primarily as a Roman statesman and general, as the chief agent of Octavian in his rise to power and chief support of the Augustan monarchy, and above all for his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 B.C. Agrippa, however was not merely a great general; above all he was a splendid organizer and a brilliant engineer. While in charge of public buildings in Rome in 33 B.C., he made many significant improvements to the city, including building sewers and aqueducts. Moreover, he designed and had built the Pantheon (25 B.C.), one of the very few Roman buildings which stand intact today. He also prepared a map of the world and left behind extensive notes on geography.

Descriptive and historical information about the sculptures compiled by Dr. Douglas O. Eason.