The description of the Gaius Caesar Cenotaph Friezes from Limyra

Gaius Caesar was the grandson of Augustus and his adopted child. Raised to succeed the Roman Emperor Augustus, Gaius Caesar died in the small port town of Limyra on the 21st of February, AD 4. Gaius Caesar died in Limyra from a wound received during a battle fought in Armenia. His body was sent to Rome on the orders of Augustus and he was buried in Augustus's Mausoleum.

The Limyrians then constructed a splendid cenotaph dedicated to Gaius Caesar's memory. A cenotaph is a monumental tomb-like structure raised to the memory of rulers or heroes who died on the battlefield, at sea or in foreign lands. This cenotaph was found during the course of excavations conducted between 1971 and 1974. It is a square structure, each side 17 meters long and it resembles a Hellenistic Ptolemaion in its shape. It has a podium 4.70 meters high at the lowest step and a solid structure on the top, constructed in opus caementitium through a casting process. Marble was used for the construction of the other portion. Above a 2.10 meters high frieze, there is plastered architecture within a recess, with a carved molding with abundant ornamentation. The frieze is combined with an architrave inscription and a roof supported by geison. This is a typical "Podium Facade" structural arrangement in the Hellenistic-Roman style.

The excavated finds unfortunately failed to provide sufficient information as to if this cenotaph had a pyramidal tip like the mausoleums in Syria, North Africa or Spain, or if it was crowned by a monopteros. It seems that the subject depicted upon these friezes represents a historical event; a "pactio cum barbaris", that is, an agreement with the barbarians. It is likely that the most remarkable portion of the frieze depicted the military campaign against the Armenians, which was the most important event in Gaius Caesar's life. The pieces of the friezes that were found in the excavation, 68 pieces, clearly show that an extraordinary work of art was constructed here in the late Augustean Age by order of the Emperor to honor the memory of his intended successor to the throne. The riders are depicted on horses with imposing headgear, together with the young and old persons accompanying the riders. The wreaths of olive branches on the top of the long sticks in the background reveal the meaning of this procession: a ceremonial procession organized in commemoration of the Dioscourids, the noble Roman knights of the Augustan era, on the occasion of the accession of the young people that became qualified to serve in the army on the 15th of July. The riders then progress to join their own military units. We may assume that the procession took place on July 15, 6 BC. This is because Gaius Caesar had the titles, "the successor of the throne" and "Princeps iuventutis", meaning the same. The cenotaph friezes in the museum are among the most remarkable examples of works of sculpture found in Anatolia that date from the era of Augustus.