Ancient Romans built at least two pyramids, and only one survives today. The destroyed pyramid, known as the Meta Romuli, was destroyed between 1498 and 1499 by the order of Pope Alexander VI in order to constrict a new road leading to what would become the new St. Peter's Basilica. The dimensions of the pyramid was between 105 and 164 feet high and 82 feet wide, with a square base. A legend circulated in the middle ages that it was built for Rome's founders, Romulus with its brother pyramid, Cestius made for Remus. It's not actually known who the Meta Romuli was built for, but it was likely an elite roman. The tomb had an accessible burial chamber. Based on some historical evidence, it's likely the destruction of the pyramid occurred over a long period, with some of the marble taken from the tomb and repurposed in the Old St Peter's Basilica. It's claimed that during the tombs destruction, the concrete was so hard that the bangs from the hammers used were so loud that it resembled someone beating a "mountain of iron". The foundations of the pyramid were rediscovered in the late 1940s and are all that remains of this ancient pyramid.

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