The stage wall (scaenae frons) of the Roman theater of Orange impresses with its height (121 ft / 37 m) and the quality and purity of the sound it projects. Very elaborate, it features columns, marble slabs, friezes, and niches once adorned with colorful mosaics and statues. The central niche still houses an 11.4 ft (3.5 m) high statue representing Emperor Augustus. Emperor from 27 BC to 14 AD, great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, Augustus ended a long series of civil wars and united the Mediterranean world under the Pax Romana. His reign was marked by the development and enrichment of many cities in Gaul, including Nîmes, Arles, and Orange.