Caesars Palace : The First Themed Casino in Las Vegas
Augustus Caesar Porta�A second prominent statue of Augustus greets those who come through the main entryway . At seven feet , the bronze statue is smaller than the one located at the vehicular entrance to the casino . Supposedly , it is good luck to rub Caesar ’ s left index finger .
Three Muses�The large oval hotel lobby stretches out to the left of the Caesar statue . A marble rendering of the three graces or muses , stands in the center of a large fountain . The muses represent music , poetry , and the fine arts . Their Greek names are Aglala , Thalia , and Euphrosyne . Christian Romans renamed them Faith , Hope , and Charity . The hotel adorns them with beautiful bouquets on holidays .
Sculpted ceilings and ornate details make this hotel lobby a tourist attraction in itself . Sarno insisted the lighting fixtures represent the sun , in homage to the archaic Roman god , Sol . The Mural behind the reception desk depicts the chariot of Helios pulling the sun across the sky . When his son , Phaeton , tried to drive the chariot and lost control , he flew too close to the earth , causing burning and destruction . Only the intervention of Zeus saved the earth .
Capture of the Sabine Women�Another depiction of this scene , a white marble bas-relief wall , appears near the Bacchanal Buffet . Representations of this incident intrigued Sarno . Artists often relished the challenge to present this complex tension-filled scene .
Cleopatra ’ s Barge replicates an ornate craft that reputedly transported Egyptian royalty on the Nile River . The gilded , well-endowed figurehead of the queen of the Nile juts from the prow of the barge into the guest passageway and attracts the male gaze . The barge rests on an arroyo and during the infrequent rains in Las Vegas it actually floats . This craft holds
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