Caius Ramsden-Board Ellie Wood The Power & the Glory Casey Mear Lauren Bacchus

Casey Mear Lauren Bacchus

Augustus & his iconography

In this piece I dive into the detail of how Augustus used imagery and architecture to support himself and his new regime. I also show how it shaped his reign as the first Roman Emperor… and possibly one of the greatest as well.

Augustus was born on 23rd September, 63 BC. He reigned as the first ever Roman Emperor from 27 BC until 19th August 14 AD when he died. Although his adoptive father Julius Caesar was assassinated, Augustus died of natural causes and his adopted son Tiberius took over from him peacefully after a 45-year reign. It is recorded that Augustus’ last words were “I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you as marble”, but I want to look at how he used the ‘marble’ to lay deep metaphorical foundations for a new system of government in Rome. The Forum of Augustus was a forum surrounding a temple that especially honoured Mars, the God of War. It was first dedicated during the battle of Philippi in 42 BC, when Augustus (or Octavian as he was known then) vowed to build a temple to celebrate his vengeance on the killers of his father, Julius Caesar. However, the forum of Augustus had not properly finished construction until around 2 BC. Augustus included many statues in the temple including Mars, Venus (goddess of love), Julius Caesar (his deified adopted father), Aeneas (son of Venus) and Anchises, as well as many more. Augustus was anxious to be seen as a tremendous military leader himself and someone who the Romans could rely on. However, after so many wars, he longed to bring both peace and prosperity to the people of Rome. To present his reign in this way, he desired to help the poor greatly and to restore the captivation of Rome. Therefore, Augustus himself paid for many buildings such as baths and theatres to be built, as well as improving Rome’s roads to increase and enhance trading. One of the main themes of Augustus’ rule and legacy was peace. We can see this in the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) where the bottom of the monument is filled with abundant crops, beautiful wildlife, fruits and much more. Due to Augustus’ constant promises of bringing peace to Rome, the Ara Pacis was dedicated to the goddess of peace, Pax. The idea of peace can also be seen on the Prima Porta breastplate where there is no violence but, instead, a tranquil image of the Parthians handing over a standard to Augustus to symbolise his victory over them. For many, war and peace juxtapose each other heavily; however, Augustus thought they were closely related. He believed the only way to achieve peace was to win war. Therefore inside the Forum of Augustus he built a temple honouring Mars. This notion, that peace and war are two sides of the same coin, is nicely encapsulated in an inscription Augustus himself had made, in which he talks of pax victoriis parta (peace won by victories). Another key topic of Augustus’ reign was the concept of a new golden age for Rome. Very similar to his idea of peace, this too is conveyed in the Ara Pacis. I referred earlier to the abundant peaceful imagery engraved into the statue and that is the picture Augustus wanted Rome to look like after his

rule. As well as paradise in Augustus’ new Rome, he offered more equality which is portrayed on the Ara Pacis. There, he has not shown himself to be an over-bearing king or emperor. In fact, on the frieze, Augustus fits in with a crowd of togawearing men indistinguishable from an ordinary Roman. Despite Augustus’ self-effacement, he had another side to him which fits readily with his presenting himself as godlike. Although he was not quite egotistical enough to openly exclaim that he was a god (something the Romans would have found appalling), there were many subtle hints to suggest he may be slightly more than human. He claimed many times to be the descendant of Venus, a statue of whom was stationed in the forum – specifically in the Temple of Mars which is intriguing considering she was the Goddess of Love. In addition, he promoted himself as being related to Cupid. We are shown this on the Prima Porta where a small statue of Cupid is present beside Augustus’ bare feet which further invigorates his divine status. Possibly a better justification to back up his point ‘I found was that his adoptive father was Julius Caesar, who later ‘became’ Rome of clay; a god. Even though they did not share blood, Augustus was in I leave it to effect the son of a god. As with Venus, a statue of Caesar was you as marble’ placed in the Temple of Mars. Arguably, the most powerful clue of all we’re the engravings on many coins which had the letters D.F. - standing for ‘divi filius’ (translating as ‘son of the divine’). One subject of Augustus’ rule that is linked to all his other themes is the idea that he is the destiny of Rome. This is indicated in the layout of the Forum where a statue of Augustus is stationed in the centre. Surrounding him are statues of many great heroes and gods but they all face him. This is Augustus suggesting that the culmination of Rome’s history, and every god and hero in Roman myth, has been leading up to him. Positioned at the sides of the forum were statues of Aeneas (the founder of the Roman race and son of Venus) and Romulus (founder of Rome who later became a god). Not only does this support Augustus’ point about being the destiny of Rome but also about him being godlike. By doing this, he presents himself as the third founder of Rome but unlike the others who founded the city of Rome and the Roman race, Augustus portrays himself as the founder of a golden age. In conclusion, we can see that the Forum of Augustus - and other physical expressions of power - used myth to support the new emperor by enhancing his image, expressing him as godlike without quite being a god. He presents himself both as a conqueror and as a peace-maker, and showing him to be a man the people truly loved. These images have played a significant role in the picture of Augustus held not just by his contemporaries but right down to the present day.