Transcript Ara Pacis Augustae

ARA PACIS AUGUSTAE
Historical Relief and Roman Mythmaking
Facts about the ARA PACIS
• Altar of Augustan Peace
• Located in the Campus Martius, Rome
• Decreed by the Senate to celebrate Augustus’ return from Spain and
Gaul
• Foundation stone laid on 4th July 13 BCE
• Dedicated by the Senate in honor of Augustus’ creation of the Pax
Romana in 30 January 9 BCE (Livia’s birthday)
• Part of a complete architectural program with the Mausoleum of
Augustus, his ustrinum, an obelisk that acted as the central arm of a
sundial
• One of the great Roman historical reliefs; others include Trajan’s
column, arch of Septimius Severus in Leptis Magna.
Res Gestae Divi Augusti
The Accomplishments and Achievements of the Divine Augustus
• Res Gestae 12
• “On my return from Spain and
Gaul, after successfully
restoring law and order to these
provinces, the Senate decided
under the consulship of Tiberius
Nero and Publius Quintilius to
consecrate the Ara Pacis
Augustae on the Campus
Marius in honor of my return, at
which officials, priests, and
Vestal Virgins should offer an
annual sacrifice.”
Plan of Ara Pacis Augustae
• The building is a marble
precinct wall that
surrounds a grand and
elaborate altar, on a high
podium.
• Doors face east and west symbolic of the extent of
empire
• Shadow of sundial on
Augustus’ birthday
Decorative Scheme I
• Mythology
• East side
– Pax (Venus or Tellus)
– Roma
– Sun rises on new Roman
Empire
• West side
– Aeneas
– Romulus and Remus
– Sun sets on legendary herofounders
• History
• North side
– senators
– priests
– piety
• South side
– imperial family
– Augustus, Agrippa
– family
Decorative Scheme II
• Exterior lower half
• exuberant floral motif
• combination of
extraordinary flowers
and fruits
• vegetation climbing
the walls
• Apollo symbolism
• Interior relief
– garlands of an abundance
of fruits, leaves, and
flowers
– bucrania of sacrificed cows
– imitation of rustic shrine
• Altar
– Sacrifice
– Vestal virgins
West Side: Aeneas
• Sacrificing as in Aeneid
III.389
• White sow, 30 piglets
• Temple to Penates in
background
• Iulus (aka Ascanius) gens Julius
• Camilli, attendants at the
sacrifice
Aeneas Sacrificing
West Side: Romulus and Remus
• Very fragmentary
• Faustulus
• Mars - fig tree,
woodpecker
• Suckling of twins at
wolf
East Side:Venus, Tellus, Pax
• Controversial identification of
female figure
• Her crown of corn and
pomegranate
• Cupidesque babies in lap
• Reclining cow, sheep
• Aurae
– swan
– sea monster
PAX ROMANA
• Images of abundance, fertility,
fecundity, pastoralism, golden age
North Side: Religious Personnel
• Camilli
• acerra, pitcher
• others might be
priests
• Four priestly
colleges: pontifices,
augures, XV viri
sacris faciundis, VII
viri epulones.
• Leading in Julia and
Lucius Caesar (b. 12
BCE)
Senators
• Heavily restored; IDs invalid
• Mixture of piety and politics
South Side: Julio-Claudian Family
• Moving from
East to West
• More
fragmentary on
west side
• Recognizable
portraits
Augustus and the Flamines
• Augustus. Partially destroyed.
• Not marked out. Primus inter pares. Princeps.
• 4 Flamines: galena, laena.
Julio-Claudians I: Marcus Agrippa
• Gaius Caesar (b. 20 BCE)
• Ludus Troiae (Vergil, Aen. V.556 559)
• Livia, Tiberius, Antonia Minor,
Drusus.
Agrippa, Gaius Caesar, Livia, Tiberius, Antonia Minor, Germanicus, Drusus, Antonia
Maior, Gnaeus Lucius Ahenobarbus
Julio-Claudians II: The Children
• Germanicus
• Antonia Maior
– Domitia
– Gnaeus
Exterior Frieze
• Vine tendrils develop into
volutes
• Mix of acanthus flower, ivy,
vine leaves and grapes
• Hidden frogs, birds, lizards,
snakes in the grass
• Allusion to the saeclum
aureum, Golden Age. (Vergil,
Eclogue IV)
• Deliberate branching and
balancing to reflect JulioClaudian family.
Swan
• Swan is Apollo’s bird
• Symbolism validates Augustus’ reign
Hidden Animals
•
•
•
Bird and lizard
Lizard and snake attacking nest of birds.
Anguis in herbis Snake in the grass
•
Interior Swags
•
•
Imitation of rustic
shrine
Bucrania - skulls of
sacrificed cattle
Swags
– each one is
different
– grapes, figs,
apples, pears,
olives, plums,
pine cones, and
pomegranates and vegetation oak, ivy, laurel,
and poppies
Altar
• Ends of the altar
are scrolls
supported by
griffins (winged
lions)
• Sacrifice
• Vestal Virgins
• Enactment in
stone of yearly
sacrifice to Pax
Romana
Conclusions
• Symbolic themes:
family, piety, peace,
fertility and abundance
• First relief with
presence of children
• Setting up of a dynasty
• Placing it and
justifying it with
mythological
precedents