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Augustus was the first emperor of Rome, he
replaced the Roman republic with an
effective monarchy. Thanks to his political
abilities, his long reign proved to bring
peace and stability with his establishment of
Pax Augusta, which lasted for two centuries.
During this time, Rome was transformed
with impressive new buildings and Augustus
was a patron of the most famous roman
artists. He ensured that his image was
promoted among his subjects through
statues and coins: a first form of marketing.
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The long period of stability and
peace in the Roman Empire
started in 29 B.C. Augustus was
the founder of this period which
was a total reorganisation of
Roman society, administration
and legal system.
During this peacefull time,
Augustus put a lot of
importance on art and
architecture; Rome was
transformed during his reign.
THE ARA PACIS
An emblematic sign of gratitude for Augustus is the “Ara Pacis Augustae”.
It is an altar wanted by the Senate in 13 B.C. that celebrates the greatness of Rome
and the victories of Augustus. This altar is enclosed by an almost squared enclosure
where are two entries in the shortest sides. In front of the principal entry there is a
beautiful fight of steps.
Inside the monument there are decorations that look like the traditional wooden
enclosure used in the past; outside there are relieves that represents the origin of
Rome, the peace that Augustus have brought in the Empire and a religious procession.
The best way to
communicate
Today, politicians think very carefully about how they will be
photographed. Just think about campaigns during election season. These
pictures tell us a lot about the candidate and his purposes. Similarly,
roman art was linked with political activity. The first example of this
trend was portraits of Augustus. In fact, he understood that the best way
to communicate his ideology was through art.
The
Augustus
of
Prima Porta:
the first
example of
propagandistic
art.
The best example of propagandistic
roman art is the statue of ‘‘Augustus of
Prima Porta’’. Augustus is shown like a
victorious military leader. Augustus is
shown quite faithfully and with a
perfect body like a Greek athlete. His
face and body are idealized; he stands
in a “contrapposto” pose with all of his
weight on his right leg like the
Doryphoros of Polykleitos. At his right
leg there is also another sign of
symbolism, a cupid figure riding a
dolphin, this means that Augustus
descended from the God Cupid, who is
the son of Venus, the roman goddess of
love. Augustus is an international
military leader who has the gods on his
side.
Claudia Ametrano
Lucia Lauri
Alessia Levi