Imperial Image Scholars

Zanker (Prima Porta)

Reign of moral superiority

Bishop (Prima Porta)

youthful and beardless appearance was atypical for contemporary leaders, which evokes links to Alexander the Great

Beard (Res Gestae)

egocentric, self-obsessed document

Moore (Res Gestae)

If it contained anything directly untrue then many people could disprove it

Beard and Henderson (Forum)

decorations supported Augustan ideology

Wallace-Hadrill (Forum)

Augustus wanted to identify with the past

Wallace-Hadrill (Actium)

was portrayed as a fight to save the Roman gods, ideas and morality against the threat of barbarism and corruption

Syme (Actium)

it was a shabby affair

Beard (Actium)

focusing on cleopatra avoided publicising that Octavian had fought a Roman

Wilson (coins)

they were clear, uncluttered and easy to decode

Galinsky (coins)

laurel wreaths displayed his anxiety to move away from memories of the civil war and towards the ensuing peace

Harris (literature)

literacy rates were at 10% max

Zanker (religious reforms)

"new and old religious activities now meant everyone could get involved in religious affairs"

Beard (Caesar)

Was Augustus' passport to power

Syme (propaganda)

Mycaenas was his minister of propaganda

Favro (propaganda)

Buildings were useful for every propaganda aim

Syndikus (literature)

Horace meant to endorse Augustus's policies (particularly in moral decadence)

Beard (Poets)

None of them had covertly veiled messages in their propaganda

Goldsworthy (Caesar)

Caesars legacy was a burden, not a benefit

Smith (Sebasteion)

Warrior deities

Wardle (Suetonius)

Writing style exaggerates Augustus's vices

Claridge (buildings)

Buildings are accessible to all

Zanker (Apollo)

Ageless beauty would've conjured images of Apollo

Galinsky (monuments)

Most effective form of propaganda as it relies on visual communication

Syme (coins)

Cultural nuances mean they're less effective