IMPERIAL IMAGE - Prescribed Sources Dates

Octavian and Julius Caesar aureus

43BC

• shows them as in the same family - same divine heritage

• ceasar wears a wreath but Oct doesnt —> showing he is just a normal man of the poeple

  • unlike his father ceasar who was more of a king

• inscription says the name Ceasar —> showing both men share the powerful name

Bust of Livia

31BC

• shows her as:

  • matronly

  • conservative

  • typical Roman woman - perfect role model

• wants her to be presented this way as they due to their marriage scandals

  • Oct divorcing his wife the day of his daughters birth

  • Livia leaving her husband for Oct

• also contrasts the appearance of Cleopatra - who is flamboyant and very eastern - opposite of roman beauty standards.

Pax denarius

32-29BC

• displays Pax goddess who is the personification of peace

  • shows how Oct is the bringer of peace

• Symbolised stability and prosperity

• Oct still has no laurel wreath - not aligning himself with caesars image too closely

• the legend says: ‘divi fillius‘

  • meaning son of a god

    • legitimising Octs power + powerful propagnda tool

A Toast to Actium - Horace

30BC

• Augustan propaganda, disguised as a drinking song, celebrating Octavian's victory at Actium

• by framing it as a triumph over Antony and Cleopatra's "oriental" corruption

• portraying Octavian as Rome's savior and legitimising his new imperial rule

He had the patronage of Maecenas, Augustus's close friend

• suggesting political bias

Cleopatra - Horace

23BC

• a complex poem celebrating Octavian's victory (Augustus) over Cleopatra

• shifting from condemnation of her perceived threat to Rome to grudging admiration for her courageous, self-chosen death

  • portraying her as a powerful, fatalistic queen.

  • choosing dignified suicide over Roman humiliation.

  • despite initial portrayals as a dangerous "monstrum" (monster) and a drunken queen.

• The poem uses a drinking song framework to transition from Roman revelry to acknowledging Cleopatra's defiant control over her final fate, elevating her from mere enemy to a figure of tragic grandeur

Woman's Power - Propertius

23BC

• analyzes female influence through historical and mythological figures like Cleopatra, Medea, and Amazons, contrasting powerful women with Roman ideals

• while exploring themes of love as enslavement, female agency, foreign threat, and the poet's own vulnerability,

• ultimately linking personal romantic subjugation to political power struggles.

• He uses mythological figures to show women's formidable power

• but then shifts to critique Cleopatra as a dangerous "other,"

• glorifying Augustus's victory and Rome's strength,

• he admits his own enslavement to his beloved Cynthia

Seated aureus

28BC

• Depiction: Octavian is shown seated on a sella curulis (curule chair), the traditional symbol of Roman magisterial authority.

  • This reinforces his image as a lawful magistrate rather than a military dictator.

• Restoration of Law: He is depicted holding a scroll (volumen), representing the return to civil administration and the rule of law.

• Legend/Inscription: Features the text 'LEGES ET IURA P. R. RESTITUIT' (He restored the laws and rights to the Roman people).

• Political Context: Issued during his sixth consulship, the coin is a key piece of propaganda used to signal the end of the Triumviral period and the supposed restoration of the republic

Prima Porta

20BC-14AD

• Visual Imagery:

  • Statue of Augustus found at Livia's villa, shown in the adlocutio pose (addressing his army).

  • Cupid on a dolphin at his feet: Symbolises divine descent from Venus (Aeneas' mother).

• The Breastplate (Thorax):

  • Central scene: A Parthian returning the Roman standards lost by Crassus in 53BC.

  • Represents a diplomatic victory presented as a military triumph.

  • Surrounded by cosmic deities like Sol, Luna, Caelus, and Tellus (Earth), suggesting the Pax Romana is divinely ordained.

• Political Significance:

  • Portrays Augustus as an eternal, youthfully vigorous leader, departing from realistic 'veristic' Republic styles.

  • Legitimises his rule by combining military command with divine approval.

  • Emphasises the restoration of Roman honour and the global stability of his regime.

Ara Pacis

13-9BC

• The Ara Pacis presents Augustus as a peaceful, divinely favored leader whose rule brought stability, prosperity, and the Pax Romana to Rome through political authority, religion, and family succession

  • It promotes Augustus’ achievements and legitimizes his authority without showing him as a tyrant

  • it uses Images of fertility, abundance, and harmony suggest prosperity under Augustus’ rule

  • It shows Augustus as pontifex maximus, reinforcing his role as a religious and moral leader.

  • Including his family emphasizes dynastic succession and political stability

Forum of Augustus

2BC

• The Forum of Augustus reinforces Augustus’ authority by linking his rule to Rome’s heroic past and divine destiny.

  • Statues of Aeneas, Romulus, and great Roman leaders (summi viri) associate Augustus with legendary founders and moral exemplars, presenting him as their rightful successor.

  • The Temple of Mars Ultor emphasizes Augustus’ role as avenger of Julius Caesar and protector of Roman values

    • promoting justice, military virtue, and the legitimacy of his rule within a restored Roman tradition.

The Temple of Palatine Apollo - Propertius

16BC

promotes Augustus as a divinely favored, morally upright ruler chosen by Apollo.

• Built next to Augustus’ home, the temple closely links the god of order, prophecy, and harmony with Augustus’ leadership.

• Propertius’ poetic description emphasizes Apollo’s support in Augustus’ victory at Actium, contrasting Roman order with Eastern excess,

• presenting Augustus as the restorer of traditional values, peace, and cultural renewal under divine guidance.

War and Peace - Propertius

20BC

• Augustus’ military victories are framed as a necessary means to achieve lasting peace for Rome.

Propertius contrasts the violence of civil war with the harmony of the Augustan age, presenting Augustus as a ruler who ends conflict rather than glorifies it.

This poetic narrative supports Augustan propaganda by justifying war under Augustus as divinely sanctioned and morally necessary, ultimately celebrating the peace, stability, and cultural renewal of the Pax Romana.

Chaste and Faithful Galla - Propertius

20BC

Propertius promotes Augustan moral ideals by praising female chastity, marital loyalty, and traditional Roman virtue.

• The poem aligns with Augustus’ moral legislation by presenting sexual restraint and fidelity as the foundation of social stability.

• By idealizing Galla’s behavior, Propertius reinforces Augustus’ program of moral renewal, suggesting that personal virtue supports the peace and order of the Augustan state.

Deification of Julius Caesar - Ovid

8AD

• Caesar is transformed into a god, legitimising Augustus’ authority as the divi filius (son of a god).

  • By emphasising divine intervention and celestial approval, Ovid elevates Caesar’s legacy while indirectly glorifying Augustus as his rightful heir.

  • The mythic transformation reinforces the idea that Augustus’ rule is sanctioned by the gods, strengthening his political legitimacy and presenting his power as part of Rome’s divine destiny.

Ovid's celebration of Augustus - Ovid

8AD

Ovid celebrates Augustus as a divinely favored ruler whose leadership brings peace, order, and prosperity to Rome.

• By linking Augustus to Jupiter and portraying his reign as part of a cosmic plan,

• Ovid elevates the emperor above ordinary mortals while stopping short of calling him a god.

  • This praise reinforces Augustan ideology by presenting Augustus as the guarantor of the Pax Romana and the restorer of moral and political stability.

Moral Decadence - Horace

23BC

Augustus Returns - Horace

23BC

• Written by Horace to praise Emperor Augustus

• Focuses on the longing for Augustus’s return to Rome

• Augustus is portrayed as god-like and divinely favored

• His absence causes anxiety and instability in Rome

• His presence brings peace, safety, and prosperity

• Law, morality, and traditional Roman values are restored under him

• Agriculture and daily life flourish when he rules

• Augustus protects Rome from foreign enemies

• Uses religious imagery to elevate Augustus’s authority

• Serves as political propaganda supporting imperial power

Drusus and the Claudians - Horace

13BC

Carmen Seculare - Horace

17BC

• Written by Horace and commissioned by Augustus for the Ludi Saeculares (17 BC).

• Performed by a chorus of 54 youths, symbolising renewal and Rome’s future.

• The poem is a religious hymn, not open political praise.

Key ideas:

• The gods (especially Apollo, Diana, and Jupiter) favour Rome and Augustus.

• Augustus is presented indirectly as the leader chosen by the gods.

• Peace under Augustus brings:

  • Fertility

  • Prosperity

  • Moral renewal.

• The poem promotes the idea of a new Golden Age, like the age of Saturn.

• Strong emphasis on:

  • Family values

  • Good morals

  • Stability after civil war.

Overall message:
Horace’s Carmen Saeculare presents Augustus as the divinely supported restorer of peace and morality, ushering in a new Golden Age for Rome, while carefully avoiding overt monarchy by embedding praise within religious worship.

To Augustus - Horace

13BC

• Poem written by Horace in praise of Emperor Augustus

• Celebrates Augustus as Rome’s saviour after civil war

• Augustus is presented as chosen and supported by the gods

• He restores peace and political stability

• Ends internal conflict and defeats foreign enemies

• Strengthens laws, morality, and traditional Roman values

• Agriculture and daily life prosper under his rule

• Rome’s power expands while peace is maintained at home

• Augustus compared to legendary heroes of the past

• Future generations will sing of Augustus’s achievements

• Poem acts as imperial propaganda

• Reinforces Augustus as the ideal Roman ruler

Gaius and Lucius aureus

2BC-4AD

• gold aureus honoring Gaius and Lucius, Augustus’ adopted sons

  • promotes dynastic succession and political stability under Augustus’ rule.

  • By depicting the boys as heirs holding priestly symbols (the simpulum and lituus), the coin links Augustus’ family to religious authority, tradition, and moral legitimacy.

  • Issued across the empire, the coin reassured Romans that Augustus had secure successors, reinforcing the idea that his leadership—and the Pax Romana—would continue beyond his lifetime.

Augustus Relief - Kalabsha Gate

30BC

• The Augustus Relief at the Kalabsha Gate presents Augustus as a divine, authoritative ruler over both Rome and its provinces, particularly Egypt.

Shown in traditional Egyptian pharaonic style making offerings to the gods, Augustus adopts local visual language to legitimize his power as Pharaoh.

• This imagery emphasizes his universal rule, divine approval, and control over Egypt after the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra

• reinforcing Augustus’ dominance while blending Roman authority with local religious tradition.

Res Gestae Divi Augusti

13AD-14AD

Mausoleum of Augustus

28-23BC

• The Mausoleum of Augustus projects Augustus’ power and legacy by presenting him as Rome’s eternal leader.

• Its massive scale and prominent location assert his dominance and permanence, while serving as a dynastic tomb for his family reinforces continuity and stability under his rule.

• By choosing a monumental, circular form inspired by Etruscan and heroic burial traditions, Augustus links himself to Rome’s ancient past, ensuring his memory and authority endure beyond his lifetime

  • This directly contrasts with Mark Antony, who aligned himself with Cleopatra and the East, planning to be buried in Alexandria.

  • By establishing a grand tomb in Rome for himself and his family, Augustus presented himself as the true Roman leader, loyal to Rome’s values and future, while portraying Antony as foreign, un-Roman, and disloyal

The Lives of the Twelve Caesars - Suetonius

121AD