Augustan Rome Final

First Settlement

27 BCE

• Augustus returns power to the Senate but maintains control over key provinces and the military forces

• Essentially promised to restore Rome back to a Republic, but it was the beginning of the Roman Empire

Second Settlement

23 BCE

• Augustus renounced consulship but gained maius imperium and tribunicia potestas without actually becoming a tribune

  • Maius Imperium: Highest level of imperium (could override everyone)

  • Tribunica Potestas: Propose laws to the senate, veto laws, Sacrosanct, etc

Family Laws

17 BCE

• Unmarried individuals were denied inheritance rights and access to public entertainment

• Punished adulterers with banishment

• Fathers were allowed to kill a daughter and her lover if caught in the act

• Husbands were legally required to divorce adulterous wives or face penalties themselves

• Those who produced 3 male sons were granted high regard and privileges

• Women could gain legal independence once they birthed a certain number of children

Ludi Seculares

17 BCE

• Religious games and festivals to symbolize a new golden age under his rule

Ara Pacis

13 BCE

• Celebrate the peace and prosperity brought by Augustus 

• Located in the Campus Martius

Organization of Rome into Regiones

• 7 BCE

  • Divided Rome into 14 Regiones

  • Each region was divided into vici (neighborhoods)

  • Each vicus had its own local officials (Vicomagistri) and shrines (Lares Compitales)

Temple of Mars Ultor

• 2 BCE

  • “Mars the Avenger”

  • Augustus promised to build the temple after defeating Brutus and Cassius, but was delayed until his reign was fully consolidated

Death of Augustus

• 14 CE

  • His final words, according to Suetonius:

    • To the public: “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”

    • To friends: “Have I played my part well? Applaud as I exit.”

  • Buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus

  • Senate deified him → Divus Augustus

Aeneas

• Legendary Trojan hero

  • Considered the founder of Rome

  • Named in Virgil's "Aeneid" as the ancestor of the Romans

  • Symbolizes duty and piety in Roman culture

Anchises

Venus’ lover, Aeneas’ father

Dies in Sicily

Ascanius

• Travels with Aeneas

• Founded Alba Longa - birthplace of Romulus and Remus

• Also called Lulu / Julus

  • The Gens Julia (clan of Julius Caesar) claims descent from him and ultimately the goddess Venus

Turnus

• Fiancé of Lavinia, becomes Aeneas’s enemy

• Refused to give up Lavinia → war

• Killed by Aeneas

Mezentius

• An Etruscan King who allied with Turnus

• Known for cruelty and impiety (mocks the gods)

• Defeated by Aeneas in battle

• Dies seeks vengeance for his son Lausus, who was trying to defend his father and was ultimately killed by Aeneas

  • Aeneas was moved to pity

Latinius

• King of Latium, Lavinia’s father

• Receives Aeneas with goodwill; sees him as the man fated to marry Lavinia

• Tries to avoid war

Evander

• King of Pallanteum (site of future Rome)

• Offers an alliance to Aeneas against Turnus

• Helps Aeneas arrange an alliance Etruscans

Pallas

• Son of Evander

• Becomes Aeneas’s protege and is killed by Turnus

Euryalus and Nisus

• Close friends serving under Aeneas

• Undertake a daring night raid on the Rutulian Camp (Book 9)

  • Aeneas was away seeking allies, and the Trojan camp was under siege by Turnus and the Rutulians

  • Plan to infiltrate the Rutulian camp and kill

  • Successfully breach the camp and slaughter many sleeping Rutulians

  • Euryalus starts taking the spoils of war, and the gleaming helmet he took gives away their position

• Both were ambushed and killed, heads displayed on pikes at the Trojan camp

Augustus

• First Roman emperor and heir of Julius Caesar

• Achievements

  • Ended civil wars, established the Principate

  • Launched massive building programs (Forum of Augustus, Ara Pacis, etc.)

  • Family laws and religious revivals

• Linked his rule to Rome’s divine destiny

M. Agrippa

• Augustus’s closest friend, general, and son-in-law

• Achievements

  • Won the Battle of Actium

  • Oversaw building projects

  • Backbone of Augustus’ military and civic success

Parthians (iranians)

• From the Eastern empire, Rome’s greatest rival

• Roman-Parthian War (54 BCE)

  • Humiliated Rome with the death of Crassus in 53 BCE

  • Captured Roman Aquila

• Returned Roman standards (aquila, emblem of the golden eagles, most prestigious) to Augustus

Livia Drusilla

• Augustus’ wife, mother of Tiberius

• Model of Roman matronly values

• Powerful advisor

Tiberius

• Augustus’ stepson and successor

• Emperor 14-37 CE

  • Rule: Expanded the empire; known for a more repressive, suspicious reign

    • Considered a bad emperor

  • Eventually resigned rule and moved to the island of Capri

Claudius

• Emperor 41-54 CE

  • Conquered Britain

  • Capable emperor

• Mocked for his physical disability

• Allegedly died from poison

Nero

• Emperor 54-68 CE

  • Infamous for extravagance, artistic obsessions, and cruelty

    • Accused of murdering his mother and wives

    • Persecuted Christians

    • Built the “Golden House”

    • More interested in his own entertainment than well well-being of the empire

  • Blamed for the Great Fire of Rome

    • Allegedly used it as an opportunity to bypass the senate and rebuild the city and construct his new palace, the Domus Aurea (“golden house”) to his liking

    • Blamed the Christians

  • Romans eventually rebelled, declared him a public enemy. Nero fled and eventually committed suicide

Agrippina the Younger

• Mother of Nero, wife of Emperor Claudius

• Secured Nero’s succession

• Later murdered by Nero when she became inconvenient

Julia the elder

• Only biological child of Augustus (with Scribonia)

• Married Agrippa

  • Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar

• Exiled by Augustus for adultery and moral scandals

Gaius and Lucius Caesar

• Adopted grandsons of Augustus

• Groomed as successors

• Early deaths 

Mesalla Corvinus

• Prominent Senator, general and literary patron

• Supported the Augustan regime

• Ties with poet Propertius

Maecenas

• Close advisor to Augustus and major patron of literature

• Supported horace, vergil, propertius 

• Helped craft the cultural propaganda that supported Augustus

Horace

• Works: Odes, Epodes, Satires, and Carmen Saeculare

• Celebrated Augustan peace and moral reform

• Balanced praise with subtle personal themes

Vergil

• Works: Ecologues, Georgics, and Aeneid

• Aeneid mythologized Augustus’ rule, portraying Rome’s destiny and divine favor

• Foundation of Augustan literary propaganda

Propertius

• Works: Elegies (Books 1-4)

• Combined love poetry with politics and art

• Less overtly supportive of Augustus than Horace / Vergil

Catullus

• Works: Carmina

• Pre-Augustan; famous for intense and personal love poetry

Tibullus

• Works: Elegies

• Love poetry focused on the ideal of simple rural life

• Associated with Messalla Corvinus

Sulpicia

• Works: Short poems included in the TIbullus books

• Only known Roman female poet whose work survives

• Offers a female perspective on love poetry - rare and valuable

Ovid

• Works: Amores, Ars Amatoria, Metamorphoses, Tristia

• Often pushed boundaries of Augustan morals

• Exiled by Augustus in 8 CE for “a poem and a mistake”

Vergil’s Aeneid (Books 6,7,8,12)

• Book 6

  • Aeneas arrives in Italy and consults the Sibyl a priestess at Cumae

  • Travels to the Underworld to seek guidance from his father, Anchises

  • Sees the river Lethe (souls waiting for rebirth) and the famous future Romans

  • Anchises reveals Rome’s glorious destiny

• Book 7

  • Aeneas reaches Latium; King Latinus offers his daughter Lavinia in marriage

  • Juno, still opposing Aeneas, incites war by rousing Turnus and the native Italians

  • Aeneas prepares for battle

• Book 8

  • Aeneas visits King Evander who agrees to help

  • Vulcan, at Venus’ request, forges Aeneas’ armor, including a shield that shows scenes of Roman history 

    • Like Augustus victory at Actium

      • Vergil ties Aeneas’ mythic struggle directly to Augustus reign

• Book 12

  • Aeneas and Turnus engage in single combat

  • Turnus is defeated and begs for mercy

  • Aeneas in furor kills Turnus

    • Furor vs Pietas

    • Rome’s peace and empire are born through bloodshed

Horace, Carmen Saeculare

• Context: commissioned for the Ludi Saeculares during Augustus’s reign

• Content: A hymn to Apollo, Diana, Juno, and Jupiter

  • Praises Augustus and Rome’s prosperity, asking the gods to bless Rome’s future

• Themes:

  • Renewal and divine favor: Celebrates a new golden age

  • Moral and Civic Virtue: Aligns with Augustus’s religious and moral reforms

  • Propaganda: Presents Augustus as chosen by the gods to lead Rome into peace and glory

Propertius (Elegies - 2.1, 2.15, 2.16)

• 2.1: The role of the poet

  • Content: 

    • Propertius defends his choice to write love poetry rather than an epic about Augustus’ military exploits

  • Themes:

    • Poetic identity: Asserts that love poetry has value alongside patriotic epics

    • Ambivalence: Shows both respect for Augustus and a desire to focus on personal themes

• 2.15: Love and Desire

  • Content:

    • Describes a passionate night with Cynthia (his lover)

    • Vividly sensual and celebratory of physical love

  • Themes:

    • Pleasure and Indulgence: Pushes back against the era’s moral rigidity

• 2.16: Longing and Absence

  • Content: 

    • The poet expresses desperate longing for Cynthia when she is away

Ovid (Amores- 1.1, 1.4)

• 1.1: The Poet & Love

  • Content: 

    • Ovid begins by announcing a war-like epic, but Cupid steals a foot from his verse, forcing him into love poetry

  • Themes:

    • Humor & Irony: Playful subversion of epic conventions

    • Love as Battle: Positions love as its own kind of heroic struggle

• 1.4: Seduction at Dinner

  • Content:

    • Ovid gives explicit instructions to his lover during banquet - how to exchange glances and communicate in secret

  • Themes:

Wit & Mischief: Flirty and light-hearted

Lethe River

• River of forgetfulness in the Underworld; Souls drink to erase past memories before rebirth (Book 6)

Ekphrasis

• Vivid literary description of art; famous in Aeneas’ shield scene (Book 8)

Furor

• Rage, chaos, and violence

• The destructive force Aeneas must control to fulfill destiny

Pietas

• Duty to gods, family and country

• Aeneas’ defining virtue

Forum of Augustus

Monumental space showcasing Rome’s greatness; featured statues of heroes and the Temple of Mars Ultor

Exedrae

• Semicircular Niches in Roman Architecture

• Housed statues of summi viri in the Forum of Augustus

Summi Viri

• Statues of Rome’s great men (founders, heroes) honoring Roman history in public spaces

Sol Apollo

• Roman sun god

• Associated with Augustus, symbolizing divine favor and enlightenment

Vicomagistri

Neighborhood officials who managed local shrines and festivals

Lares Compitales

• Guardian deities of crossroads

• Honored in local roman neighborhoods

Genius

• A person’s or place’s protective spirit

• Augustus’ genius was publicly worshipped

Temple of Divus Julius

• First temple to deify a Roman (Julius Caesar)

• Tied Augustus to divine heritage

Horologium

Giant sundial in Campus Martius

Aligned with the Ara Pacis

Gnomon

• The shadow-casting arm of a sundial; Horologium’s centerpiece

Ara Pacis North Processional Frieze

• A line of figures participating in a religious procession, likely for the altar’s consecration

• Figures are dressed in togas and include rome’s political and religious elites

• Children appear alongside adults → reinforce Augustus push for family values

South Processional Frieze

First West Mythological Frieze

Aeneas sacrificing panel

Second West Mythological Frieze

• Romulus and Remus

  • Shows them being suckled by the she-wolf with Faustulus the shepard that found them nearby

First East Mythological Frieze

•  Tellus

  • Shows Tellus (earth), Pax (peace), or Italia cradling twin babies surrounded by symbols of fertility and abundance

    • Animals, birds, and lush plants

    • Sea and sky personifications, representing the harmony of land, sea and air

  • Emphasizes the natural prosperity and peace brought by Augustus’ rule → Pax Romana

Second East Mythological Frieze

• Roma

  • Depicts Roma, personification fo Rome, seated on a pile of captured weapons and armor

  • Appears strong and serene, holding a spear, symbolizing military might and victory

  • Peace through strength

Elegiac Poetry

• Love focused Roman poetry with alternating hexameter and pentameter lines

  • Propertius, Ovid

Amor vs Roma

• Ovid’s playful theme: love (amor) distracts from civic duty (Roma)

Roman Odes

Horace’s formal poems glorifying Rome and Augustus’ achievements

Ars Amatoria

Ovid’s “Art of Love”, witty guide to seduction – controversial in Augustus’ moral climate

Ovid Exile

• Banished in 8 CE to Tomis

• Famously cited a “poem and a mistake” as the cause

  • Likely linked to the Ars Amatoria

Pax Romana

“Roman Peace” under Augustus

Romanization

The spread of Roman culture, law, and language across conquered provinces

Tropaeum Augusti

Victory monument in Gaul celebrating Augustus’ conquest of the Alps and tribes

Forum of Merida

Example of provincial Roman architecture; reflects imperial influence

Altar of the gens Augusta

Associated with the imperial cults

Shows Aeneas dragging Ascanius and Anchises

Royal Mausoleum of Maurentania

Tomb blending Roman and local styles

Imperial Protraiture

Statues and busts of emperors; combined realism with idealism to project power

Apotheosis

The process of becoming a god, Augustus was deified after death

Gemma Augustea

Intricately carved cameo showing Augustus as Jupiter-like figure, symbolizing victory and divinity

Seated next to Roma

Syncretism

Blending of different religious and cultural practices, seen in provincial Roman cults

Lares and penates

• Household gods

• Lares = guardians of the home

• Penates = protectors of storerooms

Sebasteion of Aphrodisias

Provincial temple complex glorifying the imperial family

Building of Eumachia

• Large building in Pompeii

• Associated with prominent woman, reflects elite female influence

Julio-Claudian Emperors

• Dynasty after Augustus: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, nero

• Maintained and evolved the empire

Imperial funeral

• Large public events with processions, cremation, deification rituals

• Procession:

  • Body was displayed on a a golden bed with senators, soldiers, priests, and family members in the Forum Romanum

  • Body lay in state for several days, often in the emperor’s home

  • Public eulogy praising the emperor’s achievements

• Cremation

  • Body is placed on a massive funeral pyre outside the city often in the Campus Martius

  • After the pyre was lit, an eagle (aquila) was released, symbolizing the emperor’s soul ascending to the heavens

• Deification

  • If the senate decreed, the emperor was formally deified (apotheosis) after the ceremony, joining the ranks of Divi (gods)

  • A temple might be erected to honor them

• Showed continuity and stability

• Strengthend the imperial cult which worshipped the spirits of the deified emperors

• Allowed the populace to participate in imperial rituals, reinforcing loyalty and unity

Domus on the Palatine

Augustus’ residence, simple yet symbolic of his position as princeps

Furor in the Aeneid

Introduction:

• Concept of furor as a force of rage, chaos, and destruction in roman thought

• Thesis Statement: In the Aeneid, furor symbolizes the destructive forces that threaten both personal self-control and political stability; Vergil uses Aeneas’ journey to explore the tension between chaotic rage and the Roman virtue of pietas.

BP 1:

• Furor first appears through Juno’s wrath, which sets the plot in motion

  • Juno’s hatred of the Trojans and her manipulation of events (instigating the war in Latium)

    • Shows how destructive passion of the gods affect humans, causing conflict and delaying destiny

BP 2:

• Aeneas is defined byn pietas but is repeatedly tempted by personal passion and anger

  • His love affair with Dido (books 1-4); how desire distracts him from destiny

  • His grief and rage over the death of Pallas

    • Shows how even the model of Roman virtue struggles with furor

Conclusion

• Vergil’s ending makes readers question whether true peace is ever fully attainable or if furor is an eternal part of human existence

The myth of Augustus on the Ara Pacis

Introduction

• Art and architecture in Augustan rome wasn’t just decoration but also tools of imperial propaganda

• Ara pacis was a celebration of augustus’s achievements

• Thesis Statement: The Ara Pacis uses mythological imagery—Aeneas, Romulus, and divine figures—to create a visual myth of Augustus as the rightful heir to Rome’s founders, blending history and legend to legitimize his power and promote his vision of a new golden age.

BP 1:

• Aeneas serves a direct mythical parallel to Augustus

  • Depicts Aeneas performing a sacrifice, embodying pietas

    • Emphasized this virtue and aligned himself with Aeneas’ dedication to the well-being of Rome

    • Represents him as Rome’s founder and divine ancestor

  • Divine lineage

    • Aeneas is son of Venus

    • And Augustus is adopted by Julius Caesar who claims descent from Venus

BP 2:

• Romulus and Remus Scene

  • Reinforces Rome’s legendary origins

    • The she-wolf with Romulus and Remus, overseen by Mars

    • Evokes themes of strength and divine favor

      • Implies that Augustus is the new guardian of Rome’s legacy

      • Situated as a bridge between Rome’s legendary origins and contemporary resurgence

BP 3:

• Tellus

  • Symbolizes the prosperity Augustus claims to bring

    • Peaceful earth goddess with animals, crops, and children

      • Mythically ties Augustus rule to fertility, harmony, and cosmic balance, reinforcing the idea of a golden age

Conclusion

• Ara pacis uses myth to craft a narrative of Augustus as Rome’s destined savior and renewer

• Turned Augustus’ regin into a timeless myth and he was able to anchor his poltical power in Rome’s deepest identity.