father of the state

background history: how did some poets view moral standards in Rome? What did they claim it had led to?

• moral standards had declined and it had led to an increase in greed and personal ambition

• idea that it had led to a political environment where individual politicians sacrificed the good of the state for personal enrichment

what was a chaste women and why were they thought important?

• A chaste woman did not have sexual relations outside of marriage - only ever with husband

• only way to determine the paternity of a child was to ensure the mother only had sex with 1 man. therefore, the father could be sure his estates were inherited

• chaste women were thought to have special potency in religious ceremonies

what was a man’s attitude to sexual relations?

• men were able to have sexual relations with any women providing they weren’t the legal wife or roman citizen

how did Augustus persuade the Romans to change their ways?

• encouraged Romans to look on him as pater patriae (father of his people)

what legislation did he pass? And how did it reinforce traditional Roman views?

• Leges Iuliae (Julian Laws) 18-17BC encouraged marriage and childrearing

• If people chose not to marry, they weren’t allowed to join in public games

• Adultery was made a crime with severe punishments

• Traditionally, the head of the household would be responsible for arranging marriages and handling instances of adultery. Augustus was taking on this role.

PRESCRIBED SOURCE: HORACE ODES 3.6 : why must the Romans rebuild the shrine of the gods?

• Romans need to rebuild the shrines of the gods. the Italian gods’ shrine in particular have been neglected

why did the Romans draw the Earth?

• They are little lower than the gods themselves

what evidence is there that the gods are angry at the Roman’s’ treatment of them?

• The Parthians have defeated the Romans in battle. The Parthian generals (Monaeses and Pacorus) have caused the Romans to be defeated in Parthia and they have taken the Roman standards.

how did the Roman girls show that current age is corrupted?

• Romans have defiled the marriage bed, children, and homes. This has bought disgrace on Rome.

• The women are particularly bad - the girls have been learning Greek dances and meditate on sinful affairs

• when the girls grow up, they search for lovers at their husbands’ dinner parties and get with spanish ship captains

what were the men of Rome like in the past and what did they do?

• They destroyed Hannibal in the Punic wars and were farmers who farmed the land with a simple Sabine hoe. They would plough the land until night fell.

what is the current generation like?

• this generation is worse than their parents and will bear more sinful children too

classicist views: zanker

• theorised that the art of Augustus‘ principate appealed to the style of the Greek classical period (5th BC) because it carried a moral message

• He suggests that Augustan Romans viewed the classical period as one of superior moral behaviour

• Augustus encouraged the idea that his rain was similarly one of moral superior

• zankers view is not accepted by modern scholars

• Augustine culture was so special because of the ideas of morality and religiosity and tradition

PRESCRIBED SOURCE: SUETONIUS 31 & 32 : List ways in which Augustus implemented religious reforms in Rome

• Weights until the death of lepidus to become high priest

• Compile an official list of the Sybilline oracles and places them under the statue of Apollo in the palatine in 12 BC

• Restores the calendar of Julius Caesar

• Names the month sextilis after himself (august) because that’s when he won his first consulship

• Increases the rank and dignity of priesthood

• Revives several ancient religious rites et augury of goddess safety, secular games, festival of lupercalia and compitalia

• Youths at lupercalia who hadn’t shaved their beards were not allowed to run

• honoured the ancestors of the romans

• relocates the statue of pompey where jc had been murdered

list some moral laws that augustus passed

• law of profligacy

• adultry

• chastity

• bribery

• encourages marriage and procreation

how successful were these laws?

• his marriage law orders caused open rebellion against some of its provisions until they had to soften some of the clauses. widows were given a three year time period in which they didn’t have to marry

• some betrothed themselves to young girls so they didn’t have to marry them straight away until they reached the marriage age of 13 (😨)

PRESCRIBED SOURSE: HORACE 3.14 : why has Caesar been and what has he been doing?

• In Spain seeking laurels

Who is he compared to and why?

• Hercules, because he is the god of the gym, patron of young men especially those in the military

which members of his family are watching him sacrifice and how are they dressed?

• livia, his wife and Octavia, his sister are dressed in holy ribbons

Who else is watching the sacrifice and why are they there?

• Unmarried youth, boys and girls watch the sacrifice too they are the hope of the state

what will Horace no longer fear and what is the irony?

• Civil War or death by violence

• even though Octavian had fought four civil wars between 44BC and 31BC

what will the mood be in Rome?

• festive

• There is a public holiday

• The boys are perfumed

• They are seeking vintage wine from the time of the marsian wars

• The slave girl has her hair up and is perfumed - even she is allowed to go to the festival

what does Horace say he preferred in his youth and what is this a reference to?

• He claims he preferred fighting

• He once fought against Octavian and Mark Anthony in the Battle of Phillipi - now he prefers being at peace

give other ways in which Augustus acted as the father of Rome

• Responsibility of the head of household to make sure children took an active role in religion

• Augustus took part in religious festivals on behalf of the family

• He was a member of almost every priestly college

• He became Pontifex Maximus in 12 BC

• he was given the title of pater patriae by the senate

give ways in which Augustus and livia tried to set an example on how to behave as fellow Romans

• he cared for his grandchildren and taught them proper behaviour

• After the death of her son, livia put aside her grief as soon as she has buried him

• Augustus’s Palace was modest

• He did not appear in public in luxurious clothes