Did the image created by Augustus during his life survive beyond his death?
YES
Military
Imperator - Military involvement from a young age – ‘at sixteen’ – assumed the toga
after caesars African triumph
Similar to res gestae – ‘at 19, on my own initiative, I raised my own army’
Dedication to fighting for rome – When Caesar went to conquer pompeys son
‘Augustus followed despite being weak from sever illness’
Similar to Prima porta and res gestae ‘I recovered the military standards that had
been lost by other generals’ showing Augustus’ success in retrieving the standards –
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony both previously failed to get these back – shows A’s
success and dedication to fighting for rome.
Religious
Augustus as a religious figure – got the name Augustus from Augusta – sacred sites /
anything consecrated by augurs
Similar to forum of augustus – temple of mars – respect to gods
NO
Religious
Augustus portrayed as a god in the Sebastion – naked and wearing jupiters aegis
NOT seen as a god - ‘Jupiter commands the heavenly citadels…Earth is ruled by
Augustus’ – Augustus is Jupiter’s earth equivalent but is not seen as an actual god
‘the son forbids his own actions being honoured above his father’s’ – would not
accept being seen as a god during his life time
Lack of morals
Adultry – took ‘an ex colsuls wife from the dining room table to the bedroom before the
man’s eyes’ – breaking his own moral laws and disrespecting colleagues
Contrasts to ‘moral decadence’ – people who commit adultery supposedly ‘defiled the
marriage bed’
People rebelled against the laws – A doesn’t always bring peace – vs coin with pax on
Civil war
Involvement of civil war – ‘he fought in five civil conflict’ – directly names MA
Contrast to cleopatra – poem about Actium yet MA isn’t mentioned
Shows Augustus didn’t defeat MA instantly at Actium, after Actium augustus spent 27 days
in Brundisium to pacify the soldiers before he sailed for Egypt to defeat antony
Contrast to ‘Womens power’ – ‘one day of battle carried off so great a host’
YES
Military
Imperator - Military involvement from a young age – ‘at sixteen’ – assumed the toga
after caesars African triumph
Similar to res gestae – ‘at 19, on my own initiative, I raised my own army’
Dedication to fighting for rome – When Caesar went to conquer pompeys son
‘Augustus followed despite being weak from sever illness’
Similar to Prima porta and res gestae ‘I recovered the military standards that had
been lost by other generals’ showing Augustus’ success in retrieving the standards –
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony both previously failed to get these back – shows A’s
success and dedication to fighting for rome.
Religious
Augustus as a religious figure – got the name Augustus from Augusta – sacred sites /
anything consecrated by augurs
Similar to forum of augustus – temple of mars – respect to gods
NO
Religious
Augustus portrayed as a god in the Sebastion – naked and wearing jupiters aegis
NOT seen as a god - ‘Jupiter commands the heavenly citadels…Earth is ruled by
Augustus’ – Augustus is Jupiter’s earth equivalent but is not seen as an actual god
‘the son forbids his own actions being honoured above his father’s’ – would not
accept being seen as a god during his life time
Lack of morals
Adultry – took ‘an ex colsuls wife from the dining room table to the bedroom before the
man’s eyes’ – breaking his own moral laws and disrespecting colleagues
Contrasts to ‘moral decadence’ – people who commit adultery supposedly ‘defiled the
marriage bed’
People rebelled against the laws – A doesn’t always bring peace – vs coin with pax on
Civil war
Involvement of civil war – ‘he fought in five civil conflict’ – directly names MA
Contrast to cleopatra – poem about Actium yet MA isn’t mentioned
Shows Augustus didn’t defeat MA instantly at Actium, after Actium augustus spent 27 days
in Brundisium to pacify the soldiers before he sailed for Egypt to defeat antony
Contrast to ‘Womens power’ – ‘one day of battle carried off so great a host’
