Pietas:Duty to one's family, the gods and people.
Imperator: Victorious general and military commander
Mos maiorum: Custom of our ancestors
Pax Augusta: Peace brought by Augustus
Moral reforms: How Augustus reformed the empire to make it more morally correct
Clementia: Mercy to defeated enemies
Pax Deorum: Peace of the gods
Role of women
Augustus’ own divine lineage/ Divi Filius: Son of a god
Pater Patriae: Father of the fatherland
Religious revival
The Ara Pacis
Religious piety:
- The Ara Pacis was an altar so it directly functioned as an honouring to the gods. Pax
Deorum.
- Aeneas is shown to be sacrificing to the gods on the west side.
- The decorative bucrania on the inside remind us that it was used as an altar.
- Augustus leads the procession on the south side of the altar, followed by flamen
priest that Jahnige argues cements the old religion.
Piety to family:
- Livia is shown veiled on the south side of the Ara pacis. She is shown to be a modest
Roman matrona and also is part of the rejuvenation of Rome’s peace.
- The children on the south side show the need for prosperity and growth within Rome.
- Aeneas shows his links to his family through Aeneas.
Pietas to the empire:
- Shown through the north procession of the senators. Shows that he is linking himself
to his people and not being tyrannical.
Role of women:
- Livia is shown on the south side of the Ara pacis veiled and as the perfect Roman
matrona.
Pax Augusta:
- The decoration of the vessels and bucrania show the abundance that Augustus has
brought to the empire
Peace and prosperity:
- The acanthus flower symbolises everlasting and continual peace within the empire.
, - Roma sitting on the pile of armour shows the war is necessary for peace.
- The swastika shows peace on the Ara Pacis.
Religious revival:
- The whole altar is centred around peace.
- Augustus is shown as leading the priests to the altar. Shows him as a religious
leader.
- Agrippa is shown as a high religious priest.
- Senators holding gifts to honour the penates.
Augustus own divine lineage:
- Aeneas is shown offering to the penates with Ascanius behind him.
- The west side also shows the entrance to the Lupercal with the she-wolf nursing
Romulus and Remus.
The Sebasteion of Augustus= Built after Augustus’ death
Imperator:
- The relief of Augustus displaying the defeated enemy at his feet and the armour in
the middle shows his strong role as an Imperator, even after his death.
Presentation of Augustus:
- Shows that even after his death he was worshipped as a god.
- Shows he was seen as divine.
- Was a temple dedicated to Venus and divine Augustus.
The bust of Livia= 30s BC
Role of women:
- Livia is shown as the typical Roman matrona who is modest and respectful.
- She is in line with the Greek presentation of the Golden age of Greek art of the 5th
century BCE’s.
- She is respectful/modest. Shown through her expression, facial features and hair.
Augustus’ presentation:
- This shows Augustus as traditional and having a dutiful wife.
- Shows he is in line with his moral reforms and his family models these attributes of
an exemplary woman.
Imperator:
- The bust is made out of Egyptian basanite and is seen as a deliberate victory over
Mark Antony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC.
The Prima Porta statue
Imperator: Victorious general and military commander
Mos maiorum: Custom of our ancestors
Pax Augusta: Peace brought by Augustus
Moral reforms: How Augustus reformed the empire to make it more morally correct
Clementia: Mercy to defeated enemies
Pax Deorum: Peace of the gods
Role of women
Augustus’ own divine lineage/ Divi Filius: Son of a god
Pater Patriae: Father of the fatherland
Religious revival
The Ara Pacis
Religious piety:
- The Ara Pacis was an altar so it directly functioned as an honouring to the gods. Pax
Deorum.
- Aeneas is shown to be sacrificing to the gods on the west side.
- The decorative bucrania on the inside remind us that it was used as an altar.
- Augustus leads the procession on the south side of the altar, followed by flamen
priest that Jahnige argues cements the old religion.
Piety to family:
- Livia is shown veiled on the south side of the Ara pacis. She is shown to be a modest
Roman matrona and also is part of the rejuvenation of Rome’s peace.
- The children on the south side show the need for prosperity and growth within Rome.
- Aeneas shows his links to his family through Aeneas.
Pietas to the empire:
- Shown through the north procession of the senators. Shows that he is linking himself
to his people and not being tyrannical.
Role of women:
- Livia is shown on the south side of the Ara pacis veiled and as the perfect Roman
matrona.
Pax Augusta:
- The decoration of the vessels and bucrania show the abundance that Augustus has
brought to the empire
Peace and prosperity:
- The acanthus flower symbolises everlasting and continual peace within the empire.
, - Roma sitting on the pile of armour shows the war is necessary for peace.
- The swastika shows peace on the Ara Pacis.
Religious revival:
- The whole altar is centred around peace.
- Augustus is shown as leading the priests to the altar. Shows him as a religious
leader.
- Agrippa is shown as a high religious priest.
- Senators holding gifts to honour the penates.
Augustus own divine lineage:
- Aeneas is shown offering to the penates with Ascanius behind him.
- The west side also shows the entrance to the Lupercal with the she-wolf nursing
Romulus and Remus.
The Sebasteion of Augustus= Built after Augustus’ death
Imperator:
- The relief of Augustus displaying the defeated enemy at his feet and the armour in
the middle shows his strong role as an Imperator, even after his death.
Presentation of Augustus:
- Shows that even after his death he was worshipped as a god.
- Shows he was seen as divine.
- Was a temple dedicated to Venus and divine Augustus.
The bust of Livia= 30s BC
Role of women:
- Livia is shown as the typical Roman matrona who is modest and respectful.
- She is in line with the Greek presentation of the Golden age of Greek art of the 5th
century BCE’s.
- She is respectful/modest. Shown through her expression, facial features and hair.
Augustus’ presentation:
- This shows Augustus as traditional and having a dutiful wife.
- Shows he is in line with his moral reforms and his family models these attributes of
an exemplary woman.
Imperator:
- The bust is made out of Egyptian basanite and is seen as a deliberate victory over
Mark Antony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC.
The Prima Porta statue
