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Re-Writing Numa

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Re-Writing Numa Re-writing Numa: The political usage of Numa Pompilius in the Age of Augustus Aimee Turner, BA(Hons), Dip. Ed. Master of Philosophy August, 2013 Statement of Originality The thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository**, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. **Unless an Embargo has been approved for a determined period. 1 2 Contents Statement of Originality........................................................................................ 1 Abstract ............................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ...................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 5 - Literature Review .......................................................................................... 5 - Approaches ................................................................................................. 15 - Numa Pompilius: An Overview .................................................................... 18 - The Vestals ................................................................................................. 21 - The Fetials .................................................................................................. 23 - The Temple of Janus .................................................................................. 25 - The Salii ...................................................................................................... 27 Chapter One ..................................................................................................... 30 - Part One: The Character of Numa............................................................... 30 o Non-literary Evidence ...................................................................... 30 o Literary Evidence ............................................................................. 39 o Cicero and Numa ............................................................................ 49 o Livy and Numa ................................................................................ 56 - Part Two: The Institutions of Numa ............................................................. 61 o The Vestal Virgins ........................................................................... 61 o The Fetials ...................................................................................... 66 o The God Janus ................................................................................ 70 o The Salii .......................................................................................... 73 - Conclusion .................................................................................................. 76 Chapter Two ...................................................................................................... 80 - The Vestal Virgins ....................................................................................... 83 - The Fetials .................................................................................................. 91 - The God Janus ........................................................................................... 95 - The Salii ...................................................................................................... 98 - Numa and Augustus in Augustan Literature .............................................. 104 - Conclusion ................................................................................................ 112 Chapter Three: Numa in Augustan Archaeology .............................................. 114 - The Triumviral Period ................................................................................ 114 - The Principate ........................................................................................... 120 - Conclusion ................................................................................................ 157 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 159 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 168 3 4 Abstract A startling similarity appears when comparing Plutarch’s Life of Numa with the historical life of Augustus, a similarity largely overlooked in modern scholarship. In fact, few scholars have focused on the reign of Numa for close study at all. My thesis sets out to determine which elements of the tradition of Numa were developed during or after the Augustan period and to provide plausible motives for the adaptation of the accounts of these authors. In order to identify these developments, I have undertaken a survey of Republican accounts of Numa in order to create a base for comparison. In the process, I have determined that little variation of the tradition occurs in this period, although it remained open to political and personal manipulation. This tradition is then compared to Augustan accounts and areas of change are identified. These changes are then placed into the historical context in which they occur, namely the events of the second Triumviral period and the early Augustan principate. By placing these traditions into this context, parallels can be seen between the adaptations of the accounts and the actions of Octavian/Augustus. A careful examination of surviving Augustan monuments, statuary and coins concludes the study and suggests that the growing connection between Augustus and Numa in this period may, in part, have stemmed from the princeps himself. This reveals that the iconography and character of Numa were an important and integral aspect of Augustan propaganda and that this propaganda influenced the authors of the period. This connection was so strong that it suggests that Plutarch, writing a century later, drew on the life of Augustus as inspiration for his biography of Numa. 5 6 List of figures Figure 1: didrachm 269 BC - 266 BC. ......................................................................... 36 Figure 2: denarius 137 BC. ......................................................................................... 37 Figure 3: denarius 89 BC. ........................................................................................... 38 Figure 4: denarius 97 BC. ........................................................................................... 39 Figure 5: denarius c. 88 BC. ....................................................................................... 40 Figure 6: as c. 88 BC. ................................................................................................. 40 Figure 7: as c. 88 BC. ................................................................................................. 40 Figure 8: denarius 49 BC. ........................................................................................... 41 Figure 9: aureus of Lepidus, 36 BC............................................................................. 91 Figure 10: aureus, 42 BC. ......................................................................................... 118 Figure 11: denarius, 42 BC. ...................................................................................... 120 Figure 12: denarius, 40 BC. ...................................................................................... 121 Figure 13: aureus, 36 BC. ......................................................................................... 122 Figure 14: Silver denarius, 35 BC. ............................................................................ 123 Figure 15: denarius 36 BC. ....................................................................................... 124 Figure 16: as, 23 BC. ................................................................................................ 124 Figure 17: Augustus from Prima Porta, Vatican Museum .......................................... 126 Figure 18: Central scene on cuirass, statue of Augustus from Prima Porta, Vatican Museum ...................................................................................................... 128 Figure 19: Augustus capite velato, Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo alle Terme ......................................................................................................... 130 Figure 20: Augustus capite velato, Vatican Museum ................................................. 131 Figure 21: denarius c. 18 BC. ................................................................................... 132 Figure 22: denarius c. 18 BC. ................................................................................... 132 Figure 23: silver denarius, 17 BC. ............................................................................. 133 Figure 24: Location of Ara Pacis Augustae ............................................................... 135 Figure 25: Plan of the Ara Pacis Augustae................................................................ 137 Figure 26: South-western panel of Ara Pacis ...........................................................
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