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And Examination of the Ara Pacis Augustae Richard Mansker Western Oregon University Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) Department of History 2009 Augustan Propaganda: And Examination of the Ara Pacis Augustae Richard Mansker Western Oregon University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Mansker, Richard, "Augustan Propaganda: And Examination of the Ara Pacis Augustae" (2009). Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History). 206. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his/206 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I Commissioned on 4, July 14 BC by the Senate and dedicated on 30, January 9 BC, the Ara Pacis Augustae in Rome is one of the most important pieces of Augustan propaganda that is still extant. Created to honor Augustus' victorious return from the Western provinces as well as the Pax Augustae, the Ara Pacis is a perfect example of the methods and ideals of Augustan policy in public artwork and building projects. In this single piece of art we can see the different people, ideas, and deities that Augustus seemed to want to be associated with, from his divine heritage and spiritual lineage to the promises he had made and delivered to the Roman people and all of the things that he had accomplished in office that had not been done for decades if not centuries. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the original setting of the Ara Pacis Augustae with a view to showing the different ways in which this piece of art could be interpreted. Additionally it explores Augustus’ association with deities, mythic figures, as well his success as a statesman. Thus we will examine the friezes of the Ara Pacis, and discuss their popular identification, as well as those by several scholars. The Ara Pacis is a reconstruction that was finished in 1938 under the super vision of Giuseppe Moretti, but pieces of the scenes had been discovered as early as the 16th century. The first pieces of relief were uncovered in 1568 when the depiction of Agrippa (from the Southern procession) as well as the panel depicting the goddess Tellus were unearthed with a few smaller fragments, these fragments were dispersed between the Vatican, the Uffizi and the Louvre museums. The next fragments the stereobate, or base steps, of the altar, the head of Mars, Aeneas' panel, and a section of the floral decoration were found in 1856. These pieces were identified as parts of the Ara Pacis by Frederich Von Duhn in 1881. Eugene Paterson presented the first graphical depiction of the Ara Pacis in 1902. A massive systematic excavation was undertaken by many to complete the altar. During these excavations, Roma, the Lupercal and the right half of the Aeneas panel were rescued. With this the final push to complete the reconstruction began in 1937 with Moretti, who saved the panel depicting the flamines and the right half of the princeps as well as architectural elements. During this reconstruction the altar was recreated near the mausoleum of Augustus and rotated 90 degrees so that the viewer no longer approaches the altar from the West, but now approaches from the South.1 The Ara Pacis originally stood in the Campus Martius. That was a precinct dedicated to Mars and was the home to many military institutions. This section of Rome was established in the time of Numa Pompilius, the second king Rome who reigned from 717 to 673 BC. It was also the area where military triumphs for returning generals were began, the building of the temple here may have been an allusion to the fact that these triumphs would no longer to be needed as the empire under Augustus was now entering an era of complete peace, harmony and abundance.2 This was part of a larger building project started by Augustus including the Solarium Augustae an Egyptian obelisk dedicated to Sol in 10 BC, this obelisk was the pointer for a sundial whose shadow touched sunken metal pieces as the day wore on, and as a calendar since the shadow would be slightly different each day. This shadow also showed the blessing of Sol/Apollo and the destiny preordained for him and his reign by the stars as the shadow of the giant sundial would point into the central altar every year on Augustus' birthday of 23 September.3 The design of the Ara Pacis is thought by some to be a reference to either the temple of Janus Quirinus in Rome, or the Parthenon in Athens, or both. The outer wall structure with an opening at both the east and west ends mirrors those on the temple of two faced god Janus who watches both the future and the past. While the detailed, and specific processional friezes allude to the equally unique and detailed processional frieze decorating the top of the Parthenon.4 However, Mortimer Wheeler disagrees with this idea of the Ara Pacis referencing the Parthenon, as he finds the Parthenon too impersonal and cold, whereas in the Ara Pacis, the figures are detailed, warm, interactive, and individual.5 II The frieze on the left side of the Western front is thought to depict Romulus and Remus suckling at the she wolf, with their adoptive father Faustulus to the right and their true father Mars on the left watching the situation unfold as a proud fatherly figure.6 (see Figure 1) This is commonly thought to represent the Lupercalia where Faustulus finds the twins and takes them home to raise them into the founder of Rome and his ill-fated sibling because this would fit in with an altar dedicated to Augustus. Romulus is an ancestor of Augustus both through his bloodline and through their spiritual connection as Pater Patriae (father of the country) a title Augustus would take later, and with this image he would not only connect himself to Romulus but also to his predecessors divine parent. Charles Anderson however points out that according to the archaeological record, there are no wolf and babes in the scene. He believes that this could actually be Mars approaching a sacrifice meant to inaugurate his new temple credited to Numa. This would make sense as this temple was in the Campus Martius and a depiction of Mars would be quite appropriate on this altar.7 Next, the frieze that has been identified by many to be Aeneas. (see Figure 2) This frieze appears on the right as the Ara Pacis is approached. In this frieze there stand four human figures, two on the right and two on the left, the figure on the far right is a beardless male, shown wearing a fringed tunic, and carrying a large staff that appears to have been a branch with the smaller branches shaved off of it; the common interpretation of this figure is that of the son of Aeneas, Iulus or possibly Achates, Aeneas' companion from Troy. To the left of him is the figure commonly identified as Aeneas himself. This figure is of an older man as can be discerned from the slight bulge in his midsection, as well as the prominence of his nasolabial fold and sunken eyes, Rehak feels that this is unusual as all of the other human depictions on the altar are in the height of youth and vitality, he is standing before the altar capite velato and apparently holding a libation cup and pouring the liquid over the altar, a common depiction in sacrificial scenes, and is holding a staff in his left hand.8 The altar in the center of the scene is rough hewn and decorated with garland where as the temple in the background is sophisticated and well worked with garland and a waist high wall obstructing the opening, inside the temple are two bearded men dressed in tunics depicted as if talking to each other. The standard interpretation for this is that these are either the lar (household gods), or the penates the gods of the household stores.. The figures to the left of the altar are younger adolescent males, both barefoot and leading what appears to be the sacrificial sow, they are shown wearing short tunics fringed with wreaths. The figure to the left leans slightly forward to prod and urge the sow forward, closer to the center and slightly in front of the other boy stands the second attendant with a mantel draped over his left should with his left hand holding a fluted tray full of fruits and cakes intended for the sacrifice while his right hand holds a similarly fluted pitcher for pouring libations. The two figures on the left have been initially identified as the victimarius, the male sacrificial attendant and assistant who leads the animal to the altar, and the camillus another type of sacrificial attendant who holds the sacrificial equipment for the main sacrificant. The camillus has specifically been identified by some as either Gaius Caesar, Augustus' presumed heir, or Iulus, Aeneas' son, but since by Roman law the camillus must have both parents living this would disqualify Iulus, and Gaius was too young at the time of the building of the Ara Pacis to have been depicted as an adolescent this disqualifies him as a candidate for this representation.9 With these identifications the scene has the overall interpretation of being Aeneas sacrificing the sow to the penates, as described and prophesied in the Aeneid, referencing Augustus' relationship both as a descendant of Aeneas as well as his role as pater patriae, father of the nation, of Rome.10 Rehak notes the deviation from the normal imperial depictions of Aeneas as a beardless and armored youth, usually seen carrying his father and leading his young son from their fallen home, and he also offers the explanations of others for this deviation.
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