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Classical Civilisation A1 The Imperial Image:Assess the extent to which the public image created by Augustus endured beyond his own lifetime essay$11.76
Classical Civilisation A1 The Imperial Image:Assess the extent to which the public image created by Augustus endured beyond his own lifetime essay
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Imperial Image
Institution
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This is a 30/30 full mark essay I completed last year for my Classical Civilisation A-Level course (so fairly recent). It is quite lengthy but is a model example answer, including scholarly references and in-depth analysis of the question. Please let me know if you have any questions about the essa...
Assess the extent to which the public image created by
Augustus endured beyond his own lifetime. (30)
A common denominator for those in politics is how they attempt to tailor their own public image in
order to appear more grandiose and genuine. Augustus was not only no exception to this rule; he was a
master at it, and perfectly crafted the image he conveyed to the Roman public. Starting at the inception
of his rise to power, as soon as he had the chance, he deified his adoptive father, Julius Caesar. This not
only helped in distancing himself from the criticism his father received (a dictator and tyrant, destroying
the Republic etc.) and making his bad deeds uncriticizable due to him being more godlike than manlike,
it also allowed him to claim the mantle of Divi Filius- son of a God. This relation to deity bolstered the
legitimacy of his rule, as he molded it in such a way that it appears he is fated to rule- the son of a God
surely must be destined to rule the Empire, which cracked down on any criticisms or doubts some may
have of Augustus’ rule. In order to convey this message, Augustus had the Denarius of Augustus minted
(19 BC), which on one side had a comet representing Julius Caesar (detaching him from Julius’
questionable actions) with the writing Divine Julius, and the other with Augustus with the inscription Divi
Filius. This was effective at consolidating his image in all facets of Roman society, as a coin is an item
most all Romans see every day, and created the idea in many citizens minds that Augustus was indeed
god-like due to his status as Divi Filius, bolstering his image as extremely powerful like a God. This
strategy would not have much longevity aside from people telling their children and passing it down the
generations, as the coins will eventually go out of circulation when the next Emperor takes power and
even to the latter parts of Augustus’ rule. However, it is but one of many techniques Augustus uses to
glorify his image, and the deification of his father is only beginning to sow the seeds of his desired image
with even more strategies to do this following.
Another way Augustus cultivated his public image was that of a religious leader, which he did through a
combination of things. First of all, he created another Denarius of himself seated holding various
religious instruments. This helped to cement himself as a leader in piety, and as stated previously the
coin will be seen by many Romans, which would subconsciously implant that image onto them. As well
as this, Augustus oversaw a huge renovation and creation of both many public buildings (especially
temples and religious ones), as well as a vast reformation of religious reforms and memorials, many
thought to be long gone and archaic. Within this renovation, he created the Augustan forum with its
temple of Mars, the Palatine Temple of Apollo, and the temple of Jupiter the Thunderer. By restoring old
temples and creating new ones alike, he is stamping his auctoritas on them as he is the one personally
overseeing and ensuring their construction, meaning the newly employed priests have Augustus to
personally thank, already beginning this religious leader image. The reformations of religion and
memorials on top of this ensured a revival of piety thanks to him, bringing more morality to the Empire
due to a resurrection of religion and by extension religious beliefs and morals. It also shows he is living
up to his reputation as Divi Filius and is close to the Gods, as any Roman could see clear as day that
these religious missions are high on Augustus’ agenda. This all combines to create a strong image of a
convicted religious leader as well as displaying respect to mores maiorum- the customs of our ancestors-
as it shows he is paying reverence to the old times. It ensures the Roman people will see him as a role
model religious figure, using his initiative to repair and ensure the survival of their deep cultural and
religious observations to the Gods. Finally, Augustus’ success in the Battle of Actium lead to him
cultivating this religious leader image, as he had successfully closed the gates of war 3 times during his
, reign, more than any other time in Roman history (which I will later touch upon). This contributed
massively to the image of Augustus as a peaceful and pious figure, as he finally ended years upon years
of civil war and infighting between brothers, one of the worst types of war/conflict in Roman society,
which had been raging for multiple generations. The fact the gates of war were closed 3 times in his
reign also shows his dedication to peace, more so than any other leader Rome has ever had. All of this
brings his religious reverence to the spotlight due to his peaceful pious convictions- he wanted to stop
all wars to focus on the heavily religious idea of peace and prosperity, leaving a huge impact on the way
Romans thought of their leader. It suggests the idea the Civil War between him and Antony was only
done as a necessity, as after this peace reigned. This image even outlasted his reign with Suetonius
detailing his vast renovation of religious buildings and reformations, and even the phrase “Pax Augusta”
was coined, which meant the Peace of Augustus highlighting his peaceful reign. All in all, the imagery he
created of himself as a religious leader was extremely effective, as it is clear it endured beyond even his
own lifetime.
Moving on, Augustus had constructed many buildings and statues in order to build upon his public
image. This approach is interesting, as these forms of physical creations can last hundreds upon
thousands of years, perhaps leading to the suggestion they are the best form of propaganda/ways to
solidify an image for years to come. Beginning with the Mausoleum of Augustus, this was a huge
building created by Augustus in Rome, one of the tallest in the city, and this conveyed a simple message
to the Roman citizens seeing it every day- the incredible authority, influence and importance of
Augustus. The statue of Augustus present on the top would have been visible for miles around-
completely unmissable. This building of course outlasted Augustus, and the simple message the sheer
scale of the building holds carries on to many future generations of Romans, proving its effectiveness at
consolidating his legacy beyond his own lifetime. Adding to this, it was even bigger than the Mausoleum
at Halicarnassus, an ancient wonder, and the Hellenistic nature of the Mausoleum of Augustus was
intended to bring parallels to this ancient wonder showing respect to what was seen as the prestigious
culture of the ancient Greeks, which combined with the fact it was made in white marble, both signify
the royalty, power and divinity of Augustus. Next, the Ara Pacis, a monument dedicated to the goddess
of peace Pax and commissioned by the senate due to Augustus’ return from Gaul, shows Pax and the sea
and sky, linking Augustus to fertility and divinity and reinforcing his previously mentioned image of a
religious leader. Finally, and arguably the most important physical creation, the Prima Porta statue of
Augustus consolidated his image in many different areas. First, he has defined muscles and is shown as a
strong youthful figure, displaying his immense vitality and manhood as well as overall physical
prowess/strength and strength as a leader. This also shows any viewers from future generations that he
was a strong young leader, not showing any wrinkles or aging of which Augustus looked like for later
parts of his reign. Building on this, his pose purposefully references the Greek statue Doryphorus, which
was thought to embody physical perfection, and the link to such connotates Augustus with similar
excellence- as well as physical also suggesting moral perfection. He was also shown barefoot, which was
usually only reserved for statues of divinity, assisting even more in the image of him as a religious leader
as well as Divi Filus and his link to divinity and, later on, a God. Further, his right arm is raised in the
position of an Adlocutio, an address given by a general or emperor to his army and citizens. This shows
his natural leadership skill, and creates a statue with auctoritas mirroring Augustus’ own authority.
There is also a baby at Augustus’ legs, which is meant to symbolize Rome, and this builds on Augustus’
title of Pater Patriae, meaning father of the nation, showing his clear capacity to rule and the father/son
relationship between Augustus and Rome, suggesting to future audiences he was a fair and just leader
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