‘Augustus used only the imperial family and nothing else to create a successful propaganda
campaign for himself.’ Explain how far you agree with this statement and justify your
response.
Overall, I believe the extent to which Augustus relied on his family depended on the aspect
of his life that he was trying to highlight, however, I would argue there are other people and
objects he used to also create a successful propaganda campaign of himself. There were
areas of his image that he could create alone however, generally he relied on his family to
emphasise this or in some cases he is seen to be solely dependent on them.
Firstly, it could be said Augustus was not reliant on his family when portraying himself as a
strong military figure. Augustus led an army and had many successes such as the return of
the standards and the battle of Actium. Through the prima porta statue Augustus portrays
himself as a strong commander through showing his success in retrieving the standards –
something that had been tried by many Romans before without success. Augustus is shown
to be posed with his right hand up, this adlocutio stance portrays him to be commanding or
addressing an army, therefore, Augustus would be seen to be a leader of the military.
Moreover, Augustus’ dress also portrays him to be a member of the military, he is shown to
be wearing a breastplate and a Palludamentum. The breastplate suggests he is prepared to
go into battle as it would be worn to protect oneself from fighting, thus, Augustus would be
associated with battle. Moreover, the Palludamentum would only be worn by commanders
in the army, thus, the statue is showing Augustus’ status in the army and shows his
importance within the military. Moreover, it could be argued the Prima Porta also displays
Augustus as a military commander as a result of the images depicted on his breastplate.
Firstly, his armour is imprinted with muscles, thus Augustus would be seen as physically
strong, a trait associated with battle and fighting. Additionally, the breastplate shows his
military victories, for example, on the shoulder straps sphinx’s can be seen, this is a
reference to Augustus’ victory against Cleopatra. Moreover, at the sides of the breastplate
men can be seen, these are regarded to be personification of the conquered people and
territories by Augustus. Therefore, his clothing further portrays his military success’ which
reminds viewers of his military experiences. Additionally, in Horace Epode 9 and Odes 1.37
Augustus portrays himself to be bringing peace to Rome through his military success against
Cleopatra as celebration is able to occur. For example, in Epode 9 Horace states ‘Let’s
delight in banishing fear and anxiety’, this highlights the peace Augustus has bought to
Rome by defeating any threat or battle which could cause fear. Additionally, in Odes 1.37,
Horace states ‘Now’s the time for drinking deep’, this stresses that people are able to relax
and indulge in festivity. It also suggests that the battle was difficult and thus, worthy of
celebration which suggests to the reader Augustus is a strong military leader who could lead
his troops through battle to success. Therefore, through Augustus’ portrayal of his success in
military events such as the return of the standards in the prima porta and the defeat of
Cleopatra in Horace’s poems, Augustus shows himself to not be reliant on any body else as
these successes are a result of his strong leadership. Moreover, Augustus is careful in
discussing his relation to family members when it could have a negative impact on his
political image through their military actions. For example, Julius Caesar was well known for
his role in the civil war against Pompey in 49-45BC, Augustus wanted to distance himself
from this image. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, when discussing Julius Caesar’s
accomplishments, Ovid is brief and states ‘his actions at home’. This is because his actions
