ara pacis Flashcards
When was Augustus born?
September 23, 63 BC
When did Augustus die?
August 19, 14 AD
When was the construction of the Ara Pacis begin?
13 AD
When was the Ara Pacis finished?
9 BC
When did Julius Caesar die?
March 15, 44 BC
What was Augustus’ relationship to Caesar?
Adoptive son, great nephew and heir
When was Augustus named Caesar’s heir?
45 BC
How did Caesar die?
Assassinated, stabbed to death
Did Caesar enforce the end of the Roman Republic during his lifetime?
Yes
What kind of government did Augustus enforce?
Autocratic - meaning he was the sole leader and made all of the important decisions. Rome was the first major power in history to use this form of government
Following Caesar’s assassination, who did Augustus have several battles with?
The Second Triumvirate, with Lepidus and Mark Antony
What year did Augustus conquer Lepidus?
32 BC
In 31 BC, who did Augustus defeat at the Battle of Actium?
Mark Antony and his ally/lover, Cleopatra
What year was the name Augustus given?
27 BC
What was Augustus’ initial name?
Gaius Octavian
When did Augustus receive imperial power?
23 BC
What was Pax Romana?
A state of comparative tranquility throughout Classical antiquity and the Mediterranean world that would be held until the reign of Marcus Arielius (161-180 AD)
What other roles did Augustus have?
Princeps (first among equals) and Pontifex Maximus (head priest of state religion)
What was the centre of Augustus’ political ideology?
Pax Romana
What were the five key aspects of Augustus’ political ideology?
Piety (virtue, moral and religious conduct), peace (pax romana), abundance, fertility and prosperity
What did the Ara Pacis demonstrate?
Augustus’ political, social and moral reforms as deeds to the Empire
Whose decision was it to build the Ara Pacis?
The Senate
Why was Augustus’ reign referred to as the Golden Age of Roman history?
Due to the absence of war, a state of peace - Pax Romana
Who was the Senate?
Highest and constituting assembly of Ancient Rome’s aristocracy, a form of advisory council
Where was the Ara Pacis situated?
Campus Martius - between the Tiber River and Rome’s hills, used as an army training base
When was the Ara Pacis vowed?
July 4, 13 AD
What date did the obelisk line up to the entrance of the Ara Pacis?
September 13, Augustus’ birthday
What two kinds of messages did the Ara Pacis depict?
Allegorical and mythological
What panel is Aeneas on?
Southwest
What panel is Tellus on?
East - left
Who is depicted on the East right panel?
The goddess Roma - the personification of the Roman Empire.
Who is depicted on the West left panel?
The god Mars with his children, Romulus and Remus (who would contribute to the founding of Rome) with the she-wolfe
Describe the North right panel
Processional celebration of peace -
Which notable figures are depicted on the South panel?
Augustus’ wife Livia and members of the Imperial Family
What are the themes of the East panels?
Fertility and peace - depicted through feminine figures
What facade depicts mythological scenes, such as Aeneas sacrificing and Romulus and Remus
West
What four groups are depicted in the North Panel?
- Lictors
- Collegia priests
- Imperial family members
- Women and children
