Ara Pacis Essay Flashcards
The alternative name for the Ara Pacis is …
The Altar of Augustan Peace but it is commonly referred to as the Ara Pacis
By who was it commissioned and consecrated and what are the dates?
Commissioned in July 4, 13BC by the Senate and Consecrated in 9BC
What or who did the Ara Pacis commemorate?
Commemorates Augustus’s return from his three-year campaigns in Hispania and Gaul (Spain and France)
The Ara Pacis was apart of what programme?
The Ara Pacis was apart of an architectural programme with the Mausoleum of Augustus, his ustrinum (a place where bodies are cremated) and an obelisk that acted as the central arm of a sundial that lit up the Ara Pacis every year on Livia (Augustus’s wife) birthday.
Why was the sundial controversial?
Some classicists believe the sundial lit up every year on Augustus’s birthday but by the way it lights up the Ara Pacis it is more obviously Livias birthday.
So what was the Ara Pacis an element of?
So the Ara Pacis was one element of the Augustan script for the Via Flaminia, part of Augustus’s plan to create a visual celebration for his family and his achievements.
Where was Ara Pacis originally located?
The Campus Martius or the Field of Mars
Why was the Campus Martius significant?
Since it was the field of mars (god of war) it was an area of visibility where soldiers would train and exercise because it was field of mars
Why did Augustus want the Ara Pacis to stand on the Campus Martius?
Augustus wanted the military training to occur in the campus Martius because he was putting an end to war, therefore he was closing the gates of Janus signifying the restoration of Peace to Rome (Pax Romana).
Who relocated the Ara Pacis? Dates? Where is it now?
The Ara Pacis was relocated by Mussolini in the 1930s and now sits in a Richard Meier museum where it has been since 2007.
Why is the Ara Pacis being in the Richard Meier museum so controversial?
It is inside a museum so it seems hidden behind all the walls. Also the space inside is very confined so tourists can’t take proper scaled photos of the North And South reliefs
What does the Ara Pacis symbolise?
Symbolises Peace, prosperity and fertility all shown through the relief on the exterior and interior of the monument
What the purpose of the Ara Pacis?
To conduct yearly sacrifices to the goddess of peace (Pax) .. to secure that Peace in Rome
What does the altar glorify?
The senate had to find a different way to celebrate the achievements of Augustus, therefore the altar glorifies the ancestry of Augustus, the peace, prosperity and fertility he brought to The Roman Empire and the dynasty that would follow
What Greek influence was the Ara Pacis modelled on?
The Ara Pacis was modelled on Greek Parthenon and Greek altar of mercy in Athens.
The altar and the screen wall are modelled on the Greek altar of mercy in Athens.
