Scholarly quotes explanations Flashcards
Who are the scholars that look at Augustus
- Andrew Wallace-Hadrill
- Jones
- Galinsky
- Zanker
- Cooley
Explain the quote “the fascination with Augustus still has to fade”
This is a legacy quote and shows how relevant Augustus is today
Explain the quote “Their [the poets’] status as ‘classics’ was established already in antiquity”
Augustan poetry was actually good poetry, not just propaganda
Explain the quote “the historian Edward Gibbon “sketched Augustus as a “crafty tyrant”
A legacy quote - This shows that Augustus’ legacy wasnt always popular and positive
Explain the quote “most of the historians were nobles”
This gives context to position/ sources so possibly the people who Augustus tried to keep sweet
Explain the quote “Augustus was unable to persuade some of the adjacent landowners to sell and refused to use any compulsory powers”
This is a quote regarding the forum of Augustus and shows Augustus to be merciful (showing clementia)
explain the quote “the revival of the old religion is represented in the colleges of priests, the restored senate dominates on the wall”
shows perhaps Augustus really did keep traditions instead of changing them
mos maiorum = unwritten code from which the ancient Romans derived their social norms.
explain the quote “he is indeed an enigmatic figure”
no one really knew what he was thinking - he kept his cards close to his chest.
explain the quote “as a young man he was ruthless and unscrupulous
Augustus did not start off with power he started off by fighting the powerful until he became the only one.
Explain the quote “one of the most creative and crucial for Rome…..produced a culture that was remarkable for its creativity and transcended its times”
this says that the Augustan period has had a huge legacy, massively influencing western civilisation as a whole.
Explain the quote Augustan art as “complex, nuanced, and multi referential”
it gives out a lot of different and often subtle messages at the same time.
Explain the quote “most of the populace in Rome, let alone the provinces, was not fixated on constitutional niceties”
therefore as they weren’t obsessing about the specifics of his power, they were more interested in practical things like peace and stability, hence the focus on these things in the Augustan image.
Explain the quote “By appeal to the old, Augustus justified the new”.
Augustus used tradition to make his changes to society seem okay
Explain the quote “The relationship with Apollo would prove to be ideally suited to Octavian himself and to furthering his political image. All these goals and objectives, both during the struggle with Antony and then later in the building of a new order, could be associated with the god.”
Apollo:
- discipline and morality.
- purification and punishment of any form of excess
- after the victory - god of peace and reconciliation.
- As the prophetic god, with sibyl and sphinx, it was he who proclaimed the long-awaited new age
This is an excellent quote for showing how appropriate a choice of patron god Apollo was for Augustus. He not only represented key qualities that Augustus was keen to promote his span of influence implied more power to Augustus. For example:
- Apollo stood for discipline and morality - Lex Julia.
- Apollo also stood for purification and for punishment of any form of excess - stocicism and epicurianism - opposite of Antony as Dionysus - indulgent.
- Apollo role as singer, lyre player, and god of peace and reconciliation - Pax Romana.
- Apollo as the prophetic god, with sibyl and sphinx, it was he who proclaimed the long-awaited new age” - Augustus’ golden Age - Carmen Saeculares - the Saeculare games.
Explain the quote “By building such a massive tomb for himself at Rome, the young Caesar was eager to highlight the contrast between himself and Antony. Whereas he was demonstrating his commitment to the city, Antony’s will (which Octavian illegally seized and made public) revealed that he wished to be buried at Alexandria with Cleopatra”
To Cooley, then, the predominant purpose of the mausoleum was to contrast Augustus’ commitment to Rome with Antony’s easternness.
