scholarship Flashcards
scullard on augustus’ power plus imperator
“the ultimate sanction of his authority was force, however, much of that was disguised”
= aug’s power rested on military control, despite his republican presentation
jones on augustus’ power
and pater patriae
“he was determined to rule the empire, but he disguised absolute powers in constitutional wrappings”
= aug carefully concealed his autocratic rule behind republican traditions
=pater patriae title masked his complete dominance of the state
syme on aug’s power
“simply operatives within the framework of the organisation of opnion”
= augustus as an authoritarian who controlled public opinion through propaganda
galinsky on aug’s power
“most of the populace in rome, let alone the provinces, was not fixated on constitutional niceties”
= suggest people accepted aug’s rule ebcause he provided stability, not because they believed in his republican claims
brunt and moore on res gestae
“what is omitted in such an account may be as informative as what is stated” = highlights the selective nature of the res gestae and its omissions
galinsky on the res gestae
“augustus’ self-representation is meant to be suggestive and true in a larger sense than in the documentary sense”
= augustus framed events to support his legacy
beard on res gestae
“a self-serving, partisan and often rose-tinted piece of work”
= the res gestae ignores augustus’ early brutality
cooley on the res gestae
“the text of the res gestae was common currency among writers dealing with the age of augustus”
= augustus’ account influenced later historians, reinforcing his official image.
zanker on augustan propaganda
adn culture hero
“augustan art appealed to the style of the greek classical period because it carried a moral message”
= the forum of augustus shows his vision for rome, blending tradition and personal power
nicholls on augustan propaganda
“what we see in this forum is what augustus was able to do when he could build from scratch”
= the forum of augustus shows his vision for rome, blending tradition and personal power
galinsky on augustan propaganda and culture hero
“the distinctive aspect of augustan culture is that it was inspired by ideas, ideals, and values”
= augustan propaganda wasnt just about power; it promoted a moral and cultural agenda
wallace-hadrill on augustan propaganda
and culture hero
“a generation of young poets were able to produce innovative writings of the highest quality”
= augustan literature was not just propaganda, but had real artistic value
wallace-hadrill on the imperial cult
“religious restoration guaranteed the new order was truly roman”
= augustus used religious revival to justify his rule
erker on imperial cult and pietas
“augustus theatrically staged his religious performance to legitimise his role as princeps”
= his religious actions were carefully managed displays of power
orlin on imperial cult
“in rebuilding these temples, augustus began to reshape roman identity”
=his religious reforms defined roman identity for future generations
zanker on imperial cult
“apollo stood for purification and punishment of any form of excess”
= augustus’ association with apollo reinforced his moral and political authority
beard on aug and jc and divi filius
“caesar was octavian’s passport to power”
= augustus used his link to caesar to legitimise his position
goldsworthy on aug and jc
“it is an article of faith that augustus distanced himself from caesar, yet he was always called caesar”
= augustus both claimed caesar’s legacy and reshaped it to suit himself
ramage on aug and jc
“augustus only wanted to focus on caesar’s deification, not his role as dictator perpetuus”
= he emphasised caesar’s divine statues while avoiding association with tyranny
williams on aug and jc
“octavian recognised this more clearly than his adoptive father, julius caesar, who paid for political insensitivity with his life”
= augustus learned from caesar’s mistakes, making his rule acceptable
beard on actium
“augustus exploited the idea of a clash between his own deep-rooted, roman,western tradiitons and the “oriental” excess of antony and cleopatra”
= the battle was framed as a moral struggle
wallace-hadrill on actium
“antony was an (almost) innocent victim: a man unmanned, and a roman un-romanned”
=augustus’ propaganda focused on cleopatra as the real enemy
jones on actium
“augustus was ruthless even after actium”
= his victory wasnt just military but a wider political purge
bradley on moral and social reforms
and pietas
“augustus’ religious policy reflected his genuine conservative inclinations as well as his political acumen”
= his reforms were both sincere and strategic
(can be countered)
