Augustus Political Propaganda Analysis

The statue of Augustus portrayed as Pontifex Maximus or “chief priest” from 12 BCE is also a propaganda-driven portrait. August is displayed with his head covered and wearing a robe. He looks to be dressed for a sacrifice. The statue is still very idealized with Augustus looking strong and youthful but true features still present. The statue itself displays that Augustus is not only the ruler of Rome but also the religious leader as

When discussing Augustus and Caligula it is simple to bring up the subject of public works and law. Augustus had the most success with his many projects, including the Temple of Mars the Avenger, the Palatine Temple of Apollo, and the Temple of Jupiter the Thunderer on the Capitol. Many colonnade, basilica, and theater were erected and named after relatives. He urged many renowned

Roman portraiture was one of the most significant periods in the development of portrait art. The characteristics of Roman portraitures are more modest, realistic, idealized, and natural. Also, the body compositions, muscles and facial expressions of portraits and sculptures are more advanced. Many roman portraits are directly linked to specific individuals, such as gods and emperors. They were often used for propaganda purposes and included ideological messages in the pose, accoutrements, or costume of the figure.

In the novel Augustus, John Williams uses an assortment of letters, memoirs, eyewitness accounts, and public pronouncements from friends and foes of Octavius to convey the character of the first Roman Emperor. Gaius Octavius was a clever, ambitious teenager who impressed his great uncle, Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar found great interest in his niece’s son and requested for Gaius to come live with him. Julius Caesar then adopted Gaius Octavius and was then known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. Julius Caesar was assassinated and by nineteen years of age, Octavius had become the new Emperor. By twenty-five years of age, Octavius had already avenged his great uncle’s death by killing Brutus and Cassius at the battle of Philippi.

The once dingy, unattractive city of Rome was also transformed during Augustus’ reign. The new look of Rome featured buildings with polished marble. One of the most splendid was the new Forum. The new Forum had at its center a temple of Mars the Avenger, god of war. Located around the Forum were other statues of great Roman heroes. He also erected many theaters and other great buildings. A master of political propaganda, Augustus did not pass up the chance to take credit for these enormous building projects. He also urged his wealthy supporters to patronize writers and artist. In turn many of these artists produced great works depicting Augustus. These works would have a lasting and profound impact on the literary society.

With the last of his rivals dead and defeated, Octavian occupied Egypt as a Roman conquest and won the honorary name "Augustus" from the Senate and called himself the first Princeps (First Citizen) rather than Emperor of Rome (Stockton 56). Augustus had direct control over the aesthetics of public art, commissioning propagandistic works to his benefit. Augustus was a great patron of the arts and architecture, in which he sponsored the construction of many buildings and portraits of himself to be distributed to every town throughout the Empire such as the Ara Pacis Augustae and the life size marble portrait of Augustus in Prima Porta.

On the Ides of March one of the most famous assassinations took place; the assassination of the leader of the Roman republic, Julius Caesar. The death of Julius Caesar allowed Gaius Julius Octavius who would later be given the title Augustus by the senate, to enter the political realm of Rome by accepting his inherited power. But before Augustus could gain any control in Rome he had to defeat his opposition, Mark Antony who also sought to gain control of Rome at the time. Augustus managed to defeat Antony during the Final War of the Roman Republic. As the wars between potential leaders continued the people of Rome grew tired of the bloodshed and political uncertainty, so they began to yearn for some stability in Rome. The lust for political steadiness from the citizens and senate of Rome allowed Augustus to eventually force himself into power and become known as the first Emperor of Rome. Augustus was aware that the residents of Rome had just experienced the fall of many political figures and were skeptical and wary of his rule so he needed to legitimize his position and to do so he used portraiture. He employed art as a way portray his power and to push political messages such as the message of peace and old Roman traditions in order to appease the people, while solidifying his position as ruler.

In the times of Augustus and Nero, myths were used as a powerful tool of propaganda. It was important that they were seen ‘to be a sophisticated user of myth’ (Block 2, p. 150) in order that they could provide the people of Rome with an identity and encourage people to come together in the time of need. Myth provided the Roman government with many opportunities to promote themselves and their ideas by associating themselves with the great gods and characters featured within the legends and traditions of the myth. Further to this, myth provided an important form of communication between the Emperor and the people of Rome. Two of the Emperors that used myth to their own ends were Emperor Nero and Emperor Augustus.

As Augustus down walked the dusty old road he noticed something, most of the shops that lined the edges of the road were closed. The food priced probably rose again he thought. Whenever the food price rose, numerous shops close down. Augustus considered himself lucky that he didn’t have to move.

I walked towards the Bleeding Heart Cemetery. The cool October wind blew against my frame, making me wish I wore a coat. I readjusted my grip on my oxygen tank. As I neared Augustus’ grave, the sun light captured the diamond ring Isaac gave me. My stomach flopped upside down. Although the wedding is in 2 weeks, I still felt unsure. I mean, who in their right minds marries their dead boyfriend’s best friend? I slipped the ring into my jean pocket. I located Augustus’ grave and sat down. I felt my stomach churn, realizing I haven’t visited him in months.

In the age of Augustus myth played a large role in Roman identity, with myths being used to justify alliances and political activities. The search for a common mythological ancestor amongst cities or countries offered a sense of legitimacy to the alliances that were struck because of these links. On a smaller scale, Romans sought to find familial links that meant that they were more qualified to make a decision, and Augustus was no exception to this. Augustus’ family were an old and distinguished family, however were not patrician, and he was ashamed of the fact that his great-grandfather was an ex-slave, the lowest on the social chain in Rome. In order to justify his leadership, and offer a more glamourous family background Augustus worked hard to establish his and Julius Caesar’s link to the Prince of Troy, Aeneas. Not only that, but Augustus was focused on establishing divine familial ties,

Gaius Octavius, who later became known as Augustus, was part of the Second Triumvirate along with Antony and Lepidus. Caesar’s assassination had instigated multiple civil wars caused by disagreements between aristocrats fighting for power. Augustus rose to power during that period of war and chaos. When Augustus emerged, he was readily accepted because the Romans were tired of all of the power struggles and also because Augustus did not impose himself on the Romans. Under Augustus’ rule, Rome entered the Pax Romana, which was a period of peace that lasted for 200 years. He was a kind ruler and did not act like a tyrant. During Augustus’ reign, improvements occurred in Rome’s economy, military, government and architecture. Because the Romans

Virgil was irrefutably one of the most accomplished writers of ancient Rome, as is reflected in his verse, and so it would be incorrect to categorise The Aeneid as purely propaganda commissioned by Caesar Augustus. In a time following Rome’s civil wars, Caesar Augustus had to do all he could to promote peace and the golden age his rule would bring to Rome and so Augustus commissioned Virgil, among others, to write the glory his reign would bring into verse. The Aeneid provided a rich cultural and divine background for Rome as well as a story of the city’s establishment that traced back to the times of Odysseus and Achilles, the golden age of Greece, and the legendary events of the

On the 23rd of September 63BC a baby boy was born. Little did his family know that this amazing child was going to be one of the greatest politicians in Rome, he was also going to touch the lives of many Roman Citizens and to be remembered by thousands of people many years after his death. He was to rule an empire that stretched from Spain to Judea. Turn the Mediterranean Sea into a peaceful Roman Lake and was eventually to be worshipped as a god. The future Emperor of Rome was called Gaius Julius Octavious, whom we all know now as Augustus.

Gaius Octavius, better known to historians as Augustus, succeeded his great uncle Julius Caesar following his assassination. In his wake, Augustus would become the first Emperor of the newly formed Roman Empire and bring massive, sweeping revisions to Roman law as well as centralize the government, military and economic currency of the Empire. He also reemphasized the importance of art, music and literature in Roman culture, bringing about a new era of historically important artists, poets, sculptors, scribes and philosophers. While the beginnings