Download The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus Lecture 32

The Power of Images
in the Age of Augustus
Lecture 32
Caesar’s assassins celebrated
their deed by the issue of a
special set of coins, featuring
on one side the bust of the
assassin Brutus and, on the
reverse, a set of daggers
flanking a “liberty cap,” similar
to those given to slaves upon
their emancipation. The Latin
inscription marks the “Ides of
March” as a day of
remembrance and celebration,
After the Ides of March, 44 B.C.
- Caesar’s assassins Brutus and Cassius flee
- Octavian, only 18 years old, but the designated heir
- Mark Antony, Caesar’s former right-hand man
- Elimination of the assassins at Philippi in 42 B.C.
THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE
In 42 B.C., Caesar’s assassins
were defeated at Philippi in
Macedonia, less than a hundred
miles from Pharsalus, where
Caesar had defeated Pompey six
years earlier.
Octavian
Lepidus
In the new power-sharing arrangement, the
Second Triumvirate, Octavian, Antony, and
Lepidus each took control of one region of the
empire previously ruled by Julius Caesar.
Antony
The Face (and
Fortune) that
Captured the
Heart of
Mark Antony
After his victory at
Philippi, Caesar’s former
general Mark Antony
toured the East to secure
Roman control. At Tarsus
(southern Turkey), he had
a fateful meeting with
Caesar’s former lover, the
Egyptian queen Cleopatra
(as depicted here by
Elizabeth Taylor in the
1960 Hollywood epic).
Coin of Mark Antony and Cleopatra
Mark Antony’s bond with Cleopatra was both romantic and political. For Roman audiences,
they presented themselves in the austere tradition of Republican portraiture. But in Egypt, they
continued to drape themselves in Hellenistic style, feasting like gods.
Stories circulating in
Rome emphasized the
excessive luxury of
Cleopatra and
Antony’s court in
Alexandria. One
story — often
depicted in later
European painting
— tells how
Cleopatra dissolved
one of her giant pearl
earrings in wine and
then drank it!
Tales of
excess at
Alexandria
Cleopatra’s
giant
pearl
The popular image of Cleopatra as a seductive oriental in 20th
century Europe and America has its roots in the hostile attacks on
Mark Antony circulated by Cicero and other Romans, who objected to
his marriage to a non-Roman queen! This photo comes from the
1917 silent movie about Cleopatra starring Theda Bara, a Hollywood
superstar of the silent film era.
The Cleopatra of Legend
As Roman troops closed in on Alexandria,
Cleopatra committed suicide to avoid
capture — or so the story goes. The scene
at her deathbed became a popular theme of
European Orientalist painting.
The Death of Cleopatra, 30 B.C.
OCTAVIAN
TEENAGE
TRIUMVIR
Caesar’s designated heir was only 18
years old on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.
Not surprisingly, Mark Antony and the
other generals did not initially see him
as a credible challenger. They were
wrong. In the crucial Battle of Actium
in 31 B.C., Octavian defeated Antony
and Cleopatra off the coast of Greece
and then chased them back to Egypt.
Augustus adopts
Egyptian imagery
after victory at Actium
Images of Augustus from
Egypt, where he was
represented in both
Hellenistic and Egyptian style
As sole ruler of the Roman Empire, Octavian/Augustus
created an entire new language of power, very different
from the traditional images of head-bashing god-kings.
Octavian inherited an
empire centered on the
Mediterranean , with many
territories only recently or
partially conquered.
Octavian/Augustus reorganized the empire
so that the most important provinces
remained under his direct control, while
Senators ser ved as governors in the less
militarized provinces.
Celebrating the Golden Age: Ara Pacis
Augustan legislation attempted to increase
the birthrate of Roman citizens by rewarding
mothers and criminalizing any action
(divorce, widowhood, homosexuality, abortion)
that reduced the birthrate.
FECUNDITY and FEMALE PIETY
Potential heirs of Augustus
depicted in public art
According to his admirers, Augustus transformed Rome
from a city of brick into a city of marble. He paid for
the construction of numerous new temples, theaters, and
other public buildings, including an entire new forum.
The Forum of Augustus
Mausoleum of
Augustus
Augustus’ tomb, built beside
the Tiber River in Rome, was
designed to be a monument
for the ages. Only its core
cylinders survive intact
today. The bronze columns
bearing his funerary
inscription, the Res Gestae,
are known only from
literary sources.
Copies of Augustus’ funeral inscription, the Res Gestae (“Deeds
Accomplished”), were erected all over the empire. The most complete copy
to sur vive to this day was the one carved onto the wall of an imperial
temple in Ankara, capital of modern Turkey. You can read the text of the
inscription in our course pack. What does the style of this inscription tell
us about Augustus’ image of himself and Roman views of government?
Further reading, viewing, and study:
Consider taking Alain Gowing’s History/Classics course on the age of
Augustus or any of the courses in Roman history taught by my
colleague Sandra Joshel.
The HBO television show “Rome” gets the basic history of this era
right, though it emphasizes (predictably) the sex and violence, which
probably indicates as much about our society as it does about ancient
Rome. Still, the show includes some memorable depictions of the
key historical players.
For a brilliant scholarly account of Augustus’ use of images to
convince people that they were living in a new golden age, see Paul
Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus (1988).