I chose to write about the Ara Pacis Augustae, also known as the Altar of Augustan Peace on page 176 of our textbook.
Augustus was the first emperor of Rome who used propaganda to prolong and to, in a way, stabilize his command, which was a very useful technique and strategic play. One of the ways he showed his propagandistic techniques was to build an altar that was dedicated to his wife, and that was completed in 9 BCE. This peaceful time was described as a period in which Rome had never established before. The Altar of Augustan Peace was supposed to stand for all to see the triumphs Rome had established. This was a useful technique that allowed Rome to see what it wanted to become, as well as define a new beginning (Armstrong, 2008). Of course, with such big ambitions, the people under him expected big power, control, and for Augustus to live up to his word and actions. Augustus wanted to be known for restoring peace, by which he created functional temples (Armstrong, 2008).
The creative detailed artwork within the Altar of Augustan Peace was certainly unique in that it was tailored to the sacrifices made. The book states that skulls of ox are placed inside which was meant to resemble that of offerings (Stokstand & Cothren, 2011). Within the wall of the altar, it is said that the artwork represents sacrificial ways that are representational of one sacrifice, whereas the outside is specific to the Roman culture. Also, I found it rather interesting that when a sacrifice was made, it was said to have no audience members present, instead if you were to watch a sacrifice happen, you would actively a part of it instead of watching from a distance (Armstrong, 2008). I think that it is significant to point out that the artwork is trying to show the similarities as well as differences from the new and old sacrifices and time frames. It shows that Romans are still who they were and will forever hold the culture aspect of what they do and believe in, but wanting to signify the meaning behind the sacrifices in a new modern way from what is used to be seen. The new and improved way is depicting itself as more powerful and significant compared to the old time (Armstrong, 2008).
We have discussed earlier in the quarter the meaning, function, and significance a frieze has, but just to refresh, a frieze is a sculpture or some type of decoration between to parallel horizontal bands. It can embody high-relief, low-relief, or paintings within the bands. There are numerous friezes surrounding the Altar of Augustan Peace, which has been considered as a narrative of Augustan’s time of reign and what he did for the people under him. On the north side of the altar, Armstrong suggests that there are recognizable figures of which belong to Augustan’s family. On all four panels, animals are present, perhaps to represent the fierce fight for a new beginning, or it could represent the fight in Augustan himself, for the peace that is important to obtain (Kellum, 1994). The East wall contains a female figurine that is unrecognizable and is described to have weapons from enemies in her possession (Kellum, 1994). This part of the frieze goes along with the theme of this altar, which is to help maintain the peace that Augustan wanted.
The West wall contains an image and representational sculpture of fertility. We have learned that fertility can be symbolized with many elements, such as fruit, and non-proportional features of a women’s body, but here the frieze is described to have twins sitting on a women’s lap (Kellum, 1994).
References:
Armstrong, G. (2008). Sacrificial iconography: Creating history, making myth, and
negotiating ideology on the Ara Pacis Augstae. Religion and Theology. 15,
340-356.
Kellum, B. (1994). What we see and what we don’t see. Narrative structure and the
Ara Pacis Augustae. Art History: Blackwell Publishers. 17(1), 26-45.
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