Roman: Ara Pacis Augustae

The Topic:

The Ara Pacis is an Augustan monument commemorating the Pax Romana (Roman peace) and new Augustan Age instituted by Augustus (known before his title was granted as Octavian). Octavian had defeated the opposition and ended the 100 years of civil war that followed the dissolution of the Roman Republic, after the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus, during which various generals and politicians tried to claim power. The monument is said to have been voted by the Roman Senate, but how much of its decoration is Augustan propaganda continues to be debated today. Assuredly, it is an extremely important monument, and arguably, the most important work surviving from the Roman period. The Ara Pacis would influence numerous public monuments to follow, and serves as an important record of Roman artistic style and sophisticated design. A good, brief introduction is provided by Strazzulla 2009 (linked below), which all students are highly recommended to read.

Discussion Questions

1. Discuss briefly the various elements of the Ara Pacis, and discuss how they come together to create a unified composition.
2. What does Toynbee say about the nature of the Ara Pacis?
3. Consider and discuss the context / setting of the Ara Pacis in the Northern Campus Martius. In what contexts would it have been seen, and how might various viewers have understood the monument?
4. Discuss the Hellenic (Greek) influences on the Ara Pacis (using primarily Castriota, Conlin, Toynbee)
5. How is peace depicted on the Ara Pacis, and what is the nature of Augustan peace? (Billows, de Grummond, Holliday, Kleiner, Rehak, Rose, Ryberg, Weinstock, Zanker)
6. What is the relationship between the Ara Pacis and time (mythical time, historical time, the Augustan age, Roman history) (Billows, Elsner, Galinsky, Holliday, Lowrie, Rehak [both], Rodriguez-Almeida, Ryberg, Thornton, Zanker)
7. How do modern viewers interact with the Ara Pacis - in the museum and as they examine the reliefs and structure (Strazulla)
8. What does the Ara Pacis tell us today?

Bibliography in American Journal of Archaeology format with AJA journal abbreviations

Key to the American Journal of Archaeology’s bibliographic format:

Journal Articles: Author. Date. “Title.” Journal title Vol.: Pages. [or] Vol. (no. ): Pages

Books: Author. Date. Title. City: Publisher.

Chapters in books: Author. Date. “Chapter title.” In Book title, edited by Authors, pages. City: Publisher.

AJA Abbreviations commonly used in this bibliography (for a full list visit the page linked above):

AJA – American Journal of Archaeology

JRS – Journal of Roman Studies

ABull – The Art Bulletin

Local availability is indicated at the end of each bibliographic listing.

Billows, R. 1993. “The Religious Procession of the Ara Pacis Augustae: Augustus’ Supplicatio in 13 BC.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 6: 80-92. (Unavailable)

Bordignon, G. 2010. Ara Pacis Augustae. Venezia: Cafoscarina. (Available at )

---. 2009. “ ‘Bello Gloria Maior Eris’ Alcuni riferimenti formali e ideologici per l’Ara Pacis Augustae.” Engramma 75. http://www.engramma.it/eOS/index.php?id_articolo=382

Buchner, E. 1982. Die Sonnenuhr des Augustus. Mainz. (On the sundial in the Campus Martius)

Castriota, D. 1995. The Ara Pacis Augustae and the Imagery of Abundance in Late Greek and Early Roman Imperial Art. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Rather specific study, not recommended for Review of Scholarship) (Available at Auraria Library)

Conlin, D. 1997. The Artists of the Ara Pacis: The Process of Hellenization in the Roman Relief Sculpture. The University of Northern Carolina Press. (Available at Auraria Library, select a chapter for Review of Scholarship)

Elsner. J. 1991. “Cult and Sculpture: Sacrifice in the Ara Pacis Augustae.” JRS 81: 50-61. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/300488

Galinsky, K. 2001. “The Ara Pacis Augustae.” In Making Classical Art, edited by R. Ling. Making Classical Art. Charleston, SC: Tempus Publishing. (Available at ___)

Galinsky, G.K. 1992. “Venus, Polysemy and the Ara Pacis Augustae.” AJA 96 (3): 457-75. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/506068

Holliday, P.J. 1990. “Time, History and Ritual in the Ara Pacis Augustae.” ABull 72: 542-57. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3045761

Kleiner, D. 1978. “The Great Friezes of the Ara Pacis Augustae.” Mélanges de l’École de France en Rome, Antiquité. 90 (2): 753-85. URL: http://www.persee.fr/articleAsPDF/mefr_0223-5102_1978_num_90_2_1169/article_mefr_0223-5102_1978_num_90_2_1169.pdf (Especially section 4 on Augustan social policy) (A copy with images: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9190141/Kleiner%201978.pdf)

Kleiner, D. and B. Buxton. 2008. “Pledges of Empire: The Ara Pacis and Donations of Rome.” AJA 112 (1): 57-89. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40037244

Lowrie, M. 2009. “Occasion and Monument: The Ara Pacis.” In Writing, Performance, and Authority in Augustan Rome, idem, 309-323. Oxford University Press. (Ask me for a copy)

Moretti, G. 1948 (reprint 2005). L'Ara Pacis Augustae. 2 Volumes. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A. (1st ed. La Libreria dello Stato, 1948). (Available ?)

*Moretti, G. The Ara Pacis Augustae. 4^th Ed. Translated by Veronica Priestley. 1975. Instituto Poligrafico dello Stato, Rome. (Ask me for a copy)

Racob, F. 1987. “Die Urbanisierung des nördlichen Marsfeldes: neue Forschungen im Areal des Horologium Augusti.” In Urbs: espace urbain et historie. Coll. De l’école Francaise 98: 687-712. (On the northern Campus Martius)

Rehak, P. 2001. “Aeneas or Numa? Rethinking the Meaning of the Ara Pacis Augustae.” ABull 83 (2): 190-208. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3177206

*---. 2006. Imperium and Cosmos: Augustus and the Northern Campus Martius. The University of Wisconsin Press. (Available at Auraria Library)

Rodriguez-Almeida. 1978-80. “Il Campo Marzio Settentrionale: Solarium e Pomerium.” Rend. Pont. Acc. Arch. 51-2: 195-212. (Unknown availability)

Rose, C.B. 1990. “Princes and Barbarians on the Ara Pacis.” AJA 94 (3): 453-67. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/505797

*Rossini, O. 2008. Ara Pacis. New ed. Rome: Electa. (Unknown availability)

Ryberg, I. 1949. “The Procession of the Ara Pacis.” Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 19: 77, 79-101. (Ask me for a copy.)

Simon, E. 1967. Ara Pacis Augustae. Tübingen. (Download: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9190141/Simon%201967.pdf)

---. 1986. Augustus: Kunst und Leben in Rom um die Zeitenwende. München: Hirmer. p. 26-46. (Unknown availability)

Spaeth, B.S. 1994. “The Goddess Ceres on the Ara Pacis Augustae and the Carthage Relief.” AJA 98 (1): 65-100. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/506222

*Strazzulla, M.J. 2009. “War and Peace: Housing the Ara Pacis in the Eternal City.” Online Review: Museum. AJA 113 (2): 1-10. http://www.ajaonline.org/sites/default/files/AJA1132_Strazzulla.pdf (Unsuitable for Review of Scholarship) (Excellent up-to-date and fairly comprehensive bibliography with emphasis on the Ara Pacis Museum)

Thomson de Grummond, N. 1990. “Pax Augusta and the Horae on the Ara Pacis Augustae.” AJA 94 (4): 663-77. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/505125

Thornton, M.K. 1983. “Augustan Genealogy and the Ara Pacis.” Latomus 42: 619-28. (Ask me for a copy.)

Torelli, M. 1999. “Pax Augusta, Ara.” In Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae. Vol. 4, edited by M. Steinby, 70-4. Rome: Quasar. (Unsuitable for Review of Scholarship, but provides detailed bibliography for research) (Ask me for a copy.)

---. 1992. “Chapter 2.” In Typology and Structure of Roman Historical Reliefs, idem. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. (Available at ___)

*Toynbee, J.M.C. 1953. “The Ara Pacis Reconsidered, and historical art in Roman Italy.” Proceedings of the British Academy. 39: 67-95 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9190141/Toynbee.pdf (Remains a very important study despite its age)

Van Buren, A.W. 1949. “Review: Ara Pacis Augustae by Giuseppe Moretti.” American Journal of Philology. 70 (4): 418-421. (Available through JSTOR) (Unsuitable for Review of Scholarship)

Wallace-Hadrill, A. 1987. "Time for Augustus." In M. Whitby, P. Hardie and M. Whitby, eds. Homo Viator: Classical Studies for John Bramble, 221-30. (Important information on the context of the Ara Pacis) (Unsuitable for Review of Scholarship)

Weinstock, S. 1960. “Pax and the Ara Pacis.” JRS 50: 44-58. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/298286

*Zanker, P. 1990. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. (Remains an essential study, despite its age) (Available at Auraria library)

---. 1988. “Bilderzwang: Augustan Political Symbolism in the Private Sphere.” In Image and Mystery in the Roman World, edited by J. Huskinson, M. Beard, & J. Reynolds, 1-22. Glouchester: Sutton Publishing Ltd. (Available at ___)

An excellent resource created by an emeritus professor (Unsuitable as a source): http://cdm.reed.edu/ara-pacis

Various articles in Italian (the most up-to-date scholarship), some with good pictures: http://www.engramma.it/eOS/index.php?id_articolo=38

Pages in German, but excellent pictures (Unsuitable as a source): http://www.arachne.uni-koeln.de/arapacis/index.html

* Indicates a particularly important study