The Ara Pacis Augsutae

1
The Ara Pacis Augsutae

• New Topic Religious Architecture

• The altar of Augustan Peace

2
How we will learn about it

• Notes about the general background on powerpoint
• Then, everyone in groups of 4. Split into pairs
  from these groups. Each pair will learn about a
  side of the Ara Pacis take notes
• Then, each pair will teach the other pair the
  information!
• When you teach, you learn and remember much
  faster ?

3
Vocab list

• Bucrania decorative bulls skull
• Palmette leaf decoration
• Precinct stone walls
• Paterae (highlight in your glossary in
  workbooks)
• Meander design that is a common motif in Roman
  art
• Door jamb sides of a doorway
• Lintel (highlight in your glossary in
  workbooks)
• Capital (highlight in your glossary in
  workbooks)
• Acanthus capital head part of a column,
  decorated with Acanthus leaves
• Cornice the top, projecting section of
  entablature
• Entablature (highlight in your glossary in
  workbooks)
• Pilaster (highlight in your glossary in
  workbooks)

4
background

• When Augustus became Emperor, and started the
  Roman Empire, he ruled the Roman world, it was
  important that his image be seen in every public
  place all over the Empire.
• The Romans liked to see victories in warfare and
  other important events commemorated in stone.
• The purpose of relief sculpture was to inform it
  told a story to the illiterate and for the
  literate, used images to emphasise the imperial
  ideology

• Romes rulers used relief sculpture as a form of
  political propaganda, the message was readable at
  a glance

5
facts

• Location Originally from the Field of Mars
  (Campus Martius) in the north of Rome
• Architectural type Relief Sculpture
• Purpose This piece was commissioned in honour of
  Augustus. It was awarded to him by the Roman
  Senate after he successfully pacifiied Gaul and
  Spain, he had been there since 16BC. (From 29BC
  onwards, Augustus refused to accept triumphal
  honours that were normally celebrated by a
  victorious general, so they had to find different
  was to celebrate his return). It is also
  political propaganda. The altar was also designed
  for annual sacrifices to the goddess peace and
  Roma by magistrates, priests and vestal virgins.

6
facts

• Date of construction 13-9 BC (but was restored
  by Mussolini in 1930 and relocated)
• Dimensions The Ara Pacis is a rectangular stone
  wall surrounding a stone altar. The wall is 10.5m
  in length, 11.6m in width and 7m in height
• Materials used Tufa, Travertine, Carrara marble
  (all Italian building materials)
• Greek Influences
• Greek Parthenon (440-430 BC) Augustus wanted to
  link himself and his rule with the successes and
  achievements of 5th cent Athens, so he copied the
  style of the processional frieze.
• The altar and screen wall are modelled on the
  Greek altar of Mercy in Athens
• Greek influence in style of decoration,
  structure, acanthus leaf scroll work

7
Imperial Propaganda

• The purpose of the Ara Pacis is to show Augustus
  great achievements. this was started with the
  defeat of Mark Anthony and the Egyptian forces at
  the battle Actium in 31BC which ended the civil
  war.
• Augustus has given people peace, prosperity,
  fertility, piety and those are all shown on the
  Ara Pacis.
• The idea is proclaimed by
• Showing Augustus victory over Western provinces
• Its location in the Field of Mars, a military
  exercise area
• The symbols and images used on each relief panel
• The altar sits close to a sundial that symbolises
  defeated and pacified Egypt. The sundial worked
  through the power of Apollo (the sun god), the
  deity that Augustus favoured. The shadow aligned
  once a year with the door to the Ara Pacis, on
  Augustus birthday

8

• The altar itself is inside the precinct on a
  raised dais, facing east. The outer and interior
  wall is is decorated with friezes of relief
  sculpture.
• The altar on the inside Has a small frieze, 39cm
  high of a sacrificial procession. Possibly shows
  the altars dedication ceremony in 9 BC. There
  are vestal virgins, animals and attendants.

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The lower half of the Interior precinct wall
represents the carved Wooden palisade that was
set up as a makeshift enclosure when the site
was Inaugurated in 13BC
interior wall

• Upper part of the wall has symbols of sacrifice,
  these are
• elabourate garlands
• patarae (libation bowls)
• bucrania (bulls skulls)
• Palmette decoration creates a border.
• This interior decoration means the altar is
  permanently ready for sacrifice

10
Exterior wall
The exterior wall is decorated with two Layers
also. Here the two layers are separated, By a
thicker band, a meander pattern, carved In high
relief. The bottom layer around the whole
precinct is an intricate floral pattern.It has
hundreds of swirling acanthus plants that turn
into realistic flowers, each petal has intricate
detail. There are birds, insects, snakes and
lizards in amongst the plants, making the panel
seem alive with movement. Swans, the symbol of
Apollo are also there. Apollo was Augustus
patron diety helped him win the battle in
Actium in 31BC
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Each door is surrounded by a stepped door jamb
and lintel.
Each corner of the precinct has a Corinthian
Pilaster which is decorated with an
elaborate foliate scroll and acanthus capital.
There are 2 doors in the precinct walls (on the
east and west sides) This is the west, because it
is the main entrance for sacrifice and there are
9 shallow steps.
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• What is on the walls???
• The most significant feature of the exterior
  decoration are the reliefs on the top layer of
  the precinct wall.
• They are in precise pattern, mythological, and
  allegorial features on the east/west and
  historical procession on the north/south.

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South Procession of imperial family
East Allegorical Tellus
East Allegorical Roma
Altar
West Mythological Aeneas
North Procession of senators and priests
West Mythological Romulus Remus
14

• South frieze
• Procession of imperial family

15

• North frieze, procession of senators, vestal
  virgins, and priests

16
Group work

• Pair one
• East Allegorical side Tellus relief Roma
• Pair two
• West Mythological side Romulus and Remus
  Aeneas
• Teacher will cover
• North side Historical procession of priests
• South side Historical procession of Augustus
  family