How Did Augustus Use Propaganda

Gaius Octavius was adopted at the age of eight-teen by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, and renamed Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. On being named the heir of Julius Caesar, Octavian perceived the need to establish a political persona. He used a variety of art forms as propaganda to celebrate the events that distinguished his rule and eminence. Augustus’ presence in all forms of art established his pervasive presence and authority in Rome. He became one of the most influential rulers in ancient history. Through the use of literature, visual art, coins, and architecture, Augustus fabricated a divine and powerful image of himself as Princeps and maintained this image throughout his reign. In the course of a generation, Augustus used propaganda

If Augustus had not meticulously designed his image as Princeps, he would not have become the successful emperor history remembers him as.

Augustus was determined to cement his claim to power in every possible way, and he accomplished this in part through literature. Augustan literature, the golden age of Latin literature, became the most influential and enduring Roman poetry. A patron to the arts, Augustus financed the works of Ovid, Horace, and Virgil to write literature that would build upon his image. One of the most triumphant examples of Augustan propaganda literature is the Aeneid by Virgil. Augustus commissioned Virgil to write an epic that would feature the hero, Aeneas, as well as associate the two leaders. Virgil brought the legend of Aeneas back to the hearts of the Romans in the Aeneid, while also reminding them Augustus being the descendant of the Trojan hero and Venus bolstered his claim to the throne. This technique enabled Virgil to evade reverencing the unheroic events of Augustus’ rise to the throne, while also creating a distinct and symbolic image of the clash between the Romans and Mark Antony. The Aeneid convinced the public that Augustus was fated to rule under

During Pax Romana, when Augustus brought peace to the Mediterranean, a large number of public works were commissioned throughout the Empire. One of the most popular visual forms of political propaganda was relief sculpture. When Augustus became Emperor, it was curial that his image be seen in public places across the Empire. The Romans enjoyed seeing their victories in war and other events in their history commemorated. The relief sculpture accomplished this; it depicted a story that both the literate and illiterate could comprehend through images to emphasize imperial ideology. The most famous example of this is the Ara Pacis or “The Altar of Augustan Peace”. The Ara Pacis was originally located in Campus Martius, a military exercise area, in the north of Rome. The piece was commissioned to honor Augustus. The Roman Senate awarded it to Augustus after he pacified Gaul and Spain. It worked as a piece of political propaganda and was designed for the annual sacrifice to the goddess of peace. The relief sculpture was intended to link Augustus and his rule to the achievements of Athens under Pericles by mimicking the style of the processional frieze on the Greek Parthenon. The alter and screen wall are modeled after the Greek altar of Mercy in Athens. The Ara Pacis depicts Augustus’ great achievements beginning with the defeat of Mark Anthony and the Egyptians at Actium ending