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Julius Caesar Analysis

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The Aureus of Octavian: Temple of Julius Caesar was minted in 36 BCE. The choice of using coinage itself as a way to send messages is a smart and logical choice. Coins were portable and widespread, and with images coins can carry messages, ones that have daily reinforcement with each usage. This particular aureus depicts the bust of Octavian Augustus on one side, and the Temple of Julius Caesar on the other. Zanker “is a good example of the effective use of new visual language by Octavian’s supporters” (Zanker, 1990). This particular coinage is an important resource to understanding what how August portrayed himself, but also how others may have perceived him, or were lead to see him.
The choice of images on the coin is an indicator …show more content…

AD 14–37) shares many qualities with the marble statue of the “elderly woman.” However, the face of Augustus does appear more idealized. The features appearing as a little more ‘classic’ than realistic. This shift in sculptural occurred during Augustus’ time in power, “Augustus’ official portrait type was disseminated throughout the empire and combined the heroicizing idealization of Hellenistic art with Republican ideas of individual likeness to produce a whole new scheme for portraiture that was at once innovative and yet fundamentally based in familiar aspects of traditional Roman art” (Trentinella 2003). This merge of cultures, but more importantly the careful balance of Hellenstic influence with the ideals of traditional Rome fits perfectly into the greater theme we see in Augustus’ ruling …show more content…

“Sculpted monuments...testify to the high artistic achievements of imperial sculptors under Augustus and a keen awareness of the potency of political symbolism” (“Augustan Rule,” 2000). It is not through just images though that Augustus reinforces this careful balance and understanding of art as an influence on personal appearance. Augustus also supported, “a social and cultural program enlisting literature and the other arts revived time-honored values and customs, and promoted allegiance to Augustus and his family.” (“Augustan Rule,” 2000). Therefore, Augustus did not purely focus on just physical structures or images but, he also utilized the growing prominence of Roman

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