4.2 Augustus’ outfits
It is now time to turn at last to Augustus’ visual propaganda. In this section, you will be introduced to some examples of Augustus’ official portraits (that is to say images that were either devised by Augustus, or had at least been sanctioned by him). These have been chosen because they represent key types in his ‘portfolio’ of publicity images. They are all from Italy, but they also served as models that were replicated throughout the different provinces in Rome’s empire. In the next activity, you will be asked to match the symbolism of the imagery with the honorific titles you learned about in the previous section, so that you can start to see how joined up and clever Augustus’ propaganda programme was.
Activity 7
- Take a close look at the images below the table, as well as the captions, and then fill in the first two blank columns in the table. You may wish to revisit Section 3 to refresh your memory of the dress styles. A sentence or two or 2–3 bullet points is fine for each.
- In the third blank column, insert the honorific title (Augustus, imperator, pater patriae, divi filius) you think matches the image, or, in other words: which of Augustus’ roles is the image conveying? There may be more than one in some cases.
Again, the first has been done for you. Remember to consult the glossary if there are any words that are unfamiliar to you.
| Image | Description of image, esp. dress | What is the image trying to convey? |
Corresponding title |
| Louvre bust (Figure 18) | Augustus wearing a sagum with a brooch at the shoulder (i.e. soldiers’ dress) and the oak wreath (corona civica) | Augustus as soldier, but also as someone who saved the lives of fellow Roman citizens, perhaps by ending the civil war? | Either imperator (because military man) or pater patriae (because protecting citizens) |
| Prima Porta statue (Figure 19) | |||
| Via Labicana statue (Figure 20) | |||
| Ara Pacis frieze (Figure 21) | |||
| Julius Caesar coin (Figure 22) |
Comment
This was a challenging task, but hopefully you managed to write down some points for each of the images. Here’s what you may have come up with:
| Image | Description of image, esp. dress | What is the image trying to convey? |
Corresponding title |
| Louvre bust (Figure 18) | Augustus wearing a sagum with a brooch at the shoulder (i.e. soldiers’ dress) and the oak wreath (corona civica) | Augustus as soldier, but also as someone who saved the lives of fellow Roman citizens, perhaps by ending the civil war? | Either imperator (because military man) or pater patriae (because protecting citizens) |
| Prima Porta statue (Figure 19) | Augustus wearing a pleated tunic, breastplate and paludamentum, i.e. the dress of a Roman general | Military capability and authority; courage; a ‘safe pair of hands’ who can defend and expand the empire | Imperator |
Via Labicana statue (Figure 20) |
Augustus wearing the toga in the style he invented and capite velato, i.e. taking part in a religious ceremony | Augustus as ordinary citizen and patriotic Roman (toga), but also pious, modest and respectful of the gods (capite velato). | Augustus |
| Ara Pacis frieze (Figure 21) | Religious ceremony with Augustus and members of his family. Most of the men and even the little boys wear the Augustan toga, some capite velato. Some of the women also cover their head. | Augustus as family man and head of a dutiful and devoutly religious family who join him in religious ceremonies; can act as role models. Wholesomeness, peace, family life. Public duty. | Pater patriae, Augustus |
| Julius Caesar coin (Figure 22) | Heads of Augustus and his adoptive father Julius Caesar. Explicit link in the words ‘CAESAR DIVI FILIUS’. | Augustus has divine connections: he’s the son of a god. Maybe also to increase popularity with ordinary people, who were fond of Caesar. | Divi filius |
This section has shown you how, by using different types of images, and especially different styles of dress, for his portraits and other public images, Augustus was able to appear in an array of guises that roughly corresponded to the formal titles he was bestowed with over time. In this way, he could try to appeal to as many different types of people as possible, and in so doing secure his reign.