Augustus and Propaganda

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

I’m slightly late with this one…

You see, just two days ago, on August 19th, it was the 2,012th anniversary of the death of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor.

I know, I know, it’s easy to lose track of these things!

Yet there’s something fitting about Augustus, the master of Roman political theater, dying in August: the month named after himself.

Of course, Augustus was keenly aware of the importance of what nowadays we might call optics, or even propaganda.

So in today’s Members article, we’re looking at the power of image in Augustus career. Discover below how his shifting political image was communicated to the people of Rome, from statues to poems, and how it all almost came undone through a family member…

And a mysterious scandal that even enveloped the poet Ovid.

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Of course, Augustus’ legacy is enormous.

He’s the man who transformed a Republic to an Empire. He famously “found Rome a city of bricks, and left it a city of marble”.

But could he transform himself? Or at least how he was perceived?

Read on below to find out…

All the best,

Sean Kelly

Managing Editor

Classical Wisdom

by Ben Potter

The Augustus of Prima Porta, the magnificent 6’7” statue of the man who irreversibly altered the political make up of Rome, is perhaps the most iconic and impressive of all the depictions we have of the son of Julius Caesar. The date of the statue is disputed; some arguing it was from as early as 20 B.C., some considering it to be a posthumous sculpture commissioned by Augustus’ heir, Tiberius. Observing this image of the oversized warrior, the commander, the hero of Rome, we are awed and inspired.

We see flashes of his immense deeds (defeat of Antony and Cleopatra), his divine roots (descent from Venus), and the cultural nod to Classical Greece (which, in turn, conjures up images of Alexander the Great). Lastly, the personal divinity signified by his bare feet serve to overpower the senses and spirit.

Bold, brave, godlike: This was how this Machiavellian man chose to present himself to the public. During his reign, however, Augustus began to shy away from the image of warrior, conqueror and demi-god…

And sought to change his public image to something else.