Augustus' Use of the Foundation Myths
Augustus’ use of the mythical founders of Rome in the establishment of his principate.
Whilst researching and filming the Romulus and Remus video I made for my last posting I began to find a lot of research relating to Augustus' use of the foundation myths in his principate. Thanks to prior knowledge and the research I did on the Prima Porta statue for the first post I wrote, I knew that Augustus often linked himself to Aeneas. However, I didn't realise to what extent he also used the myth of Romulus and Remus. Throughout the lectures so far we have looked extensively at what myths mean/do with a particular focus on Morales' definition that myth is something done rather than 'something'. This idea coupled with my curiosity about how Augustus used the founding myths of Rome led me to writing this post.
The idea of Augustus linking himself to a founder of Rome is by no means a new one (not even for this blog), however I wanted to take a look at the ancient evidence and see how Augustus compared himself to the founding fathers of Rome. During this post I will turn my attention to what I feel is three key aspects of evidence: literature, art and coins. The importance of this comparison can’t be understated, if Augustus presents himself as a descendent of Aeneas and Romulus or even a new version of the two he is able to say he was destined to rule and is himself a founder of Rome thus legitimising his claim.
Literature.
Both Suetonius and Cassius Dio tell the story of when Augustus was taking his first auspices (look at birds to determine the favour and will of the gods) as consul in 43BCE and he witnessed the same omens as Romulus and Remus (Green, J.S - Spring 2009) . This idea links Augustus to Romulus and Remus but also presents himself as a new founders of Rome ordained by the same divine will.
“Caesar was extremely proud of the fact that he was to be consul at an earlier age than had ever been the lot of any one else, and furthermore that on the first day of the elections, when he entered the Campus Martius, he saw six vultures, and later, while haranguing the soldiers, twelve others. For, comparing it with Romulus and the omen that had befallen him, he expected to obtain that king's sovereignty also.”Cassius Dio 46. 46
In Virgil’s, Aeneid, book 6 he connects Augustus to both Romulus and Numa (Getty, R.J 1950:2). Numa was the legendary second King of Rome and is often associated with the creation of Romes religious and political institutions, Romulus is associated with the creation of Rome itself and Augustus with the bring of peace and prosperity. Virgil in his Aeneid presents them all as founders of the city.
“A king himself (Romulus) and sire of kings to come,By whom our race in Alba Longa reign…Augustus Caesar, kindred unto Jove.He brings a golden age; he shall restoreOld Saturn's sceptre to our Latin land …His flowing locks and hoary beard, behold!Fit for a Roman king! By hallowed lawsHe shall found Rome anew.” (Numa)
Virgil wrote his Aeneid under the rule of Emperor Augustus and for a long time it was seen as a propaganda piece written under the instruction of the Emperor in order to praise his new regime. However, this interpretation is now very much up for debate scholars such as Dr Elena Giusti support this idea of Virgil writing for Augustus but other scholars such as Professor Michael C.J. Putnam in his book Virgil’s Aeneid: Interpretation and Influence, reads the Aeneid “as essentially subversive of the regime.” He says that "The forces of violence and irrationality which swirl around Aeneas... lead ultimately not to his triumph over them… but rather to complete submission” (Williams, G 1996:185). Of course which ever interpretation you take it doesn’t change the fact that in this case Augustus is linked to the mythical founders of Rome wether this be through his commissioning of the book and Giusti’s approach or Putnams view that Virgil unable to openly criticise Augustus decided to show his inevitable downfall by linking him to Aeneas.
Virgil is not the only ancient source to link Augustus to a mythical founder, Livy
Horace and Suetonius all linked him to Romulus. Suetonius says that some wished to give Octavian the tittle of Romulus instead of Augustus.
"For when some expressed the opinion that he ought to be called Romulus as a second founder of the city, Plancus carried the proposal that he should rather be named Augustus, on the ground that this was not merely a new title but a more honourable one, inasmuch as sacred places too, and those in which anything is consecrated by augural rites are called "august" (augusta), from the increase (auctus) in dignity, or front movements or feeding of the birds (avium gestus gustuve), as Ennius also shows when he writes: "After by augury august illustrious Rome had been founded.”Suetonius, Augustus [7]
This idea of the tittle of Augustus being linked to augury is a common one Scott in his 1925:85 article The identification of Augustus with Romulus - Quirinus says “and because of the common designation of augurium as augustum, which by its meaning and connection with Romulus bore the significance desired by Octavian.” (Of course referring to the use of augury by Romulus and Remus to choose a location for their city and the ultimate ‘triumph’ of Romulus).
Of course one can’t mention Augustan literature without mentioning Ovid. The ultimate sycophantic writer. In his book Fasti, Ovid isn’t just comparing Augustus to Romulus he is saying that Augustus bettered him in every way:
“Romulus, thou must yield pride of place. Caesar by his guardian care makes great thy city walls; the walls thou gavest to the city were such as Remus could o’erleap. Thy power was felt by Tatius, the little Cures, and Caenina; under Caesar’s leadership whate’er the sun beholds on either side is Roman. Thou didst own a little stretch of conquered land: all that exists beneath the canopy of Jove is Caesar’s own. Thou didst rape wives: Caesar bade them under his rule be chaste. Thou didst admit the guilty to thy grove: he hath repelled the wrong. Thine was a rule of force: under Caesar it is the laws that reign. Thou didst the name of master beard: he bears the name of prince. Thou hast an accuser in thy brother Remus: Caesar pardoned foemen. To heaven thy father raised thee: to heaven Caesar raised his sire.”Ovid, Fasti II, 133-144
The Res Gestae is one of the most iconic pieces of Augustan Literature, actually being penned by Augustus himself. Starr in his 2009 article Augustus and Romulus in the Res Gestae 1.1. says that Augustus links himself to Romulus through his age. The first line of the Res Gestae states that Augustus was 19 when he came to power, Starr says that “Augustus emphasis on his age of 19 also sets up an implied comparison with other historical figures: he was younger than Alexander the Great when Alexander took the throne, only a little older than the age at which Scipio Africanus burst on the stage, and younger than Pompey, who raised an army at 23” (Starr, R.J. 2009:367). Scott goes one to say that this comparison also applies to Romulus as according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus Romulus was 18 when he founded Rome. Scott says that as Augustus continually used Romulus image and story throughout his life this comparison of age would not have gone unnoticed (Starr, R.J 2009:368) and I have to agree. As we saw earlier in the extract from Cassius Dio 46. 46 Augustus was very proud of how young he was when he took power, even though his age meant that legally he wasn't old enough to hold those positions.
On a slight side not his desire to be remembered as young can be seen throughout his statues, he does not age in his representation. Augustus is always pictured young and idealised in his portraiture.
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| This is a slide from my presentation on the Meroe Head of Augustus in Spring 2019. Here you can see that Augustus' face never really changes or ages throughout his life time. The image on the right dates to 35-29 BCE and the image of the Prima Porta on the left dates to probably around 14 CE. (See post on Prima Porta for discussion on dating this statue). Augustus is always portrayed young even though when he died in 14 CE the approximate date for the Prima Porta he was 75 years old. |
I think it quite clear from the literature discussed that Augustus was compared to Romulus be that positively or negatively, what is not clear from most of the texts is wether Augustus had a direct hand in this comparison or wether it was done on the writers own initiative.
Art
In the Ciceronian age the deified Romulus became explicably linked with the god Quirinus. Augustus restored the Temple of Quirinus in 16 BCE after it was destroyed during the time of civil war between Caesar and Pompey (Scott, K. 1925:90). The pedimental sculpture is the most important thing in regards to Augustus’ use of the myth. The Augustan temple is now lost but fortunately we know what it likely looked like thanks to it being represented on a fragments found near the baths of Diocletian (Wiseman, T.P. 1997:146). T.P Wiseman in his 1995 book Remus: a Roman Myth goes into great detail on what the pedimental sculpture looked like (pp 145-9).
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| Relief Fragment with Representation of the Temple of Quirinus (MNR 310251) |
The most important bits I took away from his description is that in the centre of pediment where the god would usually be place was instead a door which had birds flying over it. The presence of these birds suggest augury and that probably makes you think of the augury that took place to determine the location of Rome by Romulus and Remus. On either side of this main scene are a seated figures interpreted as Romulus and Remus with the birds flying towards Romulus. The various gods and goddesses with one exception are also turned towards Romulus. Wiseman uses this scene to connect Romulus and Remus to Augustus and Agrippa. He uses a different version of the myth by Propertius where the infamous murder of Remus by Romulus didn’t happened and the twins ruled together (Wiseman 1997:146) . Just like the pediment shows with the direction of the birds Romulus was favoured by the gods more than Remus, with one being the ruler and the other being the deputy just like Agrippa was to Augustus (Wiseman, T.P 1997:146). Scott in his article The identification of Augustus with Romulus- Quirinus (1925:93) says that “It seems to me that these sculptures must have kept vivid in the minds of the Romans the fact that the rule of Octavian, like that of Romulus, was sanctioned by the augury of the twelve sacred birds.” Whatever interpretation we take Augustus still links himself and possibly his family to the founding myth of Romulus and Remus.
Other examples of Augustan art that include the depiction of augury include the Gemma Augustea and the Great Cameo of France. In both works Augustus is depicted holding a ‘lituus” (a instrument used by augurs to mark out a ritual space). Scott suggests that this could refer “to the fact that Augustus held his leadership of the state through the heaven- sent flight of birds, which, as in the case of Romulus, had sanctioned his rule within the city and the empire” (Scott, K.1925:102). Another important monument is the Altar of the Lares Augusti again Augustus is depicted holding a lituus.
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Left- Gemma Augustae, Centre - Great Cameo of France, Right- Altar of the Lares Augusti
These examples of art and monument suggest that Augustus did have direct input into being represented/compered to Romulus and Remus. Although a lot of this imagery is down to individual interpretation and is by no means the only possible explanation, it does seem reasonable. The vast majority of Augustan art has some reference to a founding myth. I have already discussed in detail the imagery and mythology on the Prima Porta and the possible links to Aeneas in a previous posts. The one monument I have thus far carefully avoided mentioning is the Ara Pacis, by far my favourite piece of art/monument to come out of the Augustan regime. I wanted to dedicate a whole post to this monument to avoid it getting lost in the mist of everything else, however I feel I can’t not help but mention it briefly here.
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| Me standing in front of that Ara Pacis during my visit in 2017 |
The Ara Pacis is a precinct altar that has a highly decorative casing with exquisite photorealist portraiture. One of the panels depicts Romulus and Remus being suckled by the she wolf (although badly damaged). However, what I find most fascinating here is the panel depicting Aeneas doing the first sacrifice in Italy and the similarity in his depiction to Augustus. Both are depicted head covered and slightly bowed. They are also practically next to each other in their placement on the monument. You can’t help but connect the two people when viewing it, they look so similar, add in the fact that Virgils Aeneid had just be released and the two figures were inexplicably linked in the minds of the people. Augustus linked the mythical founders of Rome, Aeneas, Romulus and Remus with himself and his family, ensuring that everyone knew that he had divine providence and was also a founder of Rome in one monument and that barely scratches the surface of what the Ara Pacis conveys. But that will be discussed at a later date.
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| Left - panel from the Ara Pacis depicting Romulus and Remus, Right - Panel showing Aeneas performing the first sacrifice |
Coins
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| An Augustan coin struck around 2BCE-12CE showing Augustus on one side and his adopted sons Gaius and Lucius on the other with the symbol of the litus above their heads - this is probably a link to succession as know they were destined to rule just like Augustus was. |
However with this evidence being less than conclusive for the purpose of this analysis I have decided to disregard the coins from my final thoughts.
In conclusion I think that Augustus does link himself to the mythical founders of Rome and other sources certainly do with or without Augustus commission. Augustus uses literature and visual imagery to legitimizes his right to rule, by presenting himself as another founder of Rome he is able to say he ‘restored’ the republic and re-founded the city. The use of art is I believe especially important as ordinarily every day people would see his statues and buildings and the message they conveyed everyday which meant the message reached a much wider audience than the written sources likely did. I believe that the literature and art depicts Augustus as having divine backing as well as divine heritage and this would have been invaluable in establishing and legitimizing his rule and winning over the hearts and minds of the people.
Bibliography
Stewart, R. (1997). The Jug and Lituus on Roman Republican Coin Types: Ritual Symbols and Political Power. Phoenix, 51(2), 170-189
Wallace-Hadrill, A. (1986). Image and Authority in the Coinage of Augustus. The Journal of Roman Studies, 76, 66-87.
Scott, K. (1930). Emperor Worship in Ovid. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 61, 43-69.
Getty, R. (1950). Romulus, Roma, and Augustus in the Sixth Book of the Aeneid. Classical Philology, 45(1), 1-12.
Putnam, M,C.J. (1995) Virgils Aeneid: interpretation and influence. University of North Carolina press, Chapel Hill - London.
Starr, R.J. (2009) Augustus and Romulus in the Res Gestae 1.1. Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 58, H. 3, pp. 367-369
Scott, K. (1925) the identification of Augustus with Romulus - Quirinus Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 56 (1925), pp. 82-105 The John Hopkins University Press
https://www.berfrois.com/2017/08/virgil-commissioned-augustus-write-aeneid/
Wiseman, T.P. (1995) Remus: a Roman myth. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Green, S. (2009). Malevolent Gods and Promethean Birds: Contesting Augury in Augustus's Rome. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), 139(1), 147-167.
Williams, G. (1996). Virgilian Studies. The Classical Journal, 92(2), 185-189.
Ovid, fasti, Book 2 - https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-fasti/1931/pb_LCL253.67.xml
Suetonius, Augustus - http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Augustus*.html
Virgil, Aeneid , Book 6 - http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0054%3Abook%3D6%3Acard%3D756
Cassius Dio, Book 46 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/46*.html
