Augustus As Imperator Analysis

For centuries, figures of politicians like those on Greek coins were often used as decorations and memorabilia shared among people for public and private use but in Rome, portraiture became a fundamental way to share political ideas with people as these portraits often had detailed symbolic imagery which suggested certain ideas about a leader and his rule. In this essay we will discuss Augustus’ portrait, “Augustus as Imperator” and the symbolism within, which was used as propaganda during his reign as Emperor to reach Roman citizens, especially the uneducated.
The statue was a political propaganda, showing the world, especially the people of Rome that Rome is under control by a powerful and capable leader. One portrait in particular, which …show more content…
The overall style of the portrait was not only made Greek but is was copied after a Greek sculpture by the artist Polykleitos, the Doryphorus . The only difference between the figure of Augustus and the Doryphorus is the lack of heroic nudity and emergence of a cupid. Both figures contain similar symbolisms and in the portrait of Augustus, he is idealized; depicted as younger when in fact at the time the figure was commissioned, he was middle aged. Augustus wanted to convey the idea that he is still as strong as he was in his youth making him fit to rule. The portrait is also in contrapposto -a stance developed in early 5th century B.C. as an alternative to the stiff position where the figure’s weight is evenly distributed on both legs - giving it movement and making it look more relaxed. Here, we see the idea that Rome is upholding the Greek standards. Based to an article in the Columbia University Encyclopedia, during the 4th century, Rome conquered West Latium and South Etruria and over the next century and was immersed in Greek culture and this immersion caused the Greek language to be spoken in much of Rome with its literature being very popular and also brought on much of Rome’s modernization. Greek philosophy became so influential, that it destroyed “roman religion and… open[ed] the Romans to the Eastern cults, which were enormously popular for years. Seeing that the people were lovers of Greek art, mythology, philosophy, literature and language, it was important for Augustus to express his support of Greek culture through his portrait.
Finally, it is clear that Augustus intentionally used his portrait as a form of propaganda to declare his sovereignty and to gain the trust of his people. Symbolism and Greek ideas were combined with his persona to give viewers a controlled image of Augustus,