In what ways did the Julio-Claudians use traditional and foreign religion as a political tool?
In this essay I will investigate the ways in which the Julio-Claudian dynasty used traditional Roman religion alongside foreign cults as political tools to legitimise their imperial role by emphasising divine heritage and by providing religious cohesion by conflating traditional Roman religion with aspects of foreign cults. I will use both ancient authors and modern scholarship to analyse the ways in which the Julio-Claudians used traditional and foreign religion in a political way. Moreover, I shall analyse my evidence via the themes, imperial cult, literature as propaganda, and material evidence: coins, inscriptions and statues.
Imperial Cult
First, I shall explain how the Imperial cult was used as a means of focussing the loyalty of provincials towards the emperor and his family in Rome. I shall, however, also take into account the fact …show more content…
Virgil’s Aeneid depicts a scene from the Battle of Actium in which Octavian’s forces are pitted against Antony and Cleopatra’s hordes and her god, the barking Anubis. This description of the barking Anubis may be Virgil’s way of showing that the hordes that Cleopatra brought to bear were just as unruly and unorganised as a god who seemingly behaves more like an animal. Orlin respects the idea that the Romans might depict themselves as conquering weaker foreign gods, however, Orlin also notes that the absorption of a deity into the Roman religion could also be a means of forming religious bond. In contrast, Beard et al. claim that the writing of the Augustan period is focussed on presenting the emperor’s victory against Cleopatra as a scene of Roman gods conquering Egyptian
In this essay I will investigate the ways in which the Julio-Claudian dynasty used traditional Roman religion alongside foreign cults as political tools to legitimise their imperial role by emphasising divine heritage and by providing religious cohesion by conflating traditional Roman religion with aspects of foreign cults. I will use both ancient authors and modern scholarship to analyse the ways in which the Julio-Claudians used traditional and foreign religion in a political way. Moreover, I shall analyse my evidence via the themes, imperial cult, literature as propaganda, and material evidence: coins, inscriptions and statues.
Imperial Cult
First, I shall explain how the Imperial cult was used as a means of focussing the loyalty of provincials towards the emperor and his family in Rome. I shall, however, also take into account the fact …show more content…
Virgil’s Aeneid depicts a scene from the Battle of Actium in which Octavian’s forces are pitted against Antony and Cleopatra’s hordes and her god, the barking Anubis. This description of the barking Anubis may be Virgil’s way of showing that the hordes that Cleopatra brought to bear were just as unruly and unorganised as a god who seemingly behaves more like an animal. Orlin respects the idea that the Romans might depict themselves as conquering weaker foreign gods, however, Orlin also notes that the absorption of a deity into the Roman religion could also be a means of forming religious bond. In contrast, Beard et al. claim that the writing of the Augustan period is focussed on presenting the emperor’s victory against Cleopatra as a scene of Roman gods conquering Egyptian