ARA
PACIS AUGUSTAE (Altar of Augustan
Peace)
1.
Label the diagram you have been given so you can clearly see where the
various relief carvings are placed.
2. Where was this altar originally
sited? How can this be seen as part of the propaganda/message of the structure?
3.
What materials were used and how can this too be seen as propaganda?
4.
When was it built?
5.
How big is it?
6.
Why was it built and what was its function? (several points here)
7.
What are the scenes each side of the doors (describe them) and what is
the message they are intended to convey?
8.
What is inside the structure and how is this area decorated? How does
this relate to the practical function of the building?
9.
What is carved on the bottom section of the outside screens and what
does it symbolise?
10.
What is the subject of the major relief carvings on the top sections of
the side walls (exterior)? Who is shown, what are they doing, and how does this
fit the overall propaganda message of the building? Where is Augustus in all of
this? How is he presented?
11.
How would this frieze compare with a Greek frieze? Is anything
typically Roman about the approach?
12.
List some examples of ‘historical realism’ in this work – and some of
‘mythological symbolism’