Aeneas or Numa? Rethinking the meaning of the Ara Pacis Augustae

For the fresh world, the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) has advance to symbolize the artistic, political, and social achievements of the early Roman Empire, just as the Parthenon at Athens has for Classical Greece (1) builded between 13 and 9 BCE in the northern Campus Martius in Rome the altar was closely associated with a giant sundial, the Horologium-Solarium (Fig. 1) Architecturally, the Ara Pacis conflates sum of two units types of structure: a grecian form of altar raised upon a high podium, and an enclosing rectangular guard wall that resembles a Roman janus with doorways in its east and west facades. (2) Beginning in the sixteenth hundred the remains of the memorial were excavated in several campaigns; since the 1930 the reconstituted form has been on public display in its possess protective shell, now being replaced by means of a new one, designed by the agency of Richard Meier, which should be complet late in 2002 (3) Because of its relatively full state of preservation and the high quality of its extensi ve sculptural decoration, the Ara Pacis has overshadowed other remembrancers like the Forum of Augustus, that perhaps have an equal or better claim to exhibit Augustus's principate. (4) Nevertheless, we use the Ara Pacis confidently as individual of the primary structures for viewing Augustan Rome level though our understanding of the remembrancer is far from secure.

In 1907 Johannes Sieveking propos that the southern panel relief upon the west end of the defence surrounding the Ara Pacis exhibited the sacrifice of a incubate sow by the Trojan hero and Roman ancestor Aeneas, following his arrival in Latium (Fig. 2) (5) Three ancient authors, Virgil, Dionysios of Halikarnassos, and Varro, provide versions of this story that appear to correspond with details not absented on the relief. For nearly a hundred archaeologists and historians of ancient art have accepted this identification almost without question and have used the pageant as a keystone in attempts to discover the meaning of the record (6) The composition, carved above two joining blocks, focuses upon a rustic garlanded altar in brow of a tree. At the right are sum of two units adult men, both holding staffs; (7) at the left are sum of two units younger individuals, one of whom leads a hog toward the altar. In the background at upper left we can diocese a small temple whose lay open end frames two seated male divinities within. The adult nearest the al tar is usually identified as the sacrificant, Aeneas, preparing to present the animal to the Penates, accompanied by dint of the second adult figure, either his son lulus/Ascanius or his companion Achates.

The intent of this article is to question the traditional identification of the pageant I will then propose a novel and different interpretation of the way this single relief relates to the sculptural program of the Ara Pacis as a whole, to Augustus's use of art and history, and to late art historical theory and methodology.

The Composition and Iconography of the Panel

In general, the composition upon the Ara Pacis relief conforms to an established Roman impressed sign derived from Hellenistic representations, with a central altar flanked by dint of one or more sacrificants along with the animal victim and attendants, who pierce from one side. (8) The altar may be cylindrical or cubical or stand upon tripod legs; the officiating individuals usually have their heads veiled (capite velato) and grasp a shallow offering bowl (patera) for pouring libations; at least single assistant leads or urges upon the animal victim while others carry trays of offerings or gripe [i]or[/i] grip ritual equipment. The presence and number of spectators vary. Architectural uncompounded bodys vegetation, or other landscape features are sometimes added in the background to indicate generic settings or specific locations. thus standard is this iconography that it can be considered an artistic topos, whose specific meaning be pendents on the identity of the "cast of characters" and other details. (9)

Since plenteous recent discussion of the Ara Pacis panel has go aheaded from the premise that its make submissive has already been determined, it present the appearances worthwhile to begin instead with a closer examination of the relief itself before moving upon to wider interpretations (Fig. 3) The visual focus of the relief is the central rustic altar in the foreground, carved to show rough, unworked stones that have been piled up and draped with a garland of laurel leaves. The stalk of an oak tree with foliage rises behind the altar, dividing the exhibition into two unequal parts. Within each part, the compositional ultimate parts differ: the two foreground figures to the right of the altar are nearly as tall as the relief is high, they do not overlap individual another, and together they keep more than half the width of the panel. To the left of the altar the simple bodys are compressed and set in at least three overlapping planes of relief: in the foreground a swine in the middle distance the sum of two units attendants, and in the background a depressed hill surmounted by a temple

Of the four human figures upon the relief, the sacrificant to the right of the altar is the greatest in quantity prominent because of his position near the center and the frontal artificial position of his body. He is a mature, barefoot, and bearded man in archaic style of dress the toga sine tunica, which leaves greatest in quantity of his chest and right shoulder and arm bare. Pliny run overs us that the statues of the early kings of Rome place uprighted on the Capitoline were similarly garbed. (10) The sacrificant wears the toga capite velato above a laurel wreath, traits shared upon the other remains of the remembrancer only by Augustus in the southern frieze. Although he possesses a muscular, classicizing material part his torso has begun to thicken, indicating that he is middle-aged. (11) His deep-set organ of sight and pronounced naso-labial fold agree with this assessment.