Understanding Roman Society Through The Influence Of Emperor Augustus
The study of classical cultures has long been a key part of higher education. The origin of the word classics has its roots in indicating a high status. The Latin word classicus is used to mean “belonging to the highest class of citizen.” The contemporary definition of the classics however, denotes the study of classical antiquity. In particular the classics looks at the Greco-Roman world in this period. One of the most indisputably important figures of this time period is Gaius Octavius, otherwise known as the Roman Emperor Augustus. As Rome’s first emperor he saw the establishment of the Roman Empire. He not only played a critical role in the empire’s establishment, but also in ensuring that the empire would continue for centuries. In doing so, he would revitalize roman society, and establish the Imperial Cult. When examining an argument like this the nature of the evidence plays an important role. The majority of materials surviving from this time period consists of texts, some of which are incomplete. Those which will be examined consist of (Virgil’s Georgics and the Aeneid, Horace’s Satires, and Ovid’s Ars Amatoria).
One of the most significant authors of the Augustan age is Publius Vergilius Maro, more commonly known as Virgil. The patron of Virgil was Maecenas, a close friend and political advisor of Augustus. It is implied that Augustus played a role in influencing Virgil’s works because of this. Two of Virgils works which demonstrate this are his didactic Georgics and his national epic of Rome, the Aeneid.
The former of those works, Georgics, was published in the year 29 BCE. The work was written at the insistence of Maecenas, which the work was inevitably dedicated to. Georgics encompasses a didactic guide on operating a farm. Subjects discussed include growing crops, caring for livestock, and beekeeping. Book one begins as many works of this time period do, with an invocation of muses and prayer to the Gods. Where this poem deviates from most appears towards the end of that prayer. Vergil mentions Caesar (in this case referring to Octavian) by name, offering a prayer to him. This is clearly a glorification of Augustus, and demonstrates to contemporary readers the establishment and development of the Imperial Cult. Being published so close to the foundation of the Roman Empire (27 BCE), this Augustan name drop was likely part of the deification of Julius Caesar. As the heir of Caesar, Augustus wanted to maintain that connection to the ‘Divus Iulius’ or the deified Julius Caesar. To accomplish this, Augustus used many of Romes popular authors to promote himself. This relentless self promotion was critical in establishing the Imperial Cult, ensuring the continuation of the Empire’s political system.
Georgics political influence extends beyond the Imperial Cult. The work came at the end of a long period of civil conflict in Roman society. Decades of civil war had altered many Roman’s perception of their political agency. Certain lifestyles, particularly those of pastoral nature, had fallen out of popularity. It seemed as if Roman society had deviated from its zenith during the time of the Roman Republic. While not directly political, book IV of Georgics parallels Roman society with a colony of bees. One line which stands out describes how a colony of bees will work harder to repair their hive after a great deal of suffering. This is certainly a hopeful sentiment, especially for a war exhausted Rome. With Augustus being the only surviving member of the second triumvirate, he became the sole ruler of Rome. With no significant enemies on the horizon, Augustus would be eager to rebuild Roman society. More importantly he would be eager to take credit for doing so.
The latter of Virgil’s works, the Aeneid, was published in the year 19 BCE. The Aeneid features many strong connections to the Imperial Cult. By having Aeneas’ son renamed to Iulius, Virgil establishes a direct connection between this work and the Julian line. In doing so he connects Augustus himself to the founding of Rome. This connection is found at other points throughout this work. When Aeneas visits the underworld to find his father, he observes a parade of Romans, his descendants. At the head of this parade is Augustus. Finally, before the final battle of the Aeneid, Aeneas receives a shield made by one of the gods. The shield is ornately decorated with scenes of Roman history. At the center of the shield Augustus is depicted leading at the Battle of Actium. However, Augustus was not present at the battle. This is clearly representative of the Imperial Cults prominence in post-republic society.
This work was also used by Augustus to re-introduce Roman values to Rome’s society. The character design alone reflects what values Augustus would want to portray. Aeneas is a strong man devoted to his country and its success. Piety is an important theme found throughout this work. In several instances Aeneas is depicted as having respect for the Gods, while his foes are often depicted as being scornful of the Gods. Throughout the epic, Aeneas follows direction from the gods, even if it goes against his best interests. In book 4 Aeneas falls in love with Dido the Queen of Carthage. However, Mercury reminds Aeneas of his fate through a dream. Heeding this Aeneas leaves Carthage for Italy.
Virgil was far from the only author to promote Augustus’ ideals of Roman society. Like Virgil, Horace’s patron was the same Maecenas that connected Virgil to Augustus. One set of works which provides important insight of the promoted virtues of the early Empire is Horace’s Satires. The beginning of this body of work seems to criticize the wealthy upper classes of Rome. After all, this was the target audience for this campaign of values. In 1.2 Horace targets the wealthy which go through great efforts to spend much of their estate. He highlights a fear of being called stingy. The expectation placed on the highest classes of Roman society was to not involve themselves in business, instead producing their wealth from their estates and farmland owned outside the city. The re-focusing of Rome’s elite was an important part of Augustus’ plan to revive a post-republic Rome.
While Augustus worked hard to influence many of Rome’s literary icons, some managed to avoid his influence. One work which was not heavily influenced by Augustus is Ovid’s Ars Amatoria. The first two books of this work follow advice from Ovid on how to find and keep a woman. In this instance, it is important to understand how this work contrasts the Julian Laws. The set of laws passed by Augustus in 17 BCE and 18 BCE governed the morals and lack of population among Rome’s upper classes. Particularly, it limited marriage between social classes, and severely punished adultery. Ovid’s work described actions which correspond with loose morals and sexual deviancy. In 8 CE Emperor Augustus exiled Ovid to a small town on the Black Sea. It was around the same time period in which Augustus had exiled his daughter Julia the Younger for having an affair with a Roman Senator. Actions such as these demonstrate how far Augustus was willing to go in order to see the re-establishment of Roman Society.
The most critical time period throughout Roman history is during the establishment of the Roman Empire. Without a doubt the most important figure of this time is Gaius Octavius, who became Rome’s first Emperor, Augustus. He worked relentlessly in his efforts to re-vitalize Roman society, and to establish a lasting empirical dynasty. Part of his efforts included wielding an impressive influence over Rome’s most popular contemporary authors. These authors included Virgil, Horace, and Ovid. This influence can be seen in many of their works, but especially so in the Aeneid, Georgics, Satires, and the controversy surrounding the Ars Amatoria. Without this effort, the Roman Empire would have failed. Through its success, Rome’s power would reach its zenith, extending its influence far beyond the Mediterranean. It is this influence which makes Rome a critical civilization to understand in the study of the classics.
Works Cited
- Virgil., and Robert Fitzgerald. The Aeneid. New York: Random House, 1983.
- Virgil., and Paul T. Alessi. Georgics. Focus Publishing, 2003.
- Horace., and Paul T. Alessi. Satires. Focus Publishing, 2003.
- Ovid., and Ronald Mellor. Ars Amatoria. Routledge, 2013.
