Augustus Statue

(Left) Statue of Augustus               (Right) Breastplate from Augustus Statue

     For our first 'History of the Arts' blog, we are going to be taking a closer look at the Statue of Augustus that was created not long after his death in 14 C.E. For starters, Augustus was one of the first Roman emperors, and he served his empire well as he was the one in command when the Romans finally defeated the Parthian Empire in 20 B.C.E. This statue was made to commemorate that victory that brought forth an era of peace and abundance in Roman history after nearly a century of civil war and destruction. 

     The most intriguing part of this statue, however, is Augustus' breastplate. Depicted are various Roman mythology gods and goddesses, as well as a scene from the battle mentioned above. The Roman mythology figures featured are the sun god Sol, the moon goddess Luna, the goddess of dawn Aurora, Caelus, the sky god, and the earth goddess cradling two babies while holding a cornucopia full of fruit. These figured from "Roman mythology on the breastplate represent the ordered, peaceful, stable, and bountiful world that the defeat of the Parthians promised" (Zanker, Source 3.3).      

     The center of the breastplate depicts an image of the Parthian ruler returning the battle standard that they had seized some thirty years prior.  Augustus is said to of declared, “I compelled the Parthians to return the spoils and standards of three Roman armies, and humbly to beg the friendship of the Roman people (Zanker, Source 3.3). Lastly, another little side note to be aware of, Augustus is barefoot in his statue much like heroes or gods were barefoot in theirs. Well, that is all folks, catch you next blog.