The Ara Pacis was vowed on July 4th of 13 B.C. and dedicated on January 30th of 9 B.C. as a gift to Augustus from the Roman Senate upon his return from Spain and Gaul. Augustus himself states “after successfully arranging affairs… the senate resolved that an altar of Augustan Peace should be consecrated next to the Campus Martius in honour of [his] return.” The Altar of Peace was an incredibly important monument dedicated to the Roman goddess Pax, and in it Augustus makes strong political statements and presents himself as the man who has brought peace to Rome after a period of internal and external turmoil. Augustus highlights the idea that he has started the Pax Romana, a new period of Roman history. However, while most sources focus on the political context of the Ara Pacis it is impossible to fully understand the altar without examining its religious importance.
Excavation
Excavation of the Ara Pacis began in the 16th century, but was finalized 4 centuries later. Mussolini, the Italian dictator from 1922 to 1943 began the final excavation on the 2000th anniversary of Augustus’ birthday. The altar currently stands in the Museum of the Ara Pacis in Rome, Italy. The museum that houses the Ara Pacis was originally designed by Vittorio Ballio Morpugo, but the current museum was designed by American architect, Richard Meier and was built using travertine, glass and steel (Figure 1).
Visual Analysis
The Ara Pacis is about 35 feet in width and is roughly a square with an axial staircase in front of the west entrance to the altar. It contains two procession scenes which are located along the north and south panels of the outside enclosure of the altar, and four mythological panels on the east and west sides (Figure 2). The procession scenes are carved in low relief and depict figures as they walk to enter the altar and participate in the ritual sacrifice. The main figures in the north and south progression scenes are: attendants, priests, lictors and members of the imperial family.
The north panel (Figure 3) contains forty-six figures, mostly including priests and some members of the imperial family, however, important members are not located in the north panel, instead they can be found in the southern procession scene. The priests that are depicted on the north panel can be divided into two categories: Septemviri Epulones, who oversaw arranging of feasts and celebrations for sacred holidays and carry incense boxes and Quindecimviri Scarsi Faciundis, priests’ whose duty was to guard the sacred texts, the sibylline books and consult them upon the request of the roman senate.
The South Panel of the Ara Pacis (Figure 4) includes Augustus and members of his immediate family, including his wife Livia. Interestingly, Augustus is not particularly highlighted, instead he is just part of the progression scene. The South Panel includes references to the imperial dynastic succession: Sextus Appuleius (Flamen Iulialis) the priest of the deified Julius Caesar is present, in addition., there are references to Augustus’ heir, a small boy clutches Aggripa’s Toga. This small boy resembles Gaius Caesar, Agrippa’s son, and elder grandson and adopted son of Augustus, who was chosen as successor. In addition to members of Augustus’ family, the panel contains depictions of children – this is the first-time children are represented on Roman Art. The addition of children to the panel are said to be because Augustus wished to increase birthrates of the Roman upper class.
There are four mythological panels in the Ara Pacis. The first panel depicts on the north-west side of the enclosure of the altar depicts a scene at the Lupercal (Figure 5). While this panel is fragmented, it once depicted the brothers Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf in the lupercal grotto. The south-west panel depicts a male figure (Figure 6). There has been debate over who is represented. One theory suggests the panel depicts Aeneas arriving in Italy and making a sacrifice to the goddess Juno; however, a more recent interpretation suggests the figure represented could be Numo, the second king of Rome, who was a peaceful ruler and is said to have established Roman Religion. While the panel makes references to sacrifice, the male figure is hooded, the animal to be sacrificed is present, as well as a temple and a male attendant.
The panels on the East side of the Altar depict female figures. The north-east panel depicts a personification of Rome (Figure 7), it is classicizing and idealized, however, because the panel is fragmented not much is not about it. Finally, the fourth panel (Figure 8) on the south-east face of the enclosure of the Ara Pacis has been subject of much discussion, it is mostly accepted to represent Tellus, a personification of the Earth, however, it is argued it could also represent Pax to whom the altar is dedicated. In addition, the panel depicts this female goddess sitting among children and foliage, referencing fertility and abundance in the Empire. The figure is flanked by personifications of the sea breeze and the land.
References to Eternity
The Ara Pacis includes several references to eternity, which served as an important political message during the time of Augustus. The Romans were preoccupied with the concept of time, the “great year” would be the end of time as they knew it, the end of the cosmic cycle. The cycle would end with Ekpyrosis, the idea that the universe must come to an end to purify it; this concept is said to have come from Iran, where the first references to Ekpyrosis have been found. The references to eternity on the Ara Pacis, as well as a general theme of rebirth highlight the idea that Augustus has brought a new period to Rome.
The presence of members of the imperial lineage, including the Flamen Iulialis, the priest of the deified Julius Ceasar, and the references to Augustus heir emphasize the transient nature of the procession and places the events within a larger temporal contest. In addition, the presence of figures such as Agrippa, who had passed by the time the Ara Pacis was dedicated make the historical event of the procession a world of myth. The events are depicted as ideal, rather than as they occurred, this highlights that the events are not limited to a particular time, instead they have occurred before and will continue to occur, emphasizing a general theme of eternity.
Finally, the Ara Pacis often highlights a theme of rebirth and a natural cycle. The carvings surrounding the outside walls of the Ara Pacis (Figure 9) include motifs of flowers and fruits, which highlight abundance and fertility of the land; this alludes to a theme of rebirth. In addition, the fruits and flowers are flanked by images of skulls, which probably refer to the animals to be sacrificed at the Altar. This combination of images creates a circle of death and rebirth and allude to a theme of cyclic nature, and once again eternity.
The Altar
The Altar of the Ara Pacis (Figure 10) is the functional portion of the monuments. Here, offerings to the gods, often in the form of sacrifice were made. The altar contains gryphons, which are winged lions and volutes like those found in ionic capital. The altar also contains a small procession scenes depicting the priests, attendants and vestal virgins who will participate in the annual sacrifice to be held in the Ara Pacis.
Sacrifice and Religious Processions of the Ara Pacis
Deferral on the Ara Pacis
It has been suggested that the Ara Pacis was not the final site of sacrifice, it was a preliminary, rather than a final goa. This has been suggested because there is no house of worship and no cult statue near the original site of the Ara Pacis in the Northern Campus Martius. In addition, the god to which sacrifice is intended is left open – the sacrifice could be dedicated to Pax, to whom the Ara Pacis was dedicated, to Mars, the god of war and patron of the Campus Martius, or finally, the sacrifice could be dedicated to Augustus after his death. This is plausible because Augustus was deified after his passing and the location of the Ara Pacis is near the mausoleum where Augustus’ ashes would have been housed. Finally, the idea of the deferral is also suggested because the panels of the Ara Pacis do not actually represent sacrifice, instead the events leading up to the religious event are depicted: the procession, the live animal, the attendant and the hooded Aeneas or Numo on the mythological panel.