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EnglandClassical Civilisation

The Imperial Image (Culture and the Arts)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did coins spread Augustus' image and messages across the Roman world?

The Imperial Image: the use of coinage to disseminate Augustus' image and titles, the messages carried by coin types (military success, peace, divine connection and dynasty), and the strengths and limits of coins as evidence.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/22) study of Augustan coinage. Covers how coins carried Augustus' portrait, titles and messages (military victory, peace, divine connection and dynasty) across the empire, and the strengths and limits of coins as evidence, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
17 min answer →

How did Octavian transform himself into Augustus, and how did the image of the restored Republic mask the reality of his power?

The Imperial Image: the transformation of the young Octavian into Augustus, the settlement of 27 BC, the public image of the restored Republic and the modest princeps, and the contrast between that image and the reality of his accumulated power.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/22) study of the transformation of Octavian into Augustus. Covers the violent rise of Octavian, the settlement of 27 BC, the public image of the restored Republic and the modest princeps, and the gap between that image and the reality of his power, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

How did the Ara Pacis and Augustus' building programme project his image of peace, piety and dynasty?

The Imperial Image: the Ara Pacis Augustae and its sculptural programme, the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Mars Ultor, and how monumental architecture and reliefs conveyed peace, piety, dynastic continuity and a link to Rome's heroic past.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/22) study of the Ara Pacis and Augustus' building programme. Covers the reliefs of the Altar of Peace (the imperial procession, Tellus/Pax, Roma, Aeneas), the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Mars Ultor, and how architecture projected peace, piety and dynasty, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

How did the Augustan poets contribute to, and sometimes complicate, the image of Augustus?

The Imperial Image: the role of the Augustan poets (Virgil, Horace, Propertius and Ovid) in shaping Augustus' image, the literary celebration of peace, piety and the golden age, and the question of how far the poets were propagandists or independent voices.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/22) study of the Augustan poets and the image of Augustus. Covers the literary celebration of peace, piety and a golden age in Virgil and Horace, the more ambivalent voices of Propertius and Ovid, and the debate over whether the poets were propagandists or independent, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →

How did statues and portraits of Augustus convey his power, piety and divine connection?

The Imperial Image: the sculptural portrayal of Augustus, including the Prima Porta statue and the Via Labicana (Pontifex Maximus) statue, the idealised and youthful portrait type, and how statuary projected military victory, piety and a link to the gods.
An OCR A-Level Classical Civilisation (H408/22) study of the statues and portraits of Augustus. Covers the Prima Porta statue, the Via Labicana statue of Augustus as Pontifex Maximus, the idealised youthful portrait type, and how sculpture projected military success, piety and divine connection, with the source and essay skills the paper rewards.
18 min answer →