Ara Pacis
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The Ara Pacis Augustae (Latin for "Altar of Augustan Peace", and commonly shortened to Ara Pacis) is an altar to Peace, envisioned as a Roman goddess. It was commissioned by (or for) the Roman emperor Augustus, consecrated on 30 January 9 BC and decreed by the Senate to celebrate the peace established in the Empire after Augustus's victories in Gaul and Spain. It had earlier been dedicated on 4 July 13 BC. The altar was meant to be a vision of the Roman civil religion. It sought to portray the peace and prosperity enjoyed as a result of the Pax Romana (Latin, "Roman peace") brought about by the military supremacy of the Roman empire.
The Altar
The Ara Pacis was elaborately and finely sculpted entirely in gleaming white marble, depicting scenes of traditional Roman piety, in which the Emperor and his family were portrayed in the act of offering sacrifices to the gods. Various figures bring forth cattle to be sacrificed. Some have their togas drawn over their heads, like a hood; this signifies that they are acting in their official capacity. Others wear laurel crowns, traditional symbols of victory. Men, women, and children all approach the gods. The Altar is considered a masterpiece of Roman sculpture; the figures in the procession are not idealised types, as are typically found in Greek sculpture, but are instead recognizable portraits of individuals.
Original Fragments
As it stands today, the Ara is a combination of original fragments found on the original site and kept in Rome, and of plaster casts of original fragments now in foreign museums, including the Louvre in Paris [link].Conservation
The Altar was originally located on the Campus Martius. Benito Mussolini built a protective building for the Altar by the Mausoleum of Augustus (moving the Altar in the process) as part of his attempt to create an ancient Roman "theme park" as an example of Fascist Italy.There is now a new cover building on the same site as Mussolini's. Designed by modern American architect Richard Meier, the new building is somewhat controversial.
See also
External links
- [Samuel Ball Platner, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Ara Pacis]
- [Several pages with photos of the sculpture]
- [Article concerning Meier housing]
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