Rome 2017: (3) The Alter of Peace (Ara Pacis)

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ara-Pacis

Romans valued how they were perceived and craved a positive reputation, despite if their actions deserved such accolades. Many Romans memorialized themselves in a different way with the motive to create a façade against their natural intent. An example of this is the altar of peace created by Emperor Augustus. He was corrupt and known for his power that many considered as dictatorial. He was cruel and used violence to produce chaos. However, he did not want the Romans to perceive him in a negative light that is why he created a peace campaign in order to deflect his decisions to be viewed as positive. The cultural landscape reflected the ideology of the time of smoke in mirrors. If the leader was perceived to be a man of peace-

the people would not question him. This period in Rome could be classified as a period of façade and that is revealed in the way the altar of peace was created and preserved. The reflection of the oblique fell directly on the altar of peace once a year on Augustus’ birthday. It is fascinating that this cultural landscape tells a story through the friezes- it is a story, yet again of Roman conquest and triumph, with the motivation of peace.