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Augustan Rule (27 B.C.–14 A.D.)

• 
  Statue of a draped seated man, Republican or Early Imperial, 1st century b.c.
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 51 1/2 in. (130.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1909 (09.221.4)

• 
  Head of Augustus, Roman Period, 27–20 b.c.
  Egyptian
  Blue-green (glassy?) faience

  H. 2 5/8 in. (6.8 cm)
  Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926 (26.7.1428)

• 
  Statue of a togatus, ca. 14–9 b.c.; Augustan
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 77 5/8 in. (1.97 m)
  Gift of John D. Crimmins, 1904 (04.15)

• 
  Aedicula with small landscape: From the "Black Room" of the Imperial Villa at Boscotrecase, last decade of 1st century b.c.; Augustan
  Roman
  Wall painting
  

  Fresco: H. 91 3/4 in. (233.05 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1920 (20.192.1)

  Egyptianizing scene: From the "Black Room" of the Imperial Villa at Boscotrecase, last decade of 1st century b.c.; Augustan
  Roman
  Wall painting
  

  Fresco: H. 91 3/4 in. (233.05 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1920 (20.192.2)

  Egyptianizing scene: From the "Black Room" of the Imperial Villa at Boscotrecase, last decade of 1st century b.c.; Augustan
  Roman
  Wall painting
  

  Fresco: H. 91 3/4 in. (233.05 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1920 (20.192.3)

• 
  Statue of a member of the imperial family shown in heroic semi-nudity, Early Imperial, Augustan or Julio-Claudian, 27 b.c.–68 a.d.
  Roman
  Marble, pigment, gilding

  H. 46 in. (116.8 cm)
  Bequest of Bill Blass, 2002 (2003.407.9)

• 
  Intaglio portrait of a young woman, 1st century b.c.–1st century a.d.; Augustan
  Roman
  Sard

  5/8 x 1/2 in. (1.59 x 1.27 cm)
  Cesnola Collection, Purchased by Subscription, 1874 (74.51.4236)

• 
  Arretine cup signed by Tigranes, ca. 25 b.c.–10 a.d.; Augustan
  Roman
  Terracotta

  H. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.210.37)

• 
  Garland bowl, late 1st century b.c.–early 1st century a.d.; Augustan
  Roman
  Glass

  H. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm), Diam. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)
  Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891 (91.1.1402)

• 
  Amphoriskos (perfume bottle), late 1st century b.c.–early 1st century a.d.; Augustan or early Julio-Claudian
  Roman
  Banded agate

  H. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)
  Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass Gift, in honor of Annette de la Renta, and Rogers Fund, 2001 (2001.253)

• 
  Lid of a ceremonial box, late 1st century b.c.–early 1st century a.d.; Augustan
  Roman
  Gilt silver

  H. 1 in. (2.5 cm), W. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm), D. 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm)
  Purchase, Marguerite and Frank A. Cosgrove Jr. Fund and Mr. and Mrs. Christos G. Bastis Gift, 2000 (2000.26)

• 
  Ribbed bowl, late 1st century b.c.–mid-1st century a.d.
  Roman
  Cast glass

  H. 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm), Diam. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm)
  Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881 (81.10.39)

• 
  Portrait head of the Emperor Augustus, ca. 14–37; Julio-Claudian
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 12 in. (30.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.115)

• 
  Fragmentary head of a deity wearing a Dionysiac fillet, probably Julio-Claudian, ca. 14–68 a.d.
  Roman; copy of a Greek work of the 2nd century b.c.
  Marble, pigment, gilding

  H. 11 7/8 in. (30.3 cm)
  Purchase, Anonymous Gift, in memory of Professor Charles M. Edwards, 1992 (1992.11.66)

• 
  Statue of an old market woman, Early Imperial, Julio-Claudian, 1st century a.d.
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 49 5/8 in. (125.98 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1909 (09.39)

• 
  Section of a pilaster with acanthus scrolls, first half of 1st century a.d.; Julio-Claudian
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 43 1/2 in. (110.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1910 (10.210.28)

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During the reign of Augustus, Rome was transformed into a truly imperial city.

Related

Timelines (5)

• Iberian Peninsula, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
• Iberian Peninsula, 1–500 A.D.
• Italian Peninsula, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
• Italian Peninsula, 1–500 A.D.
• Western and Central Europe, 1–500 A.D.

Primary Thematic Essays (4)

• The Julio–Claudian Dynasty (27 b.c.–68 a.d.)
• The Roman Empire (27 b.c.–393 a.d.)
• The Roman Republic
• The Year One

Other Thematic Essays (30)

• Ancient Greek Dress
• The Antonine Dynasty (138–193)
• Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
• Art of the Roman Provinces, 1–500 a.d.
• Baths and Bathing Culture in the Middle East: The Hammam
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Collecting for the Kunstkammer
• The Flavian Dynasty (69–96)
• Greek Art in the Archaic Period
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• Heroes in Italian Mythological Prints
• The Idea and Invention of the Villa
• Intellectual Pursuits of the Hellenistic Age
• List of Rulers of Ancient Egypt and Nubia
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• List of Rulers of the Roman Empire
• Luxury Arts of Rome
• Neoclassicism
• Polychromy of Roman Marble Sculpture
• The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
• Retrospective Style in Greek and Roman Sculpture
• Roman Copies of Greek Statues
• Roman Egypt
• Roman Glass
• Roman Inscriptions
• Roman Mosaic and Network Glass
• Roman Painting
• Roman Portrait Sculpture: Republican through Constantinian
• Roman Portrait Sculpture: The Stylistic Cycle
• Theater and Amphitheater in the Roman World

Maps (2)

• Europe, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• World, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Index Terms (21)

Art Movement/Style

• Augustan Art in Ancient Rome
• Early Imperial Art in Ancient Rome
• Egyptian Art in the Roman Period
• Julio–Claudian Art in Ancient Rome
• Republican Art in Ancient Rome

Geography/Place

• Rome (Ancient)
• Southern Italy and Rome

Material and Technique

• Agate
• Gilt Silver
• Glass from Europe
• Painting in Fresco
• Sculpture in the Round from the Italian Peninsula
• Silver from the Italian Peninsula

Object

• Box Vessel from Europe
• Men's Clothing
• Vessel from the Italian Peninsula

Subject Matter/Theme

• Archaeology from Europe
• Greek and Roman Deity
• Interior
• Portrait Sculpture from the Italian Peninsula
• Virgil's Aeneid

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By the first century B.C., Rome was already the largest, richest, and most powerful city in the Mediterranean world. During the reign of Augustus, however, it was transformed into a truly imperial city. Writers were encouraged to compose works that proclaimed its imperial destiny: the Histories of Livy, no less than the Aeneid of Virgil, were intended to demonstrate that the gods had ordained Rome "mistress of the world." A social and cultural program enlisting literature and the other arts revived time-honored values and customs, and promoted allegiance to Augustus and his family. The emperor was recognized as chief state priest, and many statues depicted him in the act of prayer or sacrifice. Sculpted monuments, such as the Ara Pacis Augustae built between 14 and 9 B.C., testify to the high artistic achievements of imperial sculptors under Augustus and a keen awareness of the potency of political symbolism. Religious cults were revived, temples rebuilt, and a number of public ceremonies and customs reinstated. Craftsmen from all around the Mediterranean established workshops that were soon producing a range of objects—silverware, gems, glass—of the highest quality and originality. Great advances were made in architecture and civil engineering through the innovative use of space and materials. By 1 A.D., Rome was transformed from a city of modest brick and local stone into a metropolis of marble with an improved water and food supply system, more public amenities such as baths, and other public buildings and monuments worthy of an imperial capital.

Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation

Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Augustan Rule (27 B.C.–14 A.D.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/augs/hd_augs.htm (October 2000)

Further Reading

Bartman, Elizabeth. Portraits of Livia: Imaging the Imperial Woman in Augustan Rome. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Milleker, Elizabeth J., ed. The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.

Winkes, Rolf, ed. The Age of Augustus: Interdisciplinary Conference Held at Brown University, April 30–May 2, 1982. Providence, R.I.: Center for Old World Archaeology and Art, Brown University, 1985.

Zanker, Paul. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1988.

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