Domitian's Rome and the Augustan Legacy

Marks, Raymond; Mogetta, Marcello

doi:doi:10.3998/mpub.11722101

Edited by Raymond Marks and Marcello Mogetta

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The legacy of the Roman emperor Augustus and the culture of his age was profound and immediately evident after his death in 14 CE. His first four successors based their claims to rule on kinship with him, thus establishing the Julio-Claudian dynasty (14–68 CE), and plied an evolving form of the Principate, the political arrangement Augustus carved out for himself. His building and restoration programs gave the city an "Augustan" appearance that remained relatively unchanged throughout subsequent reigns. And, among literary luminaries of his age, figures such as Horace and Ovid left an indelible mark on the poetic practices of future generations while Virgil insinuated himself still more deeply into the Roman psyche. But it was after the reigns of Augustus' own descendants, oddly enough, that we witness the most spirited and thoroughgoing engagement with the Augustan past; during the reign of the emperor Domitian, the third and last ruler of the subsequent Flavian dynasty (81–96 CE), there was a veritable Augustan renaissance.

This volume represents the first book-length treatment of the reception of Augustus and his age during the reign of Domitian. Its thirteen chapters, authored by an international group of scholars, offer readers a glimpse into the fascinating history and culture of Domitian's Rome and its multifaceted engagement with the Augustan past. Combining material and literary cultural approaches and covering a diverse range of topics—art, architecture, literature, history, law—the studies in this volume capture the rich complexity of the Augustan legacy in Domitian's Rome while also revising our understanding of Domitian's own legacy. Far from being the cruel tyrant history has made him out to be, Domitian emerges as a studious, thoughtful cultivator of the Augustan past who helped shape an age that not only took inspiration from that past, but managed to rival it.

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Contributors
Figures
Introduction
Part I. Urban Narratives
- 1. Assemblages and Appropriation of Augustan Art and Topography in Flavian Rome
- 2. Domitian and the Augustan Altars
- 3. Legacy Revisited
Part II. Gods and Models
- 4. Identifying Demigods
- 5. Arachne and Lucretia
Part III. From Nero to Augustus
- 6. Looking Back When Foretelling the Future
- 7. Parce, Pater
- 8. The Return of Jupiter
Part IV. Poetic Journeys
- 9. Revisiting Ovid’s House of Somnus in Statius’ Thebaid
- 10. Quid Restat Profugis?
- 11. Augustan to the End
Part V. History and Reception
- 12. An Ambiguous Attitude
- 13. Domitian’s Aftermath
Footnotes
Bibliography
General Index
Index Locorum

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A marble portrait head of the Roman emperor Nerva that was recut from a visage of Domitian.

Portrait head of Nerva, 1

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.1. Portrait head of Nerva, reworked from a late portrait of Domitian (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California—inv. 83.AA.43; digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program).

A marble portrait head of the Roman emperor Nerva that was cut during his lifetime.

Portrait head of Nerva, 2

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.2. Newly cut portrait head of Nerva (Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, 668, inv. 772; digital image courtesy of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek).

A copper coin of Nerva from fall 97 that depicts a portrait head of the Deified Augustus on the obverse and a winged thunderbolt on the reverse.

Copper as of Nerva from fall 97

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.3. Copper as of Nerva from fall 97 (?). The obverse bears a portrait of the Deified Augustus, while the reverse depicts a winged thunderbolt (American Numismatic Society, 1944.100.42671).

A silver coin of Nerva from late 96 that depicts a portrait head of Nerva on the obverse and Diana readying her bow and followed by a hunting dog on the reverse.

Silver denarius of Nerva from late 96

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.4. Silver denarius of Nerva from late 96 CE. The obverse bears a portrait of Nerva, while the reverse depicts Diana as huntress (American Numismatic Society, 1984.36.1).

A silver coin of the rebels from 68 that depicts a portrait head of the Deified Augustus on the obverse and Diana readying her bow and followed by a hunting dog on the reverse.

Silver denarius of the rebels from 68

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.5. Silver denarius of the rebels from 68 CE. The obverse bears a portrait of the Deified Augustus, while the reverse depicts Diana as huntress (© Bibliothèque nationale de France; https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10445818r).

A copper coin of Nerva from January 97 that depicts a portrait head of Nerva on the obverse and Aequitas standing and holding scales and a cornucopia on the reverse.

Copper as of Nerva from January 97

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.6. Copper as of Nerva from January 97. The obverse bears a portrait of Nerva while the reverse depicts Aequitas standing to the left, holding scales and a cornucopia (© Yale University Art Gallery, 2001.87.5875, Transfer from the Sterling Memorial Library, Numismatic Collection).

A silver coin of Nerva from September 96 CE that depicts a portrait head of Nerva on the obverse and Iustitia seated and holding an olive branch and scepter on the reverse.

Silver denarius of Nerva from September 96

From Chapter 13

Fig. 13.7. Silver denarius of Nerva from September 96. The obverse bears a portrait of Nerva, while the reverse depicts Iustitia seated to the right, holding an olive branch and scepter (© Yale University Art Gallery, 2001.87.2749, Gift of Josiah H. Peck, LL.B., 1894, Transfer from the Sterling Memorial Library, Numismatic Collection).

A bronze coin of Nerva from late 96 CE that depicts a portrait head of Nerva on the obverse and Libertas standing and holding a vindicta and pilleus on the reverse.

Bronze sestertius of Nerva from late 96

From Chapter 13

Figure 13.8. Bronze sestertius of Nerva from late 96. The obverse bears a portrait of Nerva, while the reverse depicts Libertas standing to the left, holding a vindicta and pilleus (Private collection, formerly in the collection of Consul E.F. Weber, sold in 1909, J. Hirsch 24, no. 1313).

A bronze coin of Nerva from September 96 CE that depicts a portrait head of the emperor Nerva on the obverse and Roma seated and holding a Victoriola and spear.

Bronze sestertius of Nerva from September 96

From Chapter 13

Figure 13.9. Bronze sestertius of Nerva from September 96. The obverse bears a portrait of Nerva while the reverse depicts Roma seated, holding a Victoriola and spear (© Bibliothèque nationale de France; https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10448318w).

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Domitian's Rome and the Augustan Legacy

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Portrait head of Nerva, 1

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Copper as of Nerva from fall 97

Silver denarius of Nerva from late 96

Silver denarius of the rebels from 68

Copper as of Nerva from January 97

Silver denarius of Nerva from September 96

Bronze sestertius of Nerva from late 96

Bronze sestertius of Nerva from September 96

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