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Ara Pacis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ara Pacis Augustae (Latin, "Altar of Majestic Peace"; 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 by the Senate to celebrate the peace established in the Empire after Augustus's victories in Gaul and Spain.[1] 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.
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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 as priests. 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 rather recognizable portraits of individuals.
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.[2]
The Altar was originally located on the Campus Martius in the flood plain of the river Tiber, where it became buried under 4 metres of silt over the centuries. The first sculptures were rediscovered in the 16th century and in 1938 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.[1]
There is now a new cover building on the same site as Mussolini's. Designed by modern American architect Richard Meier[1], the new building was opened in 2006 and has proved somewhat controversial[1], the New York Times describing the result as "a flop"[3], and the sitting mayor Walter Veltroni's opponent stated that (if elected) he would tear the structure down.[4]
- ^ a b c d Crow, Charlotte (Jun 2006). "The Ara Pacis". History Today 56 (6): 5. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
- ^ Fragment from the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace). Musée du Louvre. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ Ouroussoff, Nicolai. "An Oracle of Modernism in Ancient Rome", New York Times, Sep 25, 2006, pp. E.1. Retrieved on February 28, 2007. (in English)
- ^ Sanderson, Rachel, Mills, Don. "Modern building stirs Roman passions", National Post, Apr 22, 2006, pp. A.19. Retrieved on February 28, 2007. (in English)
- Samuel Ball Platner, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Ara Pacis
- The official web site of the Ara Pacis Museum in English
- Several pages with photos of the sculpture
- Article concerning Meier's museum housing the Ara Pacis
- Article from the New York Times, September 25 2006, "An Oracle of Modernism in Ancient Rome" by Nicolai Ouroussoff
- Richard Hodges, Current World Archaeology 20, pages 60-62
- Description from Richardmeier.com: Ara Pacis
- Ara Pacis Museum.com: Reference website devoted to the Ara Pacis and the Ara Pacis Museum
