Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

 The Roman Republic

membersoftheJulianhouse;ontheotherRomulus,andalineoflegendary
orhistoricalheroesoftheRepublic.Heretooeachstatuewasequippedwith
aninscribedtext,givingtheofficeswhicheachmanhadheld,andabriefac-
countofhisachievements.Augustus,asweknowfromSuetonius,intended
somethingmorebyallthisthanjustthepleasureofcontemplatingthegreat
deedsofthepast.Heexplainedinanedict,couchedinhisusualsomewhat
tediousandmoralizingstyle,thathehadintendedthesestatuestoserveasan
example,intermsofwhichtheappropriateconductcouldbedemanded,by
hisfellowcitizens,bothofhimselfwhilehelivedandoftheprincipesofsuc-
ceedingperiods(Suetonius,Augustus).Withthesepropagandistovertones
added,theprogrammeoftheForumofAugustusthusexactlymatched,and
followedfrom,thatoftheantiquarianworkscomposedbyinnocentscholars
inthelastyearsoftheRepublic.
Moreover,asNepos’biographyofAtticusshows,therewasstillanother
areainwhichtheantiquarianinterestsofthelateRepublicweretobeputto
propagandistandprogrammaticusebythenewregime.Inthelastdecade
ofAtticus’life,thatisinthelaterfortiesandthethirties,Atticusbecamea
friendof‘‘ImperatorDivifilius’’(normallynowcalled‘‘Octavian’’),asNepos
says in the concluding section which hewrote after Atticus’ death. Caesar
usedtocorrespondfrequentlywithhim,whetherhewasinRomeoraway:
in his letters hewould ask Atticus to resolve some point of antique learn-
ing, or would put to him some literary puzzle (, –, ). At this time,
Neposrecords,thetempleof IuppiterFeretriusontheCapitol,whichhad
beenestablishedbyRomulus,waslyinginruins,andwasrooflessthrough
ageandneglect.ItwasatthepromptingofAtticusthatOctavianundertook
thetaskofrestoringit(,).
This step therefore appears here as an isolated measure of the s..,
whichwastakenbeforetherewasanygeneralprogrammefortherestoration
oftemples;anditoweditsorigintotheinitiativenotofOctavianbutofAtti-
cus.But,ofcourse,thispicturewassoontochange.Livy,writingbookin
thes,referstoAugustusas‘‘thefounderorrestorerofallthetemples,’’and
makesaspecificmentionofthetempleofIuppiterFeretrius,‘‘whichhere-
storedwhencollapsedthrougholdage.’’HealsoreferstoAugustus’claimthat
hehadpersonallydiscoveredthereevidencethatCorneliusCossushadbeen
consul, rather than military tribune, when he won thespolia opima(spoils
removedfromanenemygeneralbytheRomancommanderwhohadper-
sonallykilledhiminbattle)anddepositedthemthere;^23 hencetherewasno

. Livy,,–,withtheinvaluablecommentsofR.M.Ogilvie,Commentaryon Livy
Books –(Oxford,).