The Augustan Revolution
andunfulfilledhopes.ThereignofAugustusitself,ofcourse,isreflectedin
an explosion of epigraphic commemoration, as Géza Alföldy has recently
demonstrated.^9
This particular phase would thus begin with the dedication in ..
of the temple of Mars Ultor, along with the surrounding Forum Augus-
tum,adornedwithstatuesofthegenerals(duces)whohadmadetheRoman
people great from small beginnings.The surviving inscribedelogia(‘‘eulo-
gies’’) which accompanied the statues simplydo not match what Livy had
alreadywrittenabouttheachievementsofthesesameduces,apointwhich
underlines how far Livy was from offering the canonical ‘‘Augustan’’ text.
For Suetonius records that Augustus informed the people in an edict how
theyweretoreadthesestatuesandtheirinscriptions:theyweretoserveasa
model,bywhichappropriateconductshouldbedemandedofhimselfwhile
helived,andoftheprincipesofsucceedingages.^10
The formation of an ideologyof the proper role ofprincipesis reflected
inotherinscriptionsofthefollowingyears.FirstthereistheGreekinscrip-
tion from Messene giving an exaggerated view of Gaius’ achievements in
theEast(‘‘learningthatGaiusCaesar,thesonofAugustus,wasfightingthe
barbariansforthesafetyofallmankind’’).^11 Thencomethetwolonginscrip-
tions from Pisa expressing the mourning of the colony for Lucius (..)
andGaius(..).^12 Thesenseofafuturewhichwasnotnowtocomeabout
isparticularlyclearinthelattercase:crudelibusfatisereptumpopuloRomano,iam
designatu[m i]ustissumum ac simillimum parentis sui virtutibus principem(by the
cruelfatessnatchedfromtheRomanpeople,alreadydesignated,asthemost
just,andmostsimilartohisparent’svirtues,princeps).Weknow,ofcourse,
of one aspect of the elaborate forms of commemoration devised in Rome
itselfforGaiusandLucius,namelytheadditiontothecenturiateassemblyof
tennewcenturiesnamedafterthem;themeasurewasembodiedintheLex
ValeriaCorneliapassedbytheordinaryconsulsof..,L.ValeriusMessalla
VolesusandCn.CorneliusCinnaMagnus.Itisnomorethananaccidentthat
wehavenotextofthislawitselfandcanperceiveitonlythroughtheTabula
HebanaofTiberius’reign.^13
Thatsenseofafuturewhichcouldnotnowcomeaboutisofcoursefelt
. G.Alföldy,‘‘AugustusunddieInschriften:TraditionundInnovation.DieGeburtder
imperialenEpigraphik,’’Gymnasium():.
. Suetonius,Div. Aug.,;seeLuce(n.).
.AE,no.;SEGXXIII,no.;seeesp.J.E.G.Zetzel,‘‘NewLightonGaius
Caesar’sEasternCampaign,’’GRBS():.
.ILS–;A.R.Marottad’Agata,Decreta Pisana(CILXI,–)().
. See,still,P.A.Brunt,‘‘TheLexValeriaCornelia,’’JRS():.