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

 The Augustan Revolution

growunderthenameofCaesar,/toensurethehouseholdrulesthe

earthforever./

()Liviatoowithhergooddaughtersin-lawmaybemakingforher

son’ssafety/theofferingsshewillalwaysmaketothewell-deserving

gods;/likewisethematronsandthechasteones/whopreservethe

sacredhearthswiththeirperpetualvirginity,/andtheloyalplebs,

andwiththeloyalplebstheSenate/andtheknightsofwhomIwas

onceasmallpart./Thiscommonjoypassesmebyindistant

isolation,/andnonebutslightnewspenetratessofar./Sothenall

thepeoplewillhavemanagedtowatchthetriumphs,/andwillread

onplacardsthenamesofleadersandcitiescaptured./

()Theywillseekingswithchainsabouttheircaptivenecks/

walkingbeforethegarlandedhorses./Heretheywillseethe

expressionsfittinglydowncast./Therefearsomescowlsofmen

besidethemselves./Oneviewerwillaskfornamesandstoriesand

explanations;/thenextwillgivethem,littlethoughtheyknow.

Ovid,whocouldnotbethere,devotesmuchofthepoem,inthelineswhich
follow(–),toanimaginedinterpretationofthescenegivenbyonespec-
tatortoanother;thetechniqueisstrikinglysimilartoPolybius’useofspec-
tators’reactionsasawayofgivingmeaningtotheeventsinhisHistory.^40 One
figurewhichneededtobeidentifiedwillhavebeenarepresentationofthe
conqueredGermania(–):‘‘crinibusenetiamferturGermaniapassis,/ et
ducisinvictisubpedemaestasedet’’(Look—evenGermanyisbornealong
withherhairflyingwild,/andsitssadlyatthefootoftheinvincibleleader).
Thisevocationwillnaturallyrecalltheimagesofconquerednations,above
allBritanniaherself,fromtheSebasteionofAphrodisias.^41
Ifthecrowdcouldnotidentifythesymbolicfigurescarriedintheproces-
sion,itwaspossible(asequally,inpermanentform,atAphrodisias)toread
thenames,andpassontheinformationtoothers.Attheendofthepoem
(–)Ovidreturnstothethemeofhisownabsencefromamongthespec-
tators;butearlier,inthepassagequoted,hehasalsorecalledonceagainhis
proper,ifnowlost,placeasamemberofaprivilegedorder,oneofthegroups
whoserejoicinggivesmeaningtotheevent(–).
Inthecontextofatriumph,however,itmustbestrikingthattheonly
memberoftheimperialhousewhoisactuallynamedinthispassageisLivia

. J.Davidson,‘‘TheGazeinPolybius,’’JRS():–.
. R. R. R. Smith, ‘‘The Imperial Reliefs from the Sebasteion at Aphrodisias,’’JRS
 (): ; ‘‘Simulacra Gentium:TheEthnefrom the Sebasteion at Aphrodisias,’’JRS
():.