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Primary sourceArtifact13-9 BCE

Ara Pacis

13-9 BCE

An altar voted by the Senate to honor Augustus's return to Rome, decorated with processional reliefs of him and his family.

Commissioned to honor Augustus's return to Rome, this altar presents him and his family as guarantors of peace.

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Marble enclosure of the Ara Pacis in a glass-walled museum hall, seen from the southwest. Carved relief panels decorate the walls, with a doorway and a stepped approach at the front.
Ara Pacis Augustae, 13-9 BCE. Museum of the Ara Pacis, Rome.

About this source

What it is

The Ara Pacis Augustae, the "Altar of Augustan Peace," was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor Augustus's return from Hispania and Gaul and consecrated in 9 BC. It stood in the Campus Martius and is now reassembled in the Museum of the Ara Pacis in Rome.

Why it matters

The altar is both a religious monument and a piece of political messaging. Its reliefs show the imperial family in procession, presenting Augustus's household as central to Rome's stability, alongside scenes of abundance and mythological figures tied to Rome's founding. It reveals how Augustus used public art to link his rule, his family, and the idea of peace together as one program.

Look closer

  • Why include images of Augustus's family alongside scenes of peace and abundance?
  • What might the choice of mythological figures (like Aeneas or Roma) suggest about how Rome's past was used to support Augustus's present power?
  • What does it mean that the Senate, not Augustus himself, commissioned this monument?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Augustus and Virgil on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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