August forum
The Augustus Forum is the second of the four imperial forums in Rome . It was also known as Forum Martis in the Middle Ages . It is an extension of the Roman Forum . The forum was 125 meters long and 118 meters wide.
Although Augustus as early as 42 BC After the battle of Philippi , at the u. a. Brutus and Cassius , two of the murderers of Caesar , decided to build a new forum, the Temple of Mars Ultor (the Avenger), the most important building in this complex, was not consecrated until forty years later. This temple was made of Carrara marble and had eight front pillars and as many on the sides. In its center was a statue of Mars, surrounded by other important statues of gods, while Caesar's sword and the legion's insignia were kept in the cella .
The forum served to glorify the emperor as a restorer of the old traditions. Numerous statues of heroes such as Aeneas , Romulus , the kings of Alba Longas or important personalities of the republic were set up. In the middle of the forecourt to the temple stood a statue of Augustus on a triumphal chariot . Another emperor statue was later placed in a magnificent hall to the left of the temple. The back wall of this hall, like that of the temple, was part of a large wall that separated the forum from the subura and also served as a fire protection wall .
Today only the rear part of the forum with the podium and the remains of the Mars Ultor temple remains. The front part was built over by Mussolini with the Via dei Fori Imperiali .
Meaning and image program
The planning of the Augustus Forum goes back to the time before the Battle of Philippi , in which the Caesar murderers found their death. The building of the temple of Mars Ultor (the avenger), which was supposed to express Octavian's will to avenge the murder of his adoptive father Caesar, must be seen in this historical context .
The Augustus Forum was founded in 2 BC. Completed and inaugurated. The Augustus Quadriga in the middle of the forum, which had been donated to the princeps by the Senate for his inauguration, bore two meaningful inscriptions: on the one hand, on the base of the quadriga, the inscription pater patriae ("Father of the Fatherland"), which corresponds to his position as propagated as a caring “super-father” of the Roman people. On the other hand, all of the peoples subject to Augustus were also listed on the basis, thus taking into account his contribution to asserting the Roman claim to world domination.
The emphasis on the divine descent of Julier from the progenitor of the Romans Aeneas , son of Anchises and Venus , was illustrated on the one hand by statues of Aeneas and Romulus, which were set up in one of the two porticoed halls that surrounded the temple, on the other hand by two paintings, depicting the flight of Aeneas with his father Anchises and his son Ascanius from the burning Troy or descendants of Aeneas.
Together with the statues of important politicians of the Roman Republic ( principes viri ), who helped shape the history of the city, this program of images expresses Augustus' efforts to place himself in the tradition of the Republic despite his outstanding position and thus the impression of To propagate the continuity and consistency of his rule.
gallery
Model of the Augustus Forum
Preserved parts of the frieze, exhibited in the Trajan's Forum
Capitals and architrave of the Temple of Mars Ultor
Pegasus capital from the cella of the Mars Ultor temple
literature
- Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide. Verlag von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2685-8 , pp. 116-121.
- Brigitte Hintzen-Bohlen: Rome - Art and Architecture, Könemann-Verlag, Königswinter 2005, ISBN 3-8331-1304-9 , p. 131.
- Roberto Meneghini, Riccardo Santangeli Valenzani: I Fori Imperiali, gli scavi del Comune di Roma (1991-2007) . Viviani Editori, Roma 2007, ISBN 978-88-79931-25-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Heinrich Schlange-Schöningen : Augustus. 2nd Edition. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2012, ISBN 3-534-16512-8 , p. 12.
- ^ Heinrich Schlange-Schöningen: Augustus. 2nd Edition. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2012, p. 12f.
- ↑ see also Suetonius, Augustus 31,5
- ^ Heinrich Schlange-Schöningen: Augustus. 2nd Edition. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2012, p. 13.
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 39.5 ″ N , 12 ° 29 ′ 12.7 ″ E