The Forum of Augustus

For SHARP Option C, you should offer an interpretive reflection on what the Forum of Augustus might tell us about Augustus’s priorities at the time of its dedication in 2 BC. If we are right to believe that Augustus himself was closely involved in the design of the Forum, then we can consider it as an architectural parallel to the slightly later Res Gestae. What claims is Augustus making with the location, design, and decoration of his Forum—claims about his legitimacy, about his place in the longer arc of Roman history, about his position as head of a massive empire, etc.?

As with all the short papers, you should NOT attempt to be comprehensive, but should rather focus on ONE point of interpretation that you consider particularly fruitful and insightful.

Citation: The modern scholarly accounts by Wallace-Hadrill and by Galinsky will be your guide to the Forum of Augustus and should be cited by author, date, and page number thus¹ and thus². 

This paper is due during session 8.

​¹ Wallace-Hadrill (2018) 65.  
​² Galinsky (1996) 197.