dddd
... He sought to reorganize and institute changes in the military to assure that it would not rise again in support of some triumphant general to challenge the legitimacy of the state. Since warfare within the Empire was eliminated, the role of the legions changed. Its main objectives consisted in protecting the borders from foreign foes and pacifying conquered lands through the gradual introduction of the Roman language, law, administration, and engineering (Takacs 48). Augustus' priority was to reduce the number of the legions from 60 to 28, settling in the process more than 100,000 veterans in colonies in Italy, Africa, Asia, and Syria (Takacs 53). He standardized the length of military service, raised the troops' salary and regularized the payment of pensions to veterans, which consisted of land and money. Accordingly, Augustus reduced the old threat of soldiers giving their allegiance to wealthy generals rather than to the state. In addition, Augustus raised a new military force to act as personal bodyguards of the Emperor and to specifically protect the city of Rome from all enemies, foreign or domestic. He also created a police force for the city, which greatly reduced the crime rate and the frequency of public riots, both of which were constant problems in the fevents on commemorative arches, columns, f. Mythological imagery exalts Augustus’ position. Cupid, son of the goddess Venus, rides a dolphin next to the emperor’s right leg, a reference to the claim of the emperor’s family, the Julians, to descend from the goddess Venus through her son Aeneas (Zanker 71). Although Augustus wears armor and holds a commander’s baton, his feet are bare, suggesting to some scholars his elevation to divine status after death. Whether depicting Augustus as a general praising his troops or as a peacetime leader speaking words of encouragement to his people, the sculpture “…projects the image of a benign ruler, touched by the gods, who governs by reason and persuasion, not autocratic power” (72). The combination of realism and idealism in Augustan sculpture is clear in the Ara Pacis (Altar of Piece). The altar, begun in 13 B.C. and dedicated in 9 B.C., commemorates Augustus’ triumphal return to Rome after establishing Rome rule in Gaul. The walled rectangular enclosure with the altar inside is approached by a flight of steep stairs on the west. Its decoration is a thoughtful union of portraiture and allegory, religion and politics, the private and public. On the inner walls, garlands of flowers that are suspended by ox skulls surround the altar. The ox skulls symbolize sacrificial offerings, whereas the garlands signify continuous peace (Takacs 82). Decorative allegory gives way to Roman realism on the exterior side, with panels depicting processions of senators, family, recognizable people in society, as well as the goddess Pax, known as the Mother of Earth. Significant contributions in literature were also made during Augustus’ reign. Virgil, the greatest of all Roman poets, devoted the last ten years of his life to the composition of the epic poem intended to honor Rome, and by implication, Augustus. The result was the Aeneid, one of the most loved and revered work of literature in the Western culture. Virgil conveyed the hope that Augustus would rescue Rome from ruin;...