INV. 029 · Artwork
Statue of Augustus (Prima Porta type)
Marble statue of the first emperor. According to Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, Octavian, called Augustus, turned the Roman republic into an empire while claiming to restore it, and Philo of Alexandria describes him as an ideal ruler. The book also illustrates the chapter with a statue of Augustus (figure 4.1), without saying which one.
Editorial note: Date, institution and provenance come only from the Wikimedia Commons record and have not yet been checked against the institution's catalogue.
- Type
- Artwork
- Nature
- Ancient objectThe object itself dates from the period indicated.
- Date of the object
- unknownThe Commons record consulted does not give the statue's date; it is listed in the category 'Augustus of Prima Porta, inv. 2290'.
- Depicts
- Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
- Institution
- Museus Vaticanos (segundo as categorias do Commons)
- Image
- Till NiermannOwn work
- Licence
- Domínio público
- Retrieved
- Commons API, 2026-10-14
Sourced historical context
The Roman republic was an oligarchy centered on the Senate, a council of elders that advised and filled offices. Octavian posed as the restorer of that order, but removed awkward senators and installed allies; the docile Senate gave him titles (Imperator, Augustus) and command of every legion and governor. The republic survived only as a façade. For Philo, Augustus was the model sovereign: he brought peace, united the world, civilized the barbarians and put an end to piracy; Caligula, by contrast, was dreadful, but in his view most successors acted with benevolence toward the Jews. Archaeology shows what prompted this judgment: aqueducts in Jerusalem and Caesarea, better roads, streets and ports.