'A City of Brick': Visual Rhetoric in the Roman Principate
The first of these case studies, found in Chapter Two, examines the most complete visual representation of this myth in state art on the Ara Pacts Augustae, Altar of Augustan Peace, and how traditional rhetorical techniques are at work on the altar. Chapter Three focuses on the political myth as represented on coins from the Senatorial and Imperial mints, the most widely seen rhetorical media in the Principate, arguing that as the Principate became more entrenched, the need to emphasize the relationship between the gods and Augustus faded away. Chapter four examines the popularization of the Augustan political myth and depiction of citizenships on the altars of the Lares Augusti, that is, altars dedicated by the plebs, slaves, and women at neighborhood crossroads to the household Gods of Augustus. The conclusion considers the impact of the case studies on rhetorical history, arguing rhetoric transformed in the Principate from a practical to productive art that greatly influenced the transition from Republic to Empire, and permanently altered the appearance of the city of Rome.
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